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Aim and objectives: To explore factors associated with nurses' willingness and competency to provide anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer. Background: Family caregivers often experience anticipatory grief due to the imminence of a loved one's death. However, few studies have identified factors associated with nurses' willingness or competency to provide anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer. Methods: This descriptive correlational study recruited a convenience sample of nurses from cancer‐related wards at a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan. The Anticipatory Grief Counseling Willingness Scale and Anticipatory Grief Counseling Competency Scale were employed. This cross‐sectional study followed the STROBE checklist. Results: The nurses' average scores for willingness and competency to provide anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer were 44.28 ± 8.36 and 171.84 ± 30.83, respectively. Multivariate linear regression revealed that interest in participating in anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer was significantly associated with the nurses' willingness to provide such counselling. Similarly, their willingness to provide such counselling was significantly associated with their counselling competency. Conclusions: Nurses' willingness and competency to provide anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer can be enhanced through in‐service education programmes, including bedside teaching and scenario simulation. Relevance to clinical practice: To improve nurses' competency in anticipatory grief counselling for the family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer, factors related to nurses' willingness to provide such grief counselling must be addressed. Diverse strategies of in‐service education can be adopted to promote nurses' competency in anticipatory grief counselling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To determine factors associated with nurses' spiritual care competencies. Background: Holistic nursing care includes biopsychosocial and spiritual care. However, nurses are limited by a lack of knowledge, time constraints and apprehension of assessing spiritual issues, which leaves them unable to assess and meet patients' spiritual needs. Thus, when patients experience spiritual distress, clinical nurses lose the opportunity to support spiritual growth and self‐actualisation. In Taiwan, spiritual care, religion and culture are unique compared to those in other countries. Overall, factors associated with Taiwanese nurses' spiritual care competencies lack comprehensive exploration. Methods: This study adopted a descriptive correlational design using cross‐sectional survey (see Appendix S1). Cluster sampling was used to select clinical nurses from fourteen units of a medical centre and a regional hospital. Data were collected from January–June 2018 with a 97.03% response rate. Clinical nurses completed a background questionnaire, spiritual care practice questionnaire, spirituality and spiritual care‐related scales. Data were analysed using descriptive and linear regression. This report followed the STROBE checklist. Results: Spiritual care competence ranged from 44–123 (mean 84.67 ± 12.88; range 27–135). The majority of clinical nurses rated their spiritual care competence as moderate (64–98). The significant factors associated with nurses' spiritual care competence were education, religion, interest in spiritual care, having role models, past life events, barriers to providing spiritual care of the spiritual care practice score, and spiritual attitude and involvement score. The overall model was significant (p <.001) and accounted for 55.0% of variance (adjusted R2 =.488). Conclusions: Most clinical nurses have moderate spiritual care competence. Objective factors identified affect clinical nurses' spiritual care competencies. Relevance to clinical practice: To improve nurses' spiritual care competencies, objective factors that affect clinical nurses' spiritual care competencies must be emphasised. Multiple strategies for enhancing nurses' own spiritual well‐being can be provided via employee health promotion projects and activities, and promoting nurses' spirituality and spiritual care competencies can be explored in clinical settings through bedside teaching, situational simulation, objective structured clinical examinations and self‐reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives This study aims to ascertain the relationship between transformational leadership, interpersonal interaction and mentoring functions among new staff nurses. Background Mentoring functions could improve the job performance of new nurses, provide them with support and thus reduce their turnover rate. Design A cross-sectional study was employed. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out to collect data among a sample of new nurses from three hospitals in Taiwan. After gathering a total of 306 valid surveys, multiple regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesis. Results Inspirational motivation, idealised influence and individualised consideration had positive correlations with the overall mentoring function, but intellectual stimulation showed a positive association only with career development function. Perceived similarity and interaction frequency also had positive correlations with mentoring functions. When the shift overlap rate exceeded 80%, mentoring function showed a negative result. Conclusion The transformational leadership of mentors would improve the mentoring functions among new staff nurses. Perceived similarity and interaction frequency between mentees and mentors also had positive correlations with mentoring functions. Relevance to clinical practice It is crucial for hospitals to redesign their leadership training and motivation programmes to enhance the transformational leadership of mentors. Furthermore, nursing managers should promote interaction between new staff nurses and their mentors; however, the shift overlap rate should not be too high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of musical intervention on preoperative anxiety and vital signs in patients undergoing day surgery. Background. Studies and systematic meta-analyses have shown inconclusive results of the efficacy of music in reducing preoperative anxiety. We designed a study to provide additional evidence for its use in preoperative nursing care. Design. Randomised, controlled study. Method. Patients ( n = 183) aged 18-65 admitted to our outpatient surgery department were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (music delivered by earphones) or control group (no music) for 20 minutes before surgery. Anxiety, measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and vital signs were measured before and after the experimental protocol. Results. A total of 172 patients (60 men and 112 women) with a mean age of 40·90 (SD 11·80) completed the study. The largest number (35·7%) was undergoing elective plastic surgery and 76·7% of the total reported previous experience with surgery. Even though there was only a low-moderate level of anxiety at the beginning of the study, both groups showed reduced anxiety and improved vital signs compared with baseline values; however, the intervention group reported significantly lower anxiety [mean change: −5·83 (SD 0·75) vs. −1·72 (SD 0·65), p < 0·001] on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory compared with the control group. Conclusions. Patients undergoing day surgery may benefit significantly from musical intervention to reduce preoperative anxiety and improve physiological parameters. Relevance to clinical practice. Finding multimodal approaches to ease discomfort and anxiety from unfamiliar unit surroundings and perceived risks of morbidity (e.g. disfigurement and long-term sequelae) is necessary to reduce preoperative anxiety and subsequent physiological complications. This is especially true in the day surgery setting, where surgical admission times are often subject to change and patients may have to accommodate on short notice or too long a wait that may provoke anxiety. Our results provide additional evidence that musical intervention may be incorporated into routine nursing care for patients undergoing minor surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]