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Background With the increasing prevalence of mental illnesses worldwide, nurses’ competence and preparedness in addressing patients’ mental health needs warrant particular attention. However, nurses who receive general nursing training may have inadequate knowledge and beliefs about mental health disorders. Although Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is considered relevant in improving participants’ mental health literacy, the benefits of incorporating the training into general nursing education have not yet been clearly defined in the literature. Aim The present study aimed to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions and experiences of participating in MHFA training. Methods The study adopted a qualitative descriptive method. Twenty-five nursing students in a Baccalaureate nursing programme in Hong Kong who had completed a 12-h MHFA training course were recruited. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face, individual interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Five overarching themes regarding the participants’ experiences of the MHFA training were identified from the data: (1) reinforced knowledge and understanding, (2) enhanced techniques and skills, (3) rectified beliefs and values, (4) improved self-awareness of personal mental health status and (5) a heightened sense of achievement and satisfaction. Discussion In addition to enhancing nursing students’ competence and readiness in managing individuals with mental health conditions, Mental Health First Aid training could strengthen nursing students’ awareness of their own mental health. Conclusion The findings provide a greater understanding of the practical and experiential benefits of MHFA training for nursing students, and highlight the relevance of incorporating this training into the undergraduate general nursing curriculum.

Global increases in both population size and ageing have led to a drastic expansion in the demand for healthcare services. The shortage of nursing workforce capacity continues, posing immense challenges for the global healthcare system. We aimed to identify the antecedents and contextual factors that contribute to the decisions of occupational turnover from the clinical duties of registered nurses in public hospitals in Hong Kong. A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. A total of 18 registered nurses who had resigned from public hospitals in Hong Kong and changed their occupations were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews and were analyzed according to the content analysis approach. The antecedents and contextual factors that contributed to the registered nurses&rsquo, decisions regarding occupational turnover were identified from the collected data. These factors were classified into three overarching categories: (1) job dissatisfaction due to a tense work environment, (2) low motivation due to limited career opportunities, and (3) inadequate communication due to ineffective leadership. The identification of these antecedents and contextual factors could help healthcare service providers to develop strategies to enhance nurses&rsquo, commitment and engagement in their positions and eventually improve their retention. Based on these factors, healthcare sector policy makers could consider incorporating appropriate strategies into healthcare system policy.

Emergency nurses frequently encounter uncertainty and changes during the management of emerging infectious diseases, which challenge their capability to perform their duties in a well-planned and systematic manner. To date, little is known about the coping strategies adopted by emergency nurses in addressing uncertainty and changes during an epidemic event. The present study explored emergency nurses’ behaviours and strategies in handling uncertainty and practice changes during an epidemic event. A qualitative study based on the Straussian grounded theory approach was established. Semi-structured, face-to-face, individual interviews were conducted with 26 emergency nurses for data collection. Adapting protocol to the evolving context of practice was revealed as the core category. Four interplaying subcategories were identified: (1) Completing a comprehensive assessment, (2) continuing education for emerging infectious disease management, (3) incorporating guideline updates and (4) navigating new duties and competencies. The nurses demonstrated the prudence to orientate themselves to an ambiguous work situation and displayed the ability to adapt and embrace changes in their practice and duties. These findings offer insights into the need for education and training schemes that allow emergency nurses to acquire and develop the necessary decision-making and problem-solving skills to handle a public health emergency.

Purpose: Emergency nurses are engaged in the management of epidemic events that unfold along with the evolution of diseases. The goal of this study was to explore the contextual factors that inhibited the ability of emergency nurses to perform their duties in response to an outbreak. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the experiences and perceptions of emergency nurses. Participants were purposively recruited from 12 emergency departments in Hong Kong. Semi-structured face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with 26 emergency nurses. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted with a thematic analysis approach. Results: Four intertwined themes emerged from the analysis: resource constraints, threats of infection, ubiquitous changes and lingering uncertainties. These themes portrayed the constraints and challenges surrounding the work environment of emergency nurses. Conclusion: This study described the instabilities and vulnerabilities of the circumstances in which the emergency nurses were situated in during epidemic events. The findings shed light on the importance of hospitals and emergency departments in addressing both the technical problems and adaptive challenges that face emergency nurses during epidemic events.

Learner-centred education has been shown to be an effective teaching method in the healthcare disciplines that integrate practical skills and theoretical knowledge. However, the elements of learner-centred education that influence students' motivation and engagement in learning remain unclear. In this descriptive qualitative research study, 43 nursing students in a baccalaureate nursing programme in Hong Kong who enrolled in a disaster and trauma nursing course were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face, focus group interviews. The transcribed interviews were interpreted through the use of qualitative analysis. This study revealed that adopting learner-centred education techniques in a disaster nursing course could cater to the hedonic nature and practical nature of learning disaster nursing, which consequently strengthens student's motivation and engagement in learning. The findings also suggested that learner-centred education could improve nursing students' learning experience and promote their transformation from passive and receptive students into proactive learners. The present study provides a greater and more focused understanding of the elements of learner-centred education that promote motivation and engagement in learning among nursing students. This study could offer insights into the development and evaluation of disaster nursing courses and other subjects in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Aims and objectives To explore the core components that constitute nurses' preparedness in an epidemic event. Background Healthcare service providers have worked to augment efforts to protect the public from the impact of epidemic events. While constituting the major healthcare taskforce, nurses are frequently tasked with fronting the response to an infectious disease outbreak. Given the crucial role of nurses in the management of prevailing epidemics, the constituents of their preparedness in epidemic events should be identified. Design A systematic search was undertaken to identify eligible studies from the literature. A narrative synthesis approach was employed to extract and synthesise findings of the reviewed qualitative studies. Methods Seven qualitative studies on nurses' experience and perceptions of epidemic events were examined for scientific quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. Findings of these studies were synthesised adopting a narrative synthesis approach. Results Three interplaying themes were identified as follows: (i) personal resources, (ii) workplace resources and (iii) situational influences. The findings suggest that an effective epidemic outbreak response would require further effort to reinforce the interplay between individual nurses, healthcare institutions and the governments. Conclusions The practical interplay among individual nurses, healthcare institutions and the governments is crucial in establishing an effective epidemic response. Further research on the understanding of the dynamic process of preparedness development is recommended to set future directions in research. Relevance to clinical practice This study offers important insights for devising future strategies in enhancing nurses' preparedness and response to an epidemic event. These include recommendations on providing education and training to nurses regarding infectious diseases, fostering institutional assistance and support in an outbreak and revising government policies and planning.