Nursing & Health Sciences

20/08/2025

Most cited papers

"Nursing Workload and Patient-Focused Outcomes in Intensive Care: A Systematic Review"

How does nursing workload affect patient safety and outcomes in ICUs? This comprehensive review of 32 studies explores the link between increased nursing workload and key outcomes like mortality and adverse events.

🔍 Key Findings:

✅ Higher nursing workload = increased risk of mortality & Adverse Events

✅ Inconsistency in workload measurement tools limits data translation

✅ Urgent need for standardized measures & evidence-based staffing strategies

🩺 With critical care under pressure worldwide, these findings underscore the need to rethink ICU staffing and protect both patients and nursing teams.

📖 Read now:

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the association of nursing workload on patient outcomes in intensive care units. The primary outcome measure was patient mortality, with adverse event...

19/08/2025

A must read new Nursing & Health Sciences editorial by Stéphane Bouchoucha and Sally Havers

18/08/2025

This systematic review identifies and compares home-based interventions for family caregivers of people with advanced illness. It shows that although many interventions aim to improve caregiver outcomes such as depression, anxiety, distress, quality of life, caregiver burden, and caregiving self-efficacy or competence, their overall effectiveness is modest and often not sustained over time.

It underscores the importance of designing flexible, personalized interventions that are developed in partnership with caregivers themselves, rather than applying pre-designed solutions that may not meet their specific needs.

The rising prevalence of advanced illness poses growing challenges for family caregivers, requiring healthcare professionals to address an increasing array of caregiver needs. This systematic review ...

15/08/2025

We are pleased to share that our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Janet Delgado, is participating in the 37th Conference of the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare (ESPMH), taking place in Manchester. 🇬🇧

This esteemed conference gathers scholars and professionals dedicated to advancing critical discussions in the philosophy of medicine and healthcare.

📍 More information about the conference is available here: https://www.espmh.org/upcoming-conferences/

11/08/2025

Can dyadic interventions—targeting both patients and their informal caregivers—truly improve dietary habits in people with cardiovascular disease (CVD)?

📚 A new systematic review and meta-analysis explores this important question.

🔍 Key findings from 25 studies (n=5745):

⬇️ Reduced sodium & fat intake

⬇️ Lower BMI

⬆️ Improved self-care, QoL, disease knowledge, self-efficacy & support

No significant impact on blood lipid profiles

💡 Takeaway: Dyadic interventions hold promise for supporting heart-healthy diets, but more high-quality research is needed to confirm broader impacts.

📄 Read the full article 👉 https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.

Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often rely on informal caregivers to promote healthy dietary intake and compliance. Dyadic interventions show potential for enhancing patients' healthy diet...

08/08/2025

📢 New Research Published

Men with lymphoedema face stigma, daily disruption, and identity challenges.

This qualitative diary study reveals:
🔹 Vulnerability – misunderstanding from healthcare professionals & the public fuels concealment and withdrawal.
🔹 A constant reminder – daily life, mobility, work, and family roles are disrupted.
🔹 Routine as resilience – structured self-management restores control, independence, and identity.

Using hegemonic masculinity and the Health, Illness, Men, and Masculinities (HIMM) framework, we show how men adapt — sometimes maintaining traditional masculine traits, other times redefining masculinity through openness and relational support.

Why it matters:
Men’s lymphoedema remains overlooked in health policy, research, and services. The findings call for gender-sensitive care that addresses both physical and psychosocial needs.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nhs.70201

08/08/2025

📢 New Virtual Issue Alert!

We’re excited to announce the launch of a special collection featuring the most cited articles of 2023 and 2024 from our journal! 🏆📚

🔓 To boost their visibility and reach, these articles are Open Access or now FREE TO READ for 90 days

💡 Don’t miss this opportunity to catch up on the most impactful research shaping the field.

Click on the title to browse this issue

04/08/2025

🦷 Did you know? Oral disease is a hidden driver of school absenteeism — especially in disadvantaged communities.
Despite a decline in tooth decay across Australia, many children still suffer from untreated dental issues that affect their health and learning. A recent study of 290 school-aged kids found:

✅ Children aged 13–18 are 3x more likely to have dental caries
⚠️ History of dental problems and parental concerns are key risk indicators
💧 Drinking water is protective, but sugary drinks increase risk
🍬 Surprisingly, more sweet snacks didn’t always mean more cavities

🎓 Schools can play a vital role. Adding oral health checks to school wellbeing programs helps identify at-risk kids early — supporting healthier smiles and better attendance.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nhs.70202

While socioeconomic factors affect school absenteeism, the role of untreated oral disease remains largely overlooked. Despite declining caries rates in Australia, disparities persist among children a...

31/07/2025

New Study Alert!
"Perceptions on the Reasons Influencing the Choice and Abandonment of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Muslim and Christian Women"

How do faith, culture, and support systems shape a mother’s decision to start—or stop—exclusive breastfeeding?

Through a qualitative, phenomenological lens, this study explores:
✔️ Religious and cultural influences
✔️ Type of delivery
✔️ Knowledge & social support
✔️ Sociodemographic factors

Findings show that Muslim and Christian women experience breastfeeding differently, with religious beliefs playing a key role in motivation and continuation.

Implication: Tailored, culturally sensitive nursing interventions can make a real difference.

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.70195

Exclusive breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition due to its benefits for the infant, the mother, society, and the environment. Despite its promotion, there are still barriers to making it a real...

31/07/2025

This week, our Editor-in-Chief Janet Delgado participated in a thought-provoking seminar on Ethics in Biomedical Research: New Challenges, hosted at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain, alongside experts David Rodríguez-Arias and Vinita Mahthani.
The seminar sparked deep conversations around critical topics such as:
🔐 Data protection & privacy
📝 Informed consent
🤖 Artificial intelligence in research
⚧️ Integration of s*x, gender & intersectionality
🧪 The therapeutic misconception
🗣️ Challenges in qualitative research

These discussions highlight the urgent need to rethink and strengthen ethical frameworks in the face of rapidly evolving scientific landscapes.

Grateful to all participants for such a rich and inspiring exchange!

25/07/2025

A groundbreaking nurse-led, personalized patient engagement program shows strong promise in improving Type 2 Diabetes self-management among Turkish patients.

📈 Results revealed significant improvements in:
✅ Treatment adherence
✅ Self-efficacy
✅ Patient engagement

🧠 The program’s strength? A personalized approach that addresses cognitive, emotional, and behavioral needs—empowering patients to actively participate in their care.

🔗 Read the full article here:

PHEinAction® is a theory-based nurse-led patient engagement intervention developed among an Italian older adult population with various chronic diseases to facilitate cognitive, emotional, and behavi...

24/07/2025

NHS Most cited articles!

How does self-efficacy impact the functional status of patients with advanced breast cancer?

This study reveals:

🔹 Lower education and income = higher symptom burden

🔹 Symptom severity affects function indirectly via self-efficacy

🔹 Self-efficacy = key to improved outcomes

💡 Supporting self-efficacy may relieve symptoms and improve quality of life during chemotherapy.

Read the full study:

👉

This correlational study aims at exploring the correlations between symptom burden, functional status, and self-efficacy in advanced breast cancer patients and to analyze their paths of influence. Th...