Millenium - Journal of Education, Technologies, and Health

Compassion – an imperative for nursing education and practice

Luís Condeço — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Historically grounded in ethical, religious, and philosophical values, compassion is understood as a sensitive response to the suffering of others, accompanied by a genuine intention to alleviate it. Florence Nightingale, a founding reference of modern nursing, already considered it an indispensable attribute, capable of giving meaning to care and dignity to the patient (Straughair, 2012).

The concept has been reviewed in recent decades considering the emerging challenges of providing care in increasingly complex and demanding contexts. The Francis Report (2013) publication marked a turning point, essentially in the UK, by highlighting the risks of devaluing compassionate care in healthcare organisations. Since then, the promotion of compassion has become an ethical aspiration and a requirement for the quality and safety of the healthcare provided.

Compassion in nursing is often associated and related to empathy and care, involving the perception of suffering, the ability to connect with the cared-for person, and the commitment to their dignity (Gilbert et al., 2017; Von Dietze & Orb, 2000). For the National Health Service, this competence manifests itself in the provision of care based on respect and sensitivity, which are fundamental to building effective therapeutic relationships (Papadopoulos & Ali, 2016). Some researchers suggest that compassionate practice contributes to improving clinical outcomes, increasing user satisfaction and the well-being of healthcare professionals (Percy & Richardson, 2018).

Sleep of Preterm and Term Newborns in Neonatal Intensive Care Units - Touchpoint Model

Ana Verónica Pinto, José Vilelas — Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Newborns (NBs) do not have a circadian pattern. The Touchpoint Model emphasizes that the adjustment of the NB's sleep and wake cycles constitutes the parents' first attempt to adapt the NB to the external world. The ability of NBs to reach a transitional state suggestive of sleep is related to neuronal development expressed in behavioral responses compromised by excessive sensory stimulation. sleep deprivation inducer.

Objective: To assess the sleep of newborns based on their autonomous and physiological stability, motor regulation and organization of sleep stages.

Methods: Observational, correlational and prospective study with a quantitative approach. The sample included 62 newborns admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). An observation grid was used to assess sleep in terms of behavioral status, positioning, need for ventilation, feeding, handling and exposure to noise and light.

Results: It was found that noise influences sleep time, taking into account gestational age (GA); no correlation was found between behavioral response to stress factors and GA; positioning, ventilation and feeding do not influence sleep time.

Conclusion: It is imperative that there are individual assessments of the abilities of preterm and full-term newborns to deal with the excessive stimulation to which they are subjected in the NICU, with a direct effect on protecting their sleep.

Foot health and quality of life of nursing students: an exploratory multimethod study

Rafael Bernardes, Sílvia Caldeira, Minna Stolt, Nuno Correia, Arménio Cruz — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Foot health is often neglected in healthcare, despite its importance for nursing students, who spend long periods standing and walking.

Objective: To explore the relationship between foot health, quality of life, and knowledge among nursing students in a clinical education setting.

Methods: A sequential multimethod exploratory study was conducted with 54 students, selected through purposive snowball sampling. Assessments took place at month 0 and month 5 to analyze changes in clinical exposure.

Results: Changes in quality of life were observed, particularly in “pain/discomfort” and “anxiety/depression.” Foot problems were common, including cold feet (57.4%) and calluses (29.6%), with limited awareness of structural foot deformities. Significant correlations emerged, including a strong association between blisters and “pain/discomfort” at month 0 (0.614; p < 0.05), which weakened at month 5 (0.494; p < 0.01). Toe pain showed a very strong correlation with “pain/discomfort” (0.926; p < 0.01), while ankle pain was moderately associated with “problems performing usual activities” (0.520; p < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study highlights the intricate relationship between foot health and the quality of life of nursing students, advocating for ergonomic interventions and footwear improvements to enhance physical and mental well-being.

Understanding the barriers to nurses' participation in research: an exploration of constraining factors in Lithuania

Viktorija Piscalkiene, Inga Mikutaviciene, Daiva Bartusiene, Lijana Navickiene — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Nurses face barriers and challenges in participating in scientific research, with a focus on the gap between research and clinical practice. Although nursing research is essential for improving patient care and strengthening evidence-based practice (EBP), nurses' involvement in research in Lithuania remains limited.

Objective: The study aims to explore nurses' experiences in research activities, identify key barriers to their involvement, and analyse factors limiting the integration of scientific research into clinical practice.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 22 nurses from various healthcare sectors. Data were analysed thematically, identifying major themes. related to professional identity, institutional challenges, and structural limitations in nursing research.

Results: Findings reveal that nurses face multiple obstacles, including a lack of time, heavy workloads, limited research competencies, insufficient institutional support, and the dominance of physicians and administrators in academic research. Additionally, a weak research culture and low professional prestige further hinder their involvement.

Conclusion: Nurses' research participation is hindered by systemic barriers, including unclear policies, insufficient support, and limited funding. Hierarchical constraints marginalize nursing research, with physicians dominating academia while nurses lack leadership roles. Weak professional identity integration, limited competencies, and low institutional encouragement further reduce engagement.

Impact of clinical governance in nursing: a literature systematics review

Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Improving quality in health implies obtaining better results for patients, thus requiring the full involvement of professionals and the health organization. Through Clinical Governance, health organizations are responsible for the continuous improvement of the quality of their services and results.

Objective: To analyze whether Clinical Governance in Nursing has an impact on care practice.

Methods: Systematic review of the literature, carried out in March 2023, in a chronological scope of 2018-2022 with the underlying question PIO, with the descriptors "clinical governance" and "nursing" in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Results: A total of 8 articles were included in this review. Leadership is the most important factor for the structural environment, and the literature shows that Clinical Governance has a positive impact on the care practice of nurses, enabling the improvement of quality, greater professional autonomy, enabling the improvement of quality, greater professional autonomy, improvement of articulation relations between health services, and greater professional satisfaction.

Conclusion: Hospital governance through the participation and involvement of nurses in management and decision-making processes significantly impacts the provision of quality care.

Psychological vulnerability, mental health literacy, positive mental health and health behaviours in higher education students

Maria José Nogueira, José Carlos Carvalho, Patrício Costa, Carlos Sequeira — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Psychological vulnerability and low mental health literacy correlate negatively with positive mental health in higher education students. These negative correlates delay recognizing mental disorders' manifestations and the search for professional help. Low levels of mental health literacy limit self-help, adaptative coping strategies, and academic success. However, few studies examine the association between students' psychological vulnerability, mental health literacy, and positive mental health.

Objective: To explain the relationship between psychological vulnerability, mental health literacy and positive mental health in higher education students.

Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study was used in a sample of 3600 undergraduate students.

Results: Participants were mostly female (78.8%), with an average age of 23 years (SD = 6.68). The majority do not exercise, are dissatisfied with sleep quality time per night (62.1% sleep less than 7 hours per night), and do not have leisure activities. The majority have high levels of Psychological vulnerability, Results show significant differences (p<0.001) between sex, age, sleep, exercise, diet, leisure activities, Psychological vulnerability, positive mental health, and literacy.

Conclusion: The results identify modifiable. Vulnerability factors justify intervention-targeted programs to promote literacy and positive mental health in higher education campuses in Portugal to empower students with effective well-being and self-help strategies.

Artificial and natural: interlligence and balance in PFL

Manuel Pires, Vanessa Amaro — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Introduction: Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays an intervening role in the field of education, bringing innovative opportunities for foreign language teaching and learning. The unstoppable interaction of intelligence requires new approaches and representations that unsettle and reconfigure traditional practices in language teaching.

Objetive: To analyze the experiences and reflections of students in the context of using AI to learn Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL).

Methods: Qualitative approach based on interviews with Portuguese students from the Polytechnic University of Macau, complemented by an autoethnographic perspective of the authors' teaching experience.

Results: The digital competencies and practices of Portuguese language students in China are expressed, along with their desires, reflections, and perspectives in times of new morphoses or disruptions driven by the intensity with which AI has entered society.

Conclusion: This research divulges the importance of AI in PFL learning, promoting educational practices that adapt to contemporary social and technological transformations. Analyzing students' interactions with AI for foreign language learning is essential to ensure that technological solutions are developed based on their needs and expectations.