The decision to vaccinate against COVID-19 is primarily a personal choice influenced by numerous factors. Vaccine acceptance and a positive attitude towards vaccination among nurses have an impact on patients\' willingness to vaccinate. To assess COVID-19 vaccination coverage among primary healthcare nurses and to associate socio-demographic factors, comorbidity, self-rated health, and unhealthy lifestyle with the decision to be vaccinated, we conducted an online cross-sectional study from March to May 2023 using a self-administrated questionnaire. Probability sampling was used to select 32 health centers and nurses were invited via email. Among the 560 participants who completed survey, 78.3% and 50.8% received the primary two-dose course and at least one booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, respectively. Primary care nurses who were ≥41 years of age, physically less active, and those who were overweight opted statistically significantly more often for the primary vaccination scheme (p = 0.00, 0.015 and 0.017, respectively). Education and the living environments of primary care nurses did not significantly influence the decision to receive two primary COVID-19 doses. Likewise, good self-rated health and comorbidity did not contribute significantly to the vaccination decision. Nurses that were vaccinated with booster doses were significantly more often overweight (p = 0.034) and ≥41 year of age (p = 0.000).

Educational strategies that allow students to experience patient care in both rural and urban settings are imperative to the recruitment and retention of nurses for medically underserved populations or health professional shortage areas. Two state schools of nursing (one urban-oriented and one rural-oriented) in the Mid-Atlantic region were awarded Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) project funding to educate nursing students and registered nurses in community-based primary care settings. This article will discuss an innovative rural-urban baccalaureate nursing student exchange model intended to increase understanding of enhanced RN roles in community-based primary care settings. Two project teams collaborated to create a new learning model, a rural-urban exchange, by implementing a Primary Care Camp. The camp included shared didactic content, reflection exercises, historical and cultural considerations, and clinical immersion to allow students in both programs to have on-site rural and urban learning experiences. Faculty collected informal voluntary student feedback through a debrief after their Primary Care Camp experience to assess their understanding of the enhanced RN Role in primary care and how it may affect their future nursing practice. Student feedback suggests that the students met project goals and appreciated the rural and urban exchange experience. This project is an innovative approach that offers guidance for implementing primary care education in a way that supports the current primary care RN role, builds the future workforce, and provides suggestions for replicability.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an increasingly dominant disease. Interventions are more effective when carried out by a prepared and proactive team within an organised system - the integrated care (IC) model. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) provides guidance for its implementation, but scale-up of IC is challenging, and this hampers outcomes for T2D care. In this paper, we used the CCM to investigate the current implementation of IC in primary care in Flanders (Belgium) and its variability in different practice types.
METHODS: Belgium contains three different primary-care practice types: monodisciplinary fee-for-service practices, multidisciplinary fee-for-service practices and multidisciplinary capitation-based practices. Disproportional sampling was used to select a maximum of 10 practices for each type in three Flemish regions, leading to a total of 66 practices. The study employed a mixed methods design whereby the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) was complemented with interviews with general practitioners, nurses and dieticians linked to the 66 practices.
RESULTS: The ACIC scores of the fee-for-service practices - containing 97% of Belgian patients - only corresponded to basic support for chronic illness care for T2D. Multidisciplinary and capitation-based practices scored considerably higher than traditional monodisciplinary fee-for-service practices. The region had no significant impact on the ACIC scores. Having a nurse, being a capitation practice and having a secretary had a significant effect in the regression analysis, which explained 75% of the variance in ACIC scores. Better-performing practices were successful due to clear role-defining, task delegation to the nurse, coordination, structured use of the electronic medical record, planning of consultations and integration of self-management support, and behaviour-change intervention (internally or using community initiatives). The longer nurses work in primary care practices, the higher the chance that they perform more advanced tasks.
CONCLUSIONS: Besides the presence of a nurse or secretary, also working multidisciplinary under one roof and a capitation-based financing system are important features of a system wherein IC for T2D can be scaled-up successfully. Belgian policymakers should rethink the role of paramedics in primary care and make the financing system more integrated. As the scale-up of the IC varied highly in different contexts, uniform roll-out across a health system containing multiple types of practices may not be successful.

UNASSIGNED: Primary care nurses are well-suited to provide care management for common mental disorders, but their practices depend on context. Various strategies can be considered to improve the adoption of nursing care manager activities, but data from implementation studies rarely address strategy formulation.
UNASSIGNED: To analyze the influence of contextual factors on strategy formulation to improve the adoption of care manager activities by primary care nurses.
UNASSIGNED: A qualitative multiple case study in three primary care clinics was carried out. Data were collected through individual interviews (n = 32) and observations (n = 7), working group meetings, and relevant documents. Thematic analysis was conducted.
UNASSIGNED: Contextual factors influenced strategy formulation through organizational readiness for change, which resulted from tension for change and perceived organizational ability to implement change. Tension for change was generated through the perceived gap between patient needs and service availability, perceived compatibility with the nurses work environment, and their assessment of their capacity to perform care manager activities or acquire the necessary skills.
UNASSIGNED: Future studies should give sufficient attention to implementation strategy formulation and consider the dynamic role of organizational readiness for change when facilitating the adoption of evidence-based practices for common mental disorders in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether primary care nurses with no prior experience can, after training, provide effective supervised pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) by a three-group parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT): primary care nurse, urogynaecology nurse specialist and controls undertaken in 11 primary care/general practices, covering urban and rural settings in SW England. The sample consisted of 337 women with weak pelvic floor muscles (Modified Oxford Score 2 or less) in a randomly sampled survey.
METHODS: Following detailed instruction and training, primary care nurses recruited patients who were randomized to PFMT provided by them, a urogynaecology nurse specialist or a \'no training\' control group. The primary outcome measure to assess the effectiveness of training was pelvic floor muscle strength as measured by perineometry.
RESULTS: Two hundred forty women aged 19 to 76 (median 49) years were recruited. After 3 months there was an increase in strength in both intervention groups compared with controls: median differences (95% CI) were 3.0 (0.3, 6.0) cmH2O higher for the primary care nurse group (n = 50) compared to the control group (n = 56; p = 0.02) and 4.3 (1.0, 7.3) cmH2O for the urogynaecology nurse specialist group (n = 53) compared to control (p < 0.01); there was no difference between the primary care nurse and urogynaecology nurse specialist groups [1.3 (-2.0,4.7; p = 0.70].
CONCLUSIONS: PFMT provided by trained primary care nurses achieved improvements in pelvic floor muscle strength compared with controls (and comparable to that of a urogynaecology nurse specialist). This could have implications for the provision of PFMT for all women and potentially help in the prevention of pelvic floor dysfunction.
BACKGROUND: Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier NCT01635894. This was done retrospectively to conform to current registration requirements. When the trial commenced (2003), there was no requirement to register; this was introduced in 2005. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) decided that from July 1, 2005, no trials would be considered for publication unless they are included on a clinical trials registry, hence the retrospective registration.

Introduction: The attitude to immunization and the issue of vaccine hesitancy in health care workers (HCWs) have been studied in a former survey performed by ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). Aim: Our aim was to study the immunization attitude of primary care paediatricians, general practitioners and primary care nurses in Hungary. Method: We studied vaccine hesitancy in HCWs by way of a questionnaire, developed on the basis of a recent similar survey by ECDC in four countries. The online survey has been performed between May and July 2017. Altogether 765 questionnaires have been returned: 189 primary care paediatricians, 375 general practitioners working in adult or mixed practices, and 201 primary care nurses. The sample has been weighted to the country-specific features - e.g., location of the practice, residence and age of the HCWs - within each of the three groups, so from this aspect it can be considered representative. Results: Our results did not differ substantially from the international ECDC data. Approximately 2/3 of the primary care doctors and about 50% of the primary care nurses were convinced of the benefit and value of vaccines. Data on vaccine hesitancy were consolingly low, though the data on recommended vaccines were somewhat higher compared to the age related/NIP (National Immunization Plan) vaccines. The well-known vaccine scares - e.g., autism-MMR, etc., known also from the literature - could hardly been detected, and it can be explained by the voluntary participation in the study. The least supported vaccine is BCG, while the highest hesitancy rates are related to MMR in Hungary. Conclusion: The need to improve immunization-related communication among primary HCWs could clearly been detected - both in gradual and in post-gradual training programs. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(48): 1904-1914.
Absztrakt: Bevezetés: Az Európai Betegségmegelőzési és Járványvédelmi Központ (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC) korábbi nemzetközi felmérése az egészségügyi dolgozók védőoltásokkal kapcsolatos fenntartásait, vakcinációs bizonytalanságát tárta fel. Célkitűzés: A magyar alapellátásban dolgozó felnőtt-, vegyes és gyermek- (háziorvosi praxisban dolgozó) szakorvosok, valamint a védőnők védőoltásokkal kapcsolatos attitűdjeinek vizsgálata. Módszer: Az egészségügyi szakemberek védőoltással kapcsolatos fenntartásait saját fejlesztésű kérdőívvel vizsgáltuk, amelynek alapjául az ECDC négy országos nemzetközi kutatása szolgált. Az adatfelvétel 2017 májusától júliusáig zajlott, online kérdőíves megkereséssel. A kérdőívet összesen 765 egészségügyi szakember: 189 házi gyermekorvos, 375 felnőtt-, illetve vegyes praxisú háziorvos, valamint 201 védőnő töltötte ki. A mintát a munkavégzés helyének régiója, településtípusa, valamint a szakember életkora szerint súlyozással igazítottuk az országos megoszláshoz az egyes szakmai csoportokon belül, így ezen szempontok mentén reprezentatívnak tekinthető. Eredmények: Megállapítható volt, hogy a vizsgált témakörökben kapott válaszok nem különböztek érdemben az ECDC hasonló, más országokban talált eredményeitől. Az alapellátó orvosok mintegy 2/3-a, a védőnők fele van meggyőződve a védőoltások nyújtotta előnyökről és értékekről. Megnyugtatóan alacsony arányban vannak fenntartásaik a védőoltások biztonságosságát illetően, bár az ajánlott védőoltásoknál az értékek némileg magasabbak voltak az életkor szerint kötelezőkhöz – a Nemzeti Immunizációs Programban adott oltásokhoz – képest. A szakirodalomból is jól ismert kifejezett oltásellenes rémhírek – autizmus–MMR stb. – fellelhetők ugyan, de elenyésző arányban, ám ez összefüggésben állhat a vizsgálatban való önkéntes részvétellel is. Az életkor szerint előírt oltások közül a leginkább elutasított a BCG-oltás, míg a legtöbb kétely az MMR-oltást övezi. Következtetés: Az alapellátók védőoltásokkal kapcsolatos kommunikációs készségeinek fejlesztését szolgáló képzésekre igény van, mind a graduális, mind a posztgraduális stúdiumokban. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(48): 1904–1914.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and acceptability of nurse-led chronic disease management and lifestyle risk factor reduction interventions in primary care (general practice/family practice).
BACKGROUND: Growing international evidence suggests that interventions delivered by primary care nurses can assist in modifying lifestyle risk factors and managing chronic disease. To date, there has been limited exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of such interventions.
METHODS: Integrative review guided by the work of Whittemore and Knafl ().
METHODS: Database search of CINAHL, Medline and Web of Science was conducted to identify relevant literature published between 2000-2015.
METHODS: Papers were assessed for methodological quality and data abstracted before thematic analysis was undertaken.
RESULTS: Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria. Analysis uncovered four themes: (1) facilitators of interventions; (2) barriers to interventions; (3) consumer satisfaction; and (4) primary care nurse role.
CONCLUSIONS: Literature supports the feasibility and acceptability of nurse-led interventions in primary care for lifestyle risk factor modification. The ongoing sustainability of these interventions rests largely on organizational factors such as funding, educational pathways and professional support of the primary care nursing role. Further robust research around primary care nurse interventions is required to strengthen the evidence base.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the costs and benefits of introducing migraine nurses into primary care.
BACKGROUND: Migraine is one of the most costly neurological diseases.
METHODS: We analyzed data from our earlier nonrandomized cohort study comparing an intervention group of 141 patients, whose care was supported by nurses trained in migraine management, and a control group of 94 patients receiving usual care. Estimates of per-person direct costs were based on nurses\' salaries and referrals to neurologists. Indirect costs were estimated as lost productivity, including numbers of days of absenteeism or with <50% productivity at work due to migraine, and notional costs related to lost days of household activities or days of <50% household productivity. Analysis was conducted from the payer\'s perspective.
RESULTS: After 9 months the direct costs were €281.11 in the control group against €332.23 in the intervention group (mean difference -51.12; 95% CI: -113.20-15.56; P = .134); the indirect costs were €1985.51 in the control group against €1631.75 in the intervention group (mean difference 353.75; 95% CI: -355.53-1029.82; P = .334); and total costs were €2266.62 in the control group, against €1963.99 in the intervention group (mean difference 302.64; 95% CI: -433.46-1001.27; P = .438). When costs attributable to lost household productivity were included, total costs increased to €6076.62 in the control group and €5048.15 in the intervention group (mean difference 1028.47; 95% CI: -590.26-2603.67; P = .219).
CONCLUSIONS: Migraine nurses in primary care seemed in this study to increase practice costs but decrease total societal costs. However, it was a nonrandomized study, and the differences did not reach significance. For policy-makers concerned with headache-service organization and delivery, the important messages are that we found no evidence that nurses increased overall costs, and investment in a definitive study would therefore be worthwhile.

We interviewed 36 primary care nurses in three Dutch nursing homes regarding the functional oral health and dental treatment needs of 331 care-dependent residents (average age 77.8 years). The nurses assessed the residents\' oral health condition as good (8.3 on a scale of 0 to 10). Edentulous residents wearing dentures were considered to have better functional oral health than dentate residents wearing partial dentures and edentulous residents not wearing dentures. According to the nurses, only 9% of the residents required dental treatment. This finding is in contrast with an intraoral study of the same population, in which dentists determined that 73% of the residents needed dental treatment.

UNASSIGNED: There is a recognized need to enhance non-pharmaceutical interventions in a way that is more accessible to the primary care population. Collaborative care has been shown to have a positive impact upon depression symptoms and a core element of the collaborative care approach is the case manager. This paper is a service evaluation of a collaborative care intervention that uses primary care nurses as the depression case manager and is a follow-up to the service audit carried out by Ekers and Wilson. The results support the notion that primary care nurses are ideally placed for delivering care to depressed patients; especially in cases were a patient also has a comorbid long-term medical condition. There is a recognized need to enhance non-pharmaceutical interventions for depression in the primary care. This service evaluation of collaborative care for depression by primary care practice nurses is an update of Ekers and Wilson (2008), reporting outcomes 5 years following initial training. From an initial 13 trained practice nurses, three provided anonymized data. Mean post-treatment Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) score was 8 [standard deviation (SD) 6.53, n = 185], indicating a mean positive change in depression symptom level of 8.9 [SD 7.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.89-9.93, P < 0.001]. Subgroup analysis for patients identified with a comorbid long-term conditions (LTC) mean post-treatment PHQ9 score was 9 (SD 7.72, n = 33), indicating a mean positive change in depression symptom level of 8.1 (SD 5.79, 95% CI 6.04-10.41, P < 0.001). Nurses provided feedback on the intervention showing potential areas that would benefit from further detailed qualitative review. It was concluded that primary care practice nurses would be ideally placed to deliver collaborative care to depression patients with comorbid LTCs.