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We are excited to share the promise and innovation of Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare (SBNH) Leadership (SBNH-L). As a mindset, SBNH-L is more than a management philosophy. It is an intentional and purposeful value-driven approach that puts humans at the forefront and helps leaders honour, mobilize and cultivate the strengths that reside in individuals and teams. SBNH leaders focus on people, systems and solutions, cultivating relationships and being transformative in the service of others and the system at large. An SBNH leader is one who leans into change with an open mindset, who thinks about the ecosystems we are in and who acts to make a positive difference and address challenges across the healthcare sector as we emerge from the pandemic period. What we need right now is authentic leadership to foster positive change, influence work environments and support much-needed recovery and healing. In short, this issue of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership has arrived at the right time. You will find articles that offer valuable exemplars of how SBNH-L has guided advancements in nursing administration and leadership, practice, teaching and research.

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Nursing leadership is essential to improving nurse retention, their well-being, the quality of nursing care and patient safety. As healthcare leaders become increasingly aware of Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare Leadership (SBNH-L), we dialogued with Canadian nurse leaders to understand their views on this leadership approach. Five senior nursing leaders representing practice, academic and health policy contexts were interviewed. Five themes emerged: connections, opportunities for growth, humanism, optimism and hope for the future. Leaders shared that SBNH-L is a valuable, timely leadership approach that will promote system-wide health and healing post-pandemic. A call to action is offered to advance adoption of this essential leadership approach.

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Background: Despite the availability of effective, safe, and feasible pain management strategies, infant pain remains undertreated. Parents can play a key role in advocating for or delivering pain management strategies if they are educated. To date, a quantitative synthesis of the effectiveness of parental education about pain management in the neonatal period has not been performed. Objective: To systematically review the effectiveness of parental education during the neonatal period on pain management in infancy. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized trials (NRTs) that evaluated parental education with respect to pain management during the neonatal period in any setting from inception to February 2021. Screening of article titles and abstracts and data extraction were performed in duplicate. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk Bias Tool 2.0 and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions for RCTs and NRTs, respectively. As per the GRADE methodology, critically important and important outcomes were identified. Critically important outcomes included utilization of pain management strategies and infant pain. Important outcomes included parental knowledge about pain mitigation strategies, parental attitudes, compliance with painful procedures, procedure outcomes, and safety. Data were combined and presented as relative risk (RR) or mean or standardized mean difference (MD or SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Of the six studies eligible for inclusion, four studies were RCTs and two studies were NRTs. Written information and/or video were used to deliver parental education during the neonatal period in hospital settings in all studies. Four studies (two RCTs and two NRTs) reported on critically important outcomes. The risk of bias was low for the two RCTs and moderate to serious for the two NRTs. Utilization of pain management strategies was assessed for heel lance in the first 48 hours of life in two studies and for vaccine injection at 2 to 6 months of life in two studies. Higher utilization rate for pain management strategies was reported in the pain education group in three studies (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04, 1.26; N=2712). There was no difference in the mean number of pain management strategies used in one NRT tracking utilization tracking utilization as continuous data (MD 0.20, 95% CI -0.01, 0.41; N=178). Parent-reported infant pain scores were lower in the pain education group in one RCT (MD -0.16, 95% CI -0.27, -0.06; N=1615). The quality of evidence for the outcome of utilization of pain management strategies was very low while for the outcome of infant pain the quality of evidence was moderate. Five studies (3 RCTs and 2 NRTs) reported on important outcomes. The risk of bias was low for two RCTs and high for one RCT and moderate to serious for the two NRTs. Parental knowledge about pain management strategies (SMD 0.54, 95% CI 0.26, 0.82), parental confidence in their ability to manage pain (SMD 0.24, 95% CI 0.14, 0.34), parental satisfaction with education (MD 1.18, 95% CI 0.84, 1.52) and parental satisfaction with pain management (RR 1.05. 95% CI 1.01, 1.08) were increased in the pain education group. None of the included studies reported on procedural outcomes. No adverse events with the pain education nor the use of pain management interventions were reported in one study. Conclusions: Parental education in the neonatal period was effective in increasing utilization of pain management strategies during painful procedures. Reduction of pain in infants is based on one study of moderate quality. Furthermore, parental education increased parental knowledge about pain management strategies, confidence in their ability to manage infant pain, and satisfaction with the education and pain management. Parental pain education should be incorporated into postnatal care.

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BACKGROUND: We investigated the evolving prevalence of mood and anxiety symptoms among health care workers from May 2020 to January 2021, risk factors for adverse outcomes, and characteristic modes of affective responses to pandemic-related stressors. METHODS: A total of 2307 health care workers (78.9% female, modal age 25-34 years) participated in an online survey assessing depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale) symptoms, demographic variables, and self-reported impact of pandemic-related stressors. A total of 334 subjects were reassessed ∼6 months later. RESULTS: The prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety was 45.3% and 43.3%, respectively, and a majority (59.9%-62.9%) of those individuals had persistent significant symptoms at 6-month follow-up. Younger age, female gender, and specific occupations (support staff > nurses > physicians) were associated with increased depressive and anxiety symptoms. The most important risk factors were social isolation and fear of contracting COVID-19. The prevalence of clinically significant mood and anxiety symptoms increased by 39.8% from May 2020 to January 2021. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scores were highly correlated and associated with nearly identical risk factors, suggesting that they are not capturing independent constructs in this sample. Principal component analysis identified seven orthogonal symptom domains with unique risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically significant mood and anxiety symptoms are highly prevalent and persistent among health care workers, and are associated with numerous risk factors, the strongest of which are related to pandemic stressors and potentially modifiable. Interventions aimed at reducing social isolation and mitigating the impact of fear of infection warrant further study.

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During my career, I have had many mantras, including "I love to wonder what will happen tomorrow" and "It's all about relationships." Well, I have been rewarded in spades because nothing has been predictable or stable about our professional practice environments since COVID-19 infiltrated our organizations. I have been challenged to develop and implement changes at The Hospital for Sick Children - a 300-bed tertiary pediatric academic health sciences centre in Toronto, ON - that we had never contemplated before. I believe that staying true to my leadership values and core principles has been essential when taking on such challenges and staying afloat during these tumultuous times.

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OBJECTIVE: To metasynthesize the results of qualitative studies on the factors that affect parents' participation in pain management for their infants during procedures in the NICU. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a literature search for articles published from 1976 through November 2019 using MeSH terminology in the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science. All qualitative studies in which researchers explored parental participation and education in the NICU were included. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 29,937 articles were returned. Once we removed duplicates and limited results to qualitative studies, 48 articles remained. We excluded 41 articles because the studies reported were not conducted in NICUs, involved neonatal palliative care, or were review or opinion articles. We included seven articles for review. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors reviewed all articles using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool to assess study quality and independently scored each study. We reviewed and extracted authors, publication date, type of study, sample size, results, themes, and quotes and included these data elements in the analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: We used a thematic synthesis technique to review the qualitative data, entered codes into NVivo software, and compared codes to create descriptive themes. From these descriptive themes, we generated four analytic themes: Learning to Parent a Hospitalized Infant, Stress and Anxiety, Health Care Providers as Gatekeepers, and NICU Environment. CONCLUSION: The four themes identified in this qualitative metasynthesis represent the factors that affect parents' abilities to participate in their infants' pain management. Further research is recommended to develop interventions that address these factors to optimize parents' participation in pain management for their infants during procedures in the NICU.

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OBJECTIVES: Research exploring patient safety in rehabilitation settings is limited. This study's aim was to describe team members' perceptions of incidents and incident reporting in rehabilitation settings. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 health care professionals from multiple rehabilitation units (medical, neurological, and orthopedic) at 2 inner-city rehabilitation centers. Five hypothetical scenarios were presented to participants during the interviews. Participants were asked to classify the scenarios and whether they would report any identified incidents. Data were analyzed using a descriptive thematic approach. RESULTS: Participants classified events based on 2 parameters: the nature of the outcome and deviation from professional practice. Factors influencing participants' decisions to file incident reports included their classification of the events in the scenarios (i.e., events classified as critical incidents were more often reported than those classified as incident or near miss); the severity of the impact on the client; and their profession's perceived role in reporting specific incidents. When participants said they would report incidents, all agreed that they would report only objective facts. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings demonstrate gaps between incident-reporting policy and practice, and opportunities to address these gaps. Organizational leaders can work with all health care professions to support their roles in reporting. Interprofessional team building, focused on valuing all team members, may improve interprofessional communication and reporting. Setting standards for classifying events could increase consistency in reporting. Ultimately, encouraging reporting of near misses and incidents can create a culture of learning focused on problem solving and improved patient safety.

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BACKGROUND: Various barriers and facilitators to implementing evidence-based interventions in practice have been acknowledged. Nurses' perspectives on these interventions were overlooked as potential factors that influence their uptake in practice. The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' perception of evidence-based interventions targeting patient-oriented outcomes. METHODS: A mixed method design involving concurrent application of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Nurses (n = 56) working in acute and rehabilitation care settings completed the Intervention Acceptability scale and responded to open-ended questions. The scale presented information on the components, activities, dose, and mode of delivering evidence-based interventions targeting each patient-oriented outcome (fatigue, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, pain, physical function, self-care) and items to rate the interventions on five attributes (relevance, applicability, frequency of use, likelihood, and comfort in implementation). The open-ended questions inquired about the appropriateness and resources needed to use the interventions in practice. RESULTS: The quantitative results indicated favorable perceptions of most interventions. Nurses rated acupressure, guided imagery, massage, and relaxation as having limited appropriateness and they reported low levels of comfort in applying them. The qualitative themes clarified the reasons underlying nurses' ratings. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: This study's findings highlight the importance of examining nurses' perceptions of evidence-based interventions as an initial step toward promoting the adoption of interventions in practice. Effective interventions that are considered of limited relevance are unlikely to be implemented in practice. Nurses' perceptions can guide the design or selection of dissemination strategies to clarify any misconception about the effectiveness and risk of evidence-based interventions.

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BACKGROUND: Physician trainees in neonatology can find it extremely challenging to care for patients from diverse linguistic and multicultural backgrounds. This challenge is particularly highlighted when difficult and ethically challenging end-of-life (EOL) decision-making with parents is required. While these interactions are an opportunity for growth and learning, they also have the potential to lead to misunderstanding and uncertainty and can add to trainees' insecurity, unpreparedness and stress when participating in such interactions. OBJECTIVES: To explore the challenges for trainees when EOL decisions are undertaken and to encourage them to reflect on how they might influence such decision-making. DESIGN AND INTERVIEW: An in-depth, semi-structured interview guide was developed: the interview questions address trainees' beliefs, attitudes, preferences and expectations regarding discussions of EOL neonatal care. Twelve interviews were completed and the audio records transcribed verbatim, after removal of identifying personal information. RESULTS: Participants identified six domains of challenge in EOL care: withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment based on poor outcome, explaining 'no resuscitation options' to parents, clarifying 'do not resuscitate (DNR)' orders, empowering families with knowledge and shared decision-making, dealing with different cultures and managing personal internal conflict. Participants experienced the most difficulty during the initial stages of training and eventually reported good knowledge of the EOL care process. They had a sense of security and confidence working within a multidisciplinary care team, which includes experienced nursing staff as well as bereavement and palliative care coordinator within the neonatal intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: The challenges experienced by physician trainees when providing EOL care can serve as focal points for improving EOL educational programmes for neonatal fellowship training.

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The authors give an overview of one healthcare organization's experience in developing a nursing strategic plan and nursing balanced scorecard (NBS) using a focused planning process involving strategy mapping. The NBS is being used at this organization to manage the nursing strategic plan by leveraging and improving nursing processes and organizational capabilities as required, based on data and transparent communication of performance results to key stakeholders. Key strategies and insights may help other nurse leaders in developing or refining strategic approaches to measuring nursing performance. Vital to the success of an organization's strategic plan are ongoing endorsement, engagement and visibility of senior leaders. Quality of decisions made depends on the organization's ability to collect data from multiple sources using standardized definitions, mine data and extract them for statistical analysis and effectively present them in a compelling and understandable way to users and decision-makers.

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Advanced practice nurses (APNs) at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are pediatric healthcare providers who integrate principles and theories of advanced nursing with specialty knowledge to provide autonomous, independent, accountable, ethical and developmentally appropriate care in complex, often ambiguous and rapidly changing healthcare environments. Caring for children and adolescents requires culturally sensitive and family-centred approaches to care that incorporate a unique body of knowledge. Family-centred care is an approach to planning, delivery and evaluation of healthcare that is governed by the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships among APNs, health professionals and children/families. The cornerstone of APN practice at SickKids is the recognition of "family" as the recipients of care. By valuing and developing relationships with families, APNs promote excellence in healthcare across the care continuum to optimize the child's and family's physical, emotional, social, psychological and spiritual well-being. This paper outlines the evolution of advanced practice nursing at SickKids, beginning with the introduction of APN roles in the 1970s and culminating in the current critical mass of APNs who have been integrated throughout the hospital's infrastructure. We describe the process used to create a common vision and a framework to guide pediatric advanced nursing practice.

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BACKGROUND: In a follow-up to a previous article, which described the approach at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions to establishing a latex-safe environment, subsequent efforts to convert all the sterile gloves to nonlatex products and thereby complete the implementation of a latex-safe program are reported. Before the complete conversion to nonlatex sterile gloves, operating room use had increased to approximately one-third of our total sterile glove use during the preceding four years. NEW APPROACHES TO CONVERTING TO ALL NONLATEX STERILE GLOVES: The final stages of the conversion involved both consistent follow-through with education, training, and personnel involvement at all levels and a change in the culture of the medical facility. New and improved nonlatex glove products were coming to the market, and their costs were decreasing because of increased supply and competition. GLOVE TRIALS: Five synthetic neoprene or polyisoprene gloves-two from one manufacturer and three from the second manufacturer-were evaluated in glove trials. Overall, by manufacturer, a similar rate of acceptance among the various sterile nonlatex gloves (74.2% versus 78.1%) was found. However, to ensure that all users were satisfied, contracts were awarded to both vendors. The weekend before the conversion date of May 1, 2007, all old powdered sterile latex gloves were replaced with the new stock of nonlatex sterile gloves. THE CONVERSION PROCESS: Once financial and logistical concerns were addressed, conversion to a latex-safe environment entailed readying the organization for the change in organizational culture. Key factors were (1) general acceptance from all the chiefs of the surgical departments; (2) centralization for all purchases of medical supplies, including sterile gloves, through corporate purchasing; and (3) ongoing education and vigilance.

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There is growing interest in improving population health by multi-sectorial partnerships that address the determinants of health. The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit worked with some 80 other community agencies to form the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Health Forum in the spring of 2000. The goals of this Health Forum were to evaluate the determinants of health of the population over a five-year period, identify activities within an overall Health Improvement Plan to address these determinants, pursue ongoing resources for interventions, assess their impact on health, and modify plans and activities accordingly. The Health Forum identified that their region had increased mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancers compared with the rest of Ontario. The local district health unit offered three possible determinants to explain this: socio-economic determinants (residents below provincial average for income and education), behavioural determinants (residents had higher rates of smoking, sedentary activity and high fat diets) and lack of access to health care. The Health Forum developed a Health Improvement Plan to work on each of these determinants. Throughout its lifetime, the Health Forum proved to be both active and productive, leading to many cooperative ventures. This paper provides a brief overview of the approach taken with its Health Improvement Plan, as well as the successes and limitations of this approach. The experience of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Forum offers a practical model for public health units to work with partner agencies to address the determinants of health, as well as some insights into the requirements to sustain such a model.

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BACKGROUND: The advent of universal precautions brought about a dramatic increase in the use of natural rubber latex gloves, and reports of rubber latex allergies began appearing in the literature. In 1997 the Johns Hopkins Hospital created the interdisciplinary Latex Task Force to address the issue of creating, implementing, and evaluating a latex-safe environment. CONVERSION TO NONLATEX PRODUCTS AND EXAMINATION GLOVES: When suitable alternatives were available, all medical products that contained latex were to be removed from the hospital and nonlatex alternatives substituted. Latex medical gloves, especially powdered latex examination gloves, which were used in all patient care areas, were replaced by vinyl gloves. Yet because of the ongoing concern about strike-through and the minimal level of acceptance of fit with the vinyl gloves, the search for alternatives to the vinyl gloves continued. The task force recommended switching to nitrile examination gloves throughout the hospital. To facilitate the transition to another examination glove, new educational pamphlets about the nitrile gloves were developed. POSTSCRIPT: The switch to nitrile examination gloves was successfully completed, but conversion to nonlatex surgical gloves was less successful, with costs being the overwhelming impediment. Monitoring of latex-containing products and ongoing evaluations of alternatives are crucial in ensuring patient and health care worker safety.

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