Background. Mentors in healthcare professions have a major impact on quality nursing education during clinical practice, and mentorship training is one means of improving mentors’ understanding high-quality education.

Method. This was a quasi-experimental study involving non-randomized, pre- and postintervention measurements. Training comprised a blended method for the intervention group (n = 192) and an online-only method for the control group (n = 64) in two Finnish hospital districts.

Results. Mentors’ competence improved after training, and all but one area of mentorship competence (reflection during mentoring) showed a statistically significant difference. The blended training produced larger mean differences than the online-only training in the competence areas requiring mentor-student interaction.

Conclusion. Both training methods increased mentorship competence . Healthcare organizations must seriously consider implementing mentorship competence training using methods that are effective and facilitate more efficient allocation of limited available resources.

Design. This qualitative study was conducted in collaboration with one of the five emergency departments at a Finnish university hospital and the adjoining laboratory center.

Methods. The study was conducted in four stages: 1) a semi-structured pre-interview in three focus groups; 2) education in small groups; 3) a test period when Point-of-Care tests and instruments were independently used by nurses; 4) a semi-structured post-interview in three focus groups. All seven participants were interviewed twice. The deductive-inductive content analysis was used. Perceptions were considered and coded according to the testing process framework. The Point-of-Care testing process includes the pre-preanalytical, preanalytical, analytical, post-analytical and post-post-analytical phases. Each separate phase includes different actors that can hamper patient safety.

Results. The deductive-inductive content analysis revealed that patient identification during the preanalytical phase was error-prone even after data entry was automated. Perceptions towards quality assurance in the analytical phases were either positive or negative. An instrument’s ease of use, independently performing the analysis of quality control samples, success in sample collection and proper examination of a patient’s clinical status were shown to increase nurses’ trust in the Point-of-Care test results.

Principal conclusions. It seems indisputable that Point-of-Care tests will soon be an integral part of nurses’ work descriptions. Information about the frequency of various error types is insufficient if problems exist around Point-of-Care testing following adequate education and support from laboratory staff.

Material and Methods: The study included 18-year-old or older patients with psoriasis who were treated at inpatient and outpatient units (n=385). In this study, we assessed their sociodemographic data, knowledge about the disease, body mass index, and disease duration. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale.

Results. Almost one-half (44.4%) of the test subjects rated their knowledge about the disease as satisfactory. More than one-half (57.4%) of the subjects stated that they received sufficient information about psoriasis in health care institutions. The majority of the subjects (70.1%) learned about their disease from a physician, 48.1% from the Internet, 15.6% in the press, 10.9% from television or radio broadcasts, and 9.1% of the respondents learned about their disease from a nurse. Anxiety and depression were detected in 37.4% and 23.4% of the patients, respectively. Depression was more frequent in the patients aged more than 55 years than in those aged <35 years. Anxiety was more common in women than men, and in the respondents with primary or unfinished secondary education than in those with higher education.

Conclusions. A higher proportion of the patients were aware of the key aspects of the disease, and their knowledge may be classified as satisfactory. The patients with psoriasis, especially women and older people aged more than 55 years, experienced anxiety and symptoms of depression. In this context, patient education about the disease and the avoidance of addictions can improve the management of psychological problems in patients with psoriasis.