Achieving excellence and acknowledging contribution: The 2018 International Journal of Older People Nursing Awards.

Abstract

We count ourselves lucky, as the editorial team of International Journal of Older People Nursing (IJOPN), lead a journal occupying a special place in nursing and health care. We are the sole explicitly international gerontological nursing journal with a growing reputation, given our 2018 impact factor of 1.446, for high-quality work that makes an impact in science and care. As a result, we take pride in reviewing and publishing work from nurses and their colleagues completed by gerontological and other nursing specialties as well as from across health and social care disciplines. Publishing the best of those scholarly works requires excellent authors, exceptional peer reviewers and deeply dedicated Editorial Board members. Now, for the fourth year, we recognise those authors, reviewers and—for the first time this year, Editorial Board Members for their superb contributions to IJOPN. This year, we worked with our terrific International Awards Committee to take on the challenging task of selecting among the papers published in IJOPN during 2018. Our committee included returning judges Dr Joanne Fitzpatrick of King’s College London in the United Kingdom, Dr Jennifer Baumbusch of the University of British Columbia in Canada and Prof Hiromi Hirata of the University of Shiga Prefecture in Japan. Dr Billy Caceres, of Columbia University in the United States, who won one of our paper awards last year, joined the team this year. The four papers that emerged as the winners of this year’s awards inspire further evidence that gerontological nursing research advances science and care around the world. We bestow two awards for research informing practice and two for methodological innovation, of which one in each category goes to a student or recent graduate and one to an established scholar. Please join us in congratulating this year’s award winners. Award-winning papers presented a qualitative or quantitative analysis including systematic review, the findings of which have potential to influence practice in gerontological nursing. Exceptional and possibly groundbreaking insights arising from clear aims extended in thoughtfully conceived and carefully conducted investigations distinguish the award-winning papers. Again, we are pleased to present two awards in this category, one to a postdoctoral nurse researcher and one to a nurse researcher completing their doctoral studies. Dr Karen Ford, in the Centre for Education and Research at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania, for Ford, K, Tesch, L, Dawborn, J, Courtney-Pratt, H. Art, music, story: The evaluation of a person-centred arts in health programme in an acute care older persons’ unit. International Journal of Older People Nursing. 2018;13:e12186. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12186 Dr. Ford and her team said on receipt of the award, expressing their pleasure and honour, “This project was to place an artist on the older persons unit within an acute hospital environment”. We wanted to evaluate the impact of this sort of initiative for patients, family members and staff on the unit. The artist approach was driven by a community development perspective to design a program in response to needs from staff and patients, and the unit was open and willing to see what evolved. It was soon evident that a non-medical perspective in such an acute setting enabled artistic exchanges that celebrated the life of the person, exemplifying person-centred care, rather than the patient in hospital. It was a privilege to do research with the participants in the program and the staff. The arts project was made possible through philanthropic funding, a bequest from a benefactor who had spent a lifetime working creatively with people as an artist, occupational therapist and teacher. This benefactor inspired us to honour their through research and publication. Excitingly, because of this pilot and its findings, the artist program continues, expanded and developed to reach other wards in the hospital. It now hosts four musicians and two visual artists in addition to the original arts facilitator. The research helped establish it as a community organisation Inscape (https://www.inscape.org.au/). Ms Frances Horne for her paper – completed as part of her Master of Science in Dementia degree – Horne, F, Burns, P, Traynor, V, et al. Managing medications for individuals living with a dementia: Evaluating a web-based information resource for informal carers. International Journal of Older People Nursing. 2018;13:e12198. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12198 Ms Horne said, when told of her award, “I undertook this research as part of my Masters Degree - Science, Dementia Care at the University of Wollongong (UOW), New South Wales, Australia. A new and strong area of interest at the time was in Dementia Care and I was at a point my nursing career when I knew I had to refresh and take on something new. One of my goals was to ‘really do research,’ to go from proposal, to ethics approvals, to undertaking the research, analysing the data and writing up the finished project. And to then go through the process of submitting the paper to a journal and finally having it published. Academics at UOW had been instrumental in developing a web-based information resource to assist carers of people living with a dementia, with safe medication management (www.dementiamed.com). My opportunity to do research came when I was asked to evaluate the usefulness of that website. As the research began to take shape, my supervisors warned me that recruiting to the proposed focus groups would be a challenge. I thought to myself ‘it can’t be that hard.’ Recruitment was indeed one of the biggest barriers I encountered! Although I was working as a registered nurse in aged care, I don’t believe I was aware of what a big ask this would be for carers. I’m very grateful to those who were able give of their time and share their experiences. This was my first attempt at qualitative research and, on reflection, I can say that it has been a great experience to learn by doing and to be one of the researchers in this multi-disciplinary work. Finally, what a great honour it has been to receive this award. Thank you!” Papers garnering the awards in methodological innovation provide original, innovative analysis with noteworthy rigour. The research reported employs precise methods, carefully applied in clear alignment with the research questions or hypotheses under study. We cite two papers again this year exceptional methodologies, one authored by an established nurse academic and one to a nurse researcher whose graduate degree is recently completed or in process. Dr Monique Lhussier of Northumbria University for the paper Lhussier, M, Dalkin, S, Hetherington, R. Community care for severely frail older people: Developing explanations of how, why and for whom it works. International Journal of Older People Nursing 2019;14:e12217. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12217 Dr Lhussier noted her delight on receiving the award and went on to say ‘The article was the result of an enduring collaboration between the Community Wellness Team and Northumbria University researchers. The team undertakes key community based person-centred work for severely frail older people, which goes beyond the support normally offered under the guises of the health service. In research terms, this constitutes a complex intervention, which cannot be replicated with fidelity and requires novel methodological approaches for its evaluation. As a community of researchers, the onus is on us to develop a methodological agility best suited to serve the needs of our practice partners. We believe this article is an example of this, and we are grateful to the International Journal of Older People Nursing to give us the opportunity to share our methodological approach with the wider academic community’. Dr Heather Cooke, from the University of British Columbia in Canada, for the paper Cooke, HA. Staff personhood in dementia care settings: “Do they care about me?” International Journal of Older People Nursing 2018;13:e12184. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12184 Dr. Cooke expressed surprise on receipt of her award and said ‘My career began on the front lines, first as a home support worker and then as a recreation aide in a specialized dementia unit. I wanted to make a greater difference in the lives of individuals with dementia and their caregivers – whether be they formal or informal carers – and the path I chose to do that was through research. Much of my research is informed by my experiences on the front-line. For me, quality of life for individuals living with dementia and the staff experience are tightly linked so much of my recent research has focused on how we might improve the quality of work life for staff. We have been talking about person-centred care for a long time, yet its widespread adoption remains elusive. In order to improve our understanding of person-centred care, we must pay closer attention to the experiences of residential care aides who truly are the hearts and hands of long-term care’. For the third year in a row, we present awards to peer reviewers whose contributions to IJOPN come in the form of superb reviews of manuscripts submitted to the journal. We are especially pleased this year to present awards to three scholars, one established career academic and two persons in training—one who reviewed as predoctoral scholar and the other as postdoctoral scholar—who reviewed papers during 2018. Dr. Elin Taube, of Lund University in Sweden, said upon receipt of her award for peer review by a senior academic, ‘I don't consider myself to be an expert in reviewing nor in nursing research, so I always strive to read a manuscript with an open mind and stay humble. We all know how much work and effort there is behind a manuscript and one asks ‘what kind of review would I like to receive for my manuscript?’ I also try to present my comments as constructively as possible and not just state that something is ‘wrong’ because it might in fact be ‘right’. When possible, I also try to use a framework or guidance for reporting, like COREQ or Consort, to assure that I don't miss out important aspects as well as in keeping to a high academic level or standard. However, it takes time to review—at least for me—but in return, I get the opportunity to read new exiting research. The practice of peer review is always improving my skills as a researcher’. Ms Elise Tarbi, a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, noted ‘I feel delighted to have the opportunity to engage with fellow scholars in the collaborative process of reviewing. It gives me the chance to contribute to a larger community working toward the common goal of advancing the science to improve the way we care for older people across the globe. On a more personal level, as an emerging scholar, I have learned so much from the process of reviewing as it challenges me to think critically and to provide meaningful feedback, often leading to new insights in how to present the best version of my own work’. Dr Timothy J. Sowicz, of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, completed the review we recognised while a postdoctoral fellow at the Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare System in the United States. He reflected ‘Peer review, particularly for a journal with an international readership, serves as an opportunity for me to learn about the differences and similarities among nurses around the globe and their work with, and ideas about the care of, older people. Being a reviewer for IJOPN is an opportunity to serve a highly regarded journal and our discipline and profession. Although the peer review process is blinded and completed electronically, I do feel it allows me to connect with nurses and scholars about whose work I may otherwise not be aware of’. This year, for the first time, we are formalising our strong commitment to our superlative Editorial Board by highlighting exemplary work done by Board Members. The first Board Member to be so recognised is Prof Elizabeth (Beth) Galik of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in the United States. The arbitrator of the award noted Prof Galik’s numerous and timely reviews while the editorial team identified that she is always counted upon for insight especially in reviewing quantitative science. On receiving the award, she replied ‘Thank you so much for this wonderful honor. I am humbled and deeply grateful for the recognition of my work as an editorial board member and reviewer. I have enjoyed serving as a member of the Editorial Board of IJOPN over the past several years. I have been very fortunate to have worked with and been mentored by geriatric experts who are research journal editors and prolific authors. They took the time to help me with the development of my skills as a writer and reviewer. I have tried to follow their example by providing thoughtful, timely, and evaluative reviews for authors and the editorial staff of IJOPN. It has also been a pleasure to mentor colleagues who are new to the reviewer role so that they have the skills and confidence to provide constructive feedback to their peers. As a reviewer, I am motivated by authors who are eager to share their original research that tests interventions designed to improve the care of older adults or describe a new or significant issue in geriatric nursing. The international focus of IJOPN is the "icing on the cake.” Finally, IJOPN’s editorial team bestowed a special editorial commendation on Prof Ruth Anderson, Kenan Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing in the United States. Prof Anderson is cited for providing names of potential reviewers to the editors in substantial numbers over the past several years. In fact, her recommendations are so valuable and consistent that the editors frequently invited Prof Anderson to review with the expectation that she will provide suggestions of more than one strong scholar to invite to the IJOPN Reviewer Panel rather than hoping she will review the manuscript herself. This service is invaluable to the editorial team. When told of her commendation, Prof Anderson said, ‘I am so pleased to receive the IJOPN Editor’s Commendation Award. In working with IJOPN, I have an attitude of ‘pay it forward’, so it is wonderful to receive this unexpected recognition. Whenever I am not able to accept a review assignment, I always suggest one or more people that the Editor might approach. I see this as a way to introduce newer investigators into reviewer roles and to help the Editor keep our science moving through the review process’. Please join us in congratulating these colleagues, celebrating their scholarship and contributions. They support the International Journal of Older People Nursing in disseminating exceptional science and innovative research methods relevant to care for older people and those who care for them. Together, we are stronger as we generate evidence and shape practice to improve our ageing world.