IntroductionThe prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing alarmingly worldwide. Evidence consistently shows that nurse-led care by diabetes specialist nurses is crucial for delivering efficient front-line primary diabetes management. This study aimed to explore diabetes specialist nurses' experiences of the prerequisites for person-centred care and for their professional practice in primary diabetes healthcare.MethodsA total of 16 diabetes specialist nurses from western Sweden participated in four focus-group discussions during May 2025. The data were analysed to identify common themes among the participants' experiences according to Krueger and Casey's descriptions.ResultsThe analysis resulted in one main theme: "maintaining professionalism in a changing and strained primary diabetes care". This theme included five subthemes that described diabetes specialist nurses' experiences regarding the prerequisites for person-centred care and professional practice. The diabetes specialist nurses reported daily challenges in delivering person-centred care in contemporary primary diabetes healthcare. Their professional commitment was evident in their clinical practice and in their efforts to maintain professional competence. Despite emphasising the importance of long-term, person-centred patient engagement in diabetes care, they face limited time to interact with patients and insufficient managerial support for their professional learning.DiscussionThe findings underscore diabetes specialist nurses' need for organisational support, particularly from managers who value and actively promote person-centred care, as well as opportunities for continuous professional development. Taken together, such supportive measures could lay the groundwork for a sustainable primary healthcare system for diabetes in the future.

Diabetes mellitus presents global health challenges, thereby increasing the need for person-centred care. This cross-sectional study of 157 diabetes specialist nurses evaluated the theoretical structure of the Swedish version of the Learning potential of the workplace scale and explored whether the learning potential of the workplace, work engagement, quantitative demands, influence, stress and work experience in diabetes care were associated with nurses’ perceptions of person-centred care. Regression analysis showed that the variables “opportunity to reflect”, “support in learning’, “work engagement” and “work experience in diabetes care” were positively associated with perceived person-centred care. Perceived organisational and environmental support for person-centred care was positively linked to “opportunity to reflect”, “support in learning” and “influence” and negatively to “stress” and “quantitative demands”. Reporting followed the STROBE guidelines. The findings demonstrated that healthcare systems can enhance nurses’ ability to provide person-centred care for persons with diabetes by fostering learning-oriented workplaces and addressing organisational challenges.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition, cases of which are expected to continue rising worldwide. Diabetes specialist nurses play an essential role by assisting patients with preventing or delaying disease complications. Research has suggested an association between occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction among professionals. However, the relationship between these factors among diabetes specialist nurses, as well as the learning potential of the workplace in this context, remains unexplored.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationships between occupational self-efficacy, the learning potential of the workplace and job satisfaction.

Design: A cross-sectional study design was used.

Setting: The study data were collected through a national online survey conducted in Sweden.

Participants: A total of 157 registered nurses who provide diabetes care to patients were included.

Methods: Data were obtained through an online survey with a response rate of 28%. All variables were measured using Swedish-translated standardised instruments. The model was constructed and tested using structural equation modeling analysis with the hypothesis that perceived occupational self-efficacy has both direct and indirect effects on diabetes specialist nurses’ job satisfaction and is mediated by the learning potential of the workplace.

Results: The findings supported the hypothesised model. The total effect of the relationship between occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction was 0.547 ( p < .001), comprising both the direct effect (β = 0.359, p < .0001) between these constructs and the indirect effect (0.188, p < .001). The indirect pathways included occupational self-efficacy, which was statistically significantly associated with all three dimensions of the Learning Potential of the Workplace scale: Opportunity to reflect (β = 0.480, p < .0001), Support in learning (β = 0.226, p < .01), and Time for exploration (β = 0.330, p < .0001). Both Support in learning and Time for exploration were also statistically significantly associated with job satisfaction (β = 0.236 and β = 0.266, respectively, p < .01), thereby contributing to the sum of the indirect effect (0.188, p < .001). One dimension, Time for exploration , was identified as a mediator between occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction, which explained 9% ( p < .01) of the variance in job satisfaction.

Conclusions: These results demonstrated the association between occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction among diabetes specialist nurses. The mediation effect of the Time for exploration dimension underscores the importance of providing sufficient time for workplace learning. This finding suggests that fostering a supportive learning environment could be associated with job satisfaction. 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore patients' learning and support needs within contemporary diabetes care to help them deal with daily life challenges.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was used following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies. The 15 individual face-to-face interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

SETTING: Participants were drawn from three healthcare centres in rural and urban regions of West Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 15 patients (8 men, 7 women) with T2DM who experienced contemporary diabetes care.

RESULTS: Patients expressed a strong desire for access to person-centred, multidimensional learning, with a focus on genuine partnership, tailored education, and emotional engagement. Digital tools were seen as valuable aids in their self-care efforts. Sub-themes were 'Desiring genuine partnership and tailored patient education' and 'Needing support related to altered perspectives on life and awareness of care standards but with finite care resources'.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that integrating person-centred, multidimensional learning strategies into diabetes care could be beneficial, particularly when addressing both practical and emotional needs. Encouraging active patient engagement through flexible digital solutions and providing support for emotional well-being may improve the overall patient experience. However, further research and practical application are needed to fully understand how these strategies could be effectively implemented to support patients with T2DM in managing their daily health challenges.

Personer med typ 2-diabetes ökar världen över. Enligt en ny studie vill patienterna att vården utgår från deras unika behov och resurser. Utöver kunskap om kost, motion och medicinering önskar de även få stöd kring känslomässiga och psykosociala aspekter av sjukdomen.

This qualitative study explores how work-integrated learning (WIL) is understood and practised in work-life settings, extending beyond the higher education context. The aim of the study is to examine how WIL manifests in work-life settings and what implications can be derived for conceptualising a quality framework for WIL directed at both higher education institutions and work-life partners. Guided by sociocultural learning theories, a reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on empirical data collected from focus group interviews with teachers, managers, and supervisors at the university and a strategic partner organisation, as well as responses to open-ended student surveys. Three overarching themes were identified as key when conceptualising a quality framework for WIL: i) Enhancing WIL understanding; ii) Managing resources and supporting culture; and iii) Strengthening stakeholder engagement. Based on the findings, the study contributes a concept sketch of a WIL quality framework and four guiding principles for advancing the quality dimension in WIL. The main argument is to sustain a holistic perspective that gears a unified, integrative approach to accommodate the dynamic interrelationships and responsibilities that WIL poses on both higher education institutions and work-life partners.

This qualitative study explores how work-integrated learning (WIL) is understood and practised in work-life settings, extending beyond the higher education context. The aim of the study is to examine how WIL manifests in work-life settings and what implications can be derived for conceptualising a quality framework for WIL directed at both higher education institutions and work-life partners. Guided by sociocultural learning theories, a reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on empirical data collected from focus group interviews with teachers, managers, and supervisors at the university and a strategic partner organisation, as well as responses to open-ended student surveys. Three overarching themes were identified as key when conceptualising a quality framework for WIL: i) Enhancing WIL understanding; ii) Managing resources and supporting culture; and iii) Strengthening stakeholder engagement. Based on the findings, the study contributes a concept sketch of a WIL quality framework and four guiding principles for advancing the quality dimension in WIL. The main argument is to sustain a holistic perspective that gears a unified, integrative approach to accommodate the dynamic interrelationships and responsibilities that WIL poses on both higher education institutions and work-life partners.

There is an increasing demand in today's society to engage students in learning to learn, enabling them to become lifelong learners and continually develop their skills and competencies throughout their careers. Work-integrated learning (WIL) provides diverse learning environments that help students bridge and integrate experiences from academic and workplace settings, and thus, comprises a crucial component in preparing students for the complexities of modern working life and fostering lifelong learning skills. In the higher education sector, WIL has been developed in several colleges and universities worldwide, and countries like Australia and Canada have designed prominent examples of quality assurance for specific WIL activities. However, there are few national initiatives that combine various stakeholder's perspectives and there is a lack of knowledge about the quality dimension of WIL-based learning in both higher education and working life.

This paper builds on experiences from the strategic and qualitative development of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) at University West in Sweden. It is part of ongoing research that aims to develop a quality framework to support collaboration and communities of educators in the understanding, design, and application of WIL in both higher education and professional working life. In a previous study, we have identified and provided knowledge underpinning the understanding and application of WIL from a multi-perspective approach involving both educators, researchers, students and strategic partners. Initial findings indicate that fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and society can generate insights, solutions, and mutual development to address societal challenges. Through creating a quality framework for WIL, it becomes evident that through interaction with colleagues and stakeholders the impact of WIL on education and lifelong learning becomes more visible for all stakeholders. In this qualitative study, we take the point of departure specifically from the strategic partner perspective, with the aim to understand WIL in the practice of education according to lifelong learning in a workplace context. We pose the following research question: How can a quality enhancement framework be collaboratively applied in real-world scenarios to enhance WIL quality?

Data collection activities include workshops and interviews with participants from target groups at the partner organization. The paper will discuss the application of a WIL quality enhancement framework, with a focus on how it can support designing and applying WIL initiatives effectively in a work-life setting.

Today’s working life faces a major ongoing transformation characterised by increased complexity and specialisation of work and conditions for lifelong learning. This requires competencies beyond traditional theoretical knowledge, including the ability to prepare for uncertainty and unknown outcomes. Therefore, involving students in work-integrated learning (WIL) and learning how to learn for lifelong learning is essential. At University West in Sweden, educational programs are WIL-based and developed in collaboration with strategic partners to provide a relevant and attractive range of programs and courses. In this study, we argue that it is a shared responsibility for academia and business organisations to collaboratively develop innovative approaches to working and learning to secure a future workforce ready for a complex working life and continuous competence development. The purpose of the study is to identify and provide knowledge underpinning the understanding and application of WIL in higher education and working life. The goal is to develop a framework that supports key stakeholders in understanding, designing and applying WIL. Findings from this study suggest that the collaboration between teachers, partners, and students can be strengthened by a quality framework supporting the planning, implementation, reflection and improvement of WIL-based education and competence initiatives. The main contribution of the paper is a nuanced description of WIL conceptualizations along with a multi-perspective approach, bringing multiple perspectives into the development and application of WIL. It also highlights how a framework based on these foundations can support quality development and enhance the application of WIL in higher education and working life.