The International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS) provides a forum for original research and scholarship about health care delivery, organisation, management, workforce, policy and research methods relevant to nursing, midwifery and other health related professions. The IJNS aims to support evidence informed policy and practice by publishing research, systematic and other scholarly reviews, critical discussion, and commentary of the highest standard.

The journal particularly welcomes studies that aim to evaluate and understand complex health care interventions and health policies and which employ the most rigorous designs and methods appropriate for the research question of interest. The journal also seeks to advance the quality of research by publishing methodological papers introducing or elaborating on analytic techniques, measures, and research methods.

The journal has been publishing original peer-reviewed articles of interest to the international health care community since 1963, making it one of the longest standing repositories of scholarship in this field. The IJNS offers authors the benefits of:

• A highly respected journal in its field with consistently high impact

• Indexed in major databases: PubMed, Medline, Thomson Reuters - Science Citation Index, Scopus, Thomson Reuters - Social Science Citation Index, CINAHL and the BNI (British Nursing Index).

• A truly global readership

• Highly efficient editorial processes: average time from submission to first decision of 4 weeks

• Rapid initial screening for suitability and editorial interest

• Excellent peer reviewers drawn from a range of health service research disciplines

• Final online publication as soon as 2 weeks post-acceptance.

The IJNS endorses the Equator Network (http://www.equator-network.org/) an international initiative that seeks to improve reliability and value of research literature in health care by promoting transparent and accurate reporting of studies. We ask our authors to make use of appropriate reporting guidelines to ensure excellence in scientific reporting. Guidelines for authors can be accessed at https://www.editorialmanager.com/NS/default.aspx.

Authors are also welcome to submit to IJNS's open access companion title, International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, which welcomes excellent original research, reviews and discussion relevant to nursing, midwifery and other health related professions around the globe.

original research, reviews, and discussion papers

Editor-in-Chief
Professor Ian Norman, PhD, RN, BABCP, FRNC, FEANS, FAAN
King's College London Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, London, SE1 8WA, UK (Senior Editorial Assistant: Stephanie Waller; Editorial Assistant Isabell Mayr) Phone 020-7848-3020 Email Professor Ian Norman, PhD, RN, BABCP, FRNC, FEANS, FAAN
Executive Editor
Professor Peter Griffiths, PhD, RN, FHEA, FEANS
University of Southampton Faculty of Health Sciences, Southampton, United Kingdom
Honorary Editors
Professor Rosemary Crow
Guildford, UK
Professor Dame Jenifer Wilson-Barnett
London, United Kingdom
Statistical Editors
Professor Jason Beckstead
Tampa, FL, United States
Dr. Trevor Murrells, BSc, MSc
London, United Kingdom
Associate Editors
Dr. Chiara Dall’ora
University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Professor Patricia Davidson
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA
Professor Christine Duffield
University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Dr. Donna Haiduven
University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
Professor Ruth Harris, PhD, RGN, FEANS
King's College London, London, United Kingdom
Dr. Jan Kottner
Charite University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Professor Sharon McKinley, PhD, BAppSci, RN
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Dr. Christopher McLean
University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Professor Nancy Nivison Menzel, PhD, RN, PHCNS-BC, CPH, CNE
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, United States
Dr. Chizu Mimura, PhD, RN
Himorogi Psychiatric Institute, Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Micah David James Peters, PhD, MA(Q), BHSc
University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Dr. Lusine Poghosyan
Columbia University, New York, United States
Dr. Roberta Sammut, PhD, RN
University of Malta Faculty of Health Sciences, Msida, Malta
Prof. Dr. Lisette Schoonhoven, PhD
University Medical Centre, Utrecht, Netherlands
Professor Michael Simon, PhD, RN
University of Basel Institute of Nursing Science, Basel, Switzerland
Professor Rhayun Song
Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, Republic of
Assist. Prof. Allison Squires, PhD, RN, FAAN
New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York, United States
Dr. Jason Wasiak
University of Melbourne and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Professor Alison While, PhD, RN, RHV, FQNI, FEANS, FRSH
King's College London, London, United Kingdom
Professor Lisa Whitehead
Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
Dr. Franziska Zuniga
University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Editorial Board
Professor Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, United States
Professor Wendy P. Chaboyer, PhD
Griffith University, Faculty of Nursing and Health, Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Gold Coast, Australia
Professor Sean Clarke, PhD, RN, FAAN
New York University, New York, United States
Professor John Cutcliffe, PhD, B.Sc.(Hon.), RMN, RGN, RPN, RN
University of Maine, Orono, United States
Professor Linda Franck, PhD, RN, FRCPCH, FAAN
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Professor Ingalill Rahm Hallberg, PhD, RN, FEANS, FAAN
Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Professor Hongsoo Kim, PhD, MPH, RN
Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Professor Elizabeth Manias, PhR, RN, BPharm, MPharm, CertCritCare, MNursStud
Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
Professor Carl May, PhD AcSS
University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Professor Martin McKee
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Professor Hugh McKenna, CBE, Hon Col, PhD, B.Sc(Hons), RMN, RGN, RNT,
Ulster University, Ist. of Nursing and Health Research, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom
Professor Eui Geum Oh, PhD, RN
Yonsei University, Graduate School of Nursing College of Nursing, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, CBE, MSc, MPhil, DPhil
King's College London, London, United Kingdom
Professor Maritta Välimäki, PhD, RN
University of Turku, TURKU, Finland