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The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons identifies leadership as an everyday surgical skill and one of the 10 key competences expected of surgeons. However, there is limited opportunity for formal leadership training and development prior to becoming a consultant, with surgical leadership curricula within worldwide training programmes often poorly defined. As a consequence of a focus on general professional skill development, rather than specific training and assessment in leadership, observed trainee leadership skills show scope for improvement. Many studies indicate trainees report leadership skills training as beneficial and are receptive to interventions. However, most surgical leadership development courses prepare pre‐identified leaders for formal leadership positions rather than developing all surgical trainees leadership skills. Although the recently established Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 'Surgeons as Leaders in Everyday Practice' course helps to fill this gap, it is aimed at consultant surgeons. Most successful leadership development programmes are also longitudinal throughout surgical training and multi‐faceted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every day surgeons lead teams on the wards, in clinics and operating theatres, but most trainees and some surgeons do not consider themselves as leaders. Leadership skills are increasingly important for surgeons, who need knowledge of organizational structure and policy, management strategy and team dynamics to deliver and improve health care in resource‐constrained environments. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons recognizes leadership as one of 10 core surgical competencies but leadership curricula within surgical training programmes are not well defined. There is limited opportunity for formal leadership training and development prior to becoming a consultant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical leadership skills are essential across all levels of a healthcare organization and must be employed by those most appropriate to the situation, regardless of position or profession. However, most medical students and junior doctors remain unaware of how leadership can be assimilated into their everyday clinical practice. Aim: To investigate the perceived preparedness of medical students and junior doctors for their role as clinical leaders. Methods: A systematic search was performed of the MEDLINE, ERIC and PubMed databases. Papers pertaining to medical students and junior doctors that included primary data on preparedness for clinical leadership or behaviors associated with being a clinical leader were included. Results: Sixteen papers were included and analyzed after screening 254. No studies specifically assessed the transition to clinical leader. Evidence suggests that new graduates perceive leadership as individualistic and hierarchical, and that they are only partially prepared to fill this role. Preparedness for clinical leadership was associated with increasing responsibility, experience and time-served. Conclusions: New graduates are unlikely to question senior colleagues as they lack leadership-specific communication skills. Further research is required into how to actively promote leadership in medical students and ease the transition to leadership roles within clinical teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To explore the impact of the National Health Service England's Open and Honest Care Programme on patient safety, patient and staff experience and improvement practices within acute National Health Service settings. Background The Open and Honest Care Programme forms a key tenet of the Nursing Midwifery and Care Staff Strategy launched by the Department of Health in England and Wales in 2012. Methods An electronic survey ( n = 387) was administered to National Health Service staff. Semi-structured telephone interviews ( n = 13) were conducted with senior nurses and ward managers. Results Over 70% of the survey respondents agreed that the programme increased transparency with the public about the quality of care, helped the working experience of National Health Service staff and improved patient safety respectively. Interviews revealed the Open and Honest Care Programme had enabled National Health Service staff to appraise the effectiveness of their improvement efforts. Conclusion The Open and Honest Care Programme could be an important part of the National Health Service Improvement Strategy. The collection of metric and narrative information highlighted where patient-centred improvements were required, facilitating the targeting and development of specific interventions or resources. Implications for nursing management The results indicate that the programme may assist managers to identify areas for improvement and that programmes such as this deserve consideration by health-care management globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous resistant microorganisms but meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is probably the most notorious. MRSA is a resistant variation of the common bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, that has developed the ability to survive treatment with a number of beta-lactam antibiotics, including meticillin. The focus of this article is a narrative literature review concerning the challenge that MRSA presents to nurses and other healthcare workers. A historical overview of antimicrobial resistance and the origins of MRSA are given, together with the factors involved in the persistence of antimicrobial resistance. The relevant microbiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of MRSA will be discussed to provide a detailed rationale for the contemporary management of this persistent, resistant organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous resistant microorganisms but meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is probably the most notorious. MRSA is a resistant variation of the common bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, that has developed the ability to survive treatment with a number of beta-lactam antibiotics, including meticillin. The focus of this article is a narrative literature review concerning the challenge that MRSA presents to nurses and other healthcare workers. A historical overview of antimicrobial resistance and the origins of MRSA are given, together with the factors involved in the persistence of antimicrobial resistance. The relevant microbiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of MRSA will be discussed to provide a detailed rationale for the contemporary management of this persistent, resistant organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]