Search

Aim and objectives: To evaluate and examine the utility of the Violence Prevention Climate scale by generalist healthcare professionals. Background: Workplace violence in general hospital settings remains a challenge for healthcare organisations. High rates of violence are still being reported towards healthcare workers, despite organisational violence prevention strategies being implemented. There is a major challenge to healthcare organisation in the measurement of the effectiveness of these interventions, traditionally completed via the reporting and monitoring of workplace violent incidents. A novel approach to measuring workplace violence is by studying hospital atmosphere or climate. Design: A cross‐sectional survey using the STARD guidelines was used. Methods: The Violence Prevention Climate scale was completed by 194 healthcare staff working in the emergency department, medical/surgical wards, respiratory/infectious disease, spinal care, renal unit, corrections health, and rehabilitation and community services of a major Australian tertiary referral hospital. The Violence Prevention Climate scale has previously been validated and used in mental health settings, but not general hospital settings. A content analysis of an open‐ended question on violence prevention management strategies was also conducted. Results: Comprising of 14 items with two factors (patients and staff), the study revealed a 9‐item staff factor scale that can be used in the general hospital setting, the patient factor did not show adequate reliability. The content analysis revealed seven categories of staff identified violence prevention and management strategies. Conclusions: The use of the 9‐item scale across an organisation annually, or added to existing organisational workforce surveys, could prove to be practical way of measuring the social climate of violence in a general hospital setting. Relevance to clinical practice: The results of which could guide clinical practice, workplace safety, policy and educational initiatives for the prevention and management of workplace violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To outline the development and effect of an audit with feedback implementation strategy that intended to increase the rate of voluntary medication error reporting by nurses. Background: Medication errors are a serious global health issue. Audit with feedback is a widely used implementation strategy that has potential to modify nurses' reporting behaviour and improve medication error reporting rates. Design: Quasi‐experimental implementation study (fulfilling the TIDieR checklist) with two pairs of matched wards at a private hospital in Australia was conducted from March 2015–September 2016. One ward from each pair was randomised to either the intervention or control group. Method: Nurses within intervention wards received audit with feedback on a quarterly basis over a 12‐month implementation period. Control wards underwent quarterly audits only (without feedback). Feedback consisted of a one‐page infographic poster, with content based on medication error data obtained from audits and the hospitals' risk management system (RiskMan). The primary outcome—rate of medication errors reported per month—was determined in both groups at pre‐implementation, implementation and postimplementation phases. Differences between groups were compared using generalised linear mixed models with Poisson distribution and log link. Results: A nonsignificant intervention effect was found for rate of medication errors reported per month. Interestingly, when combining data from both groups, a significant increasing time trend was observed for medication errors reported per month across pre‐implementation and implementation phases (80% increase). Conclusions: The audit with feedback strategy developed in the present study did not effectively influence the voluntary reporting of medication errors by nurses. Relevance to clinical practice: Despite the lack of intervention effects, the use of a published checklist to optimise the reporting quality of this study will contribute to the field by furthering the understanding of how to enhance audit with feedback implementation strategies for nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To understand the attitudes and perceptions of older people with limited English proficiency (LEP) and healthcare workers to using mobile translation technology for overcoming language barriers in the healthcare setting. Background: Australia's cohort of people aged 65 and over has a sizeable population with LEP. In healthcare settings, difficulties with communication may potentially result in inadequate care. Mobile language translation applications have been identified as a potential way to improve communication between patients and healthcare staff when used as an adjunct to professional interpreters in low‐risk scenarios; however, the perceptions of the use of mobile translation applications for such communication is unknown. Methods: A multi‐method design was used. Focus group discussions were conducted with older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and nursing and allied health professionals to understand their perceptions of translation technology. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Qualitative findings were reported using the Standards for Reporting of Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist. Participants also appraised three existing translation apps via survey and results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Overall, older people from CALD backgrounds (n = 12) and healthcare staff (n = 17) agreed that translation technology could play a role in reducing communication barriers. There was enthusiasm amongst older people to learn and use the technology, while healthcare staff saw the potential to address communication barriers in their own work. Barriers identified by older people and healthcare staff included: accuracy of translation and phrases, possible technological learning curves, risk of mistranslation in high‐risk conversation and inability to check accuracy of translation. Fixed‐phrase translation apps were seen as more favourable than real‐time voice‐to‐voice mobile translation applications. Conclusions: Older people from CALD backgrounds and healthcare staff were open to the use of mobile translation applications for everyday healthcare communications. Relevance to clinical practice: Translation applications may have a role in reducing language barriers in everyday healthcare communication but context, accuracy and ease of use need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To investigate what and how medication information is communicated during handover interactions in specialty hospital settings. Background Effective communication about patients' medications between health professionals and nurses at handover is vital for the delivery of safe continuity of care. Design An exploratory qualitative design and observational study. Methods Participant observation was undertaken at a metropolitan Australian public hospital in four specialty settings: cardiothoracic care, intensive care, emergency care and oncology care. A medication communication model was applied to the data and thematic analysis was performed. Results Over 130 hours of observational data were collected. In total, 185 (predominately nursing) handovers were observed across the four specialty settings involving 37 nurse participants. Health professionals communicated partial details of patients' medication regimens, by focusing on auditing the medication administration record, and through the handover approach employed. Gaps in medication information at handover were evident as shown by lack of communication about detailed and specific medication content. Incoming nurses rarely posed questions about medications at handover. Conclusions Handover interactions contained restricted and incomplete medication information. Improving the transparency, completeness and accuracy of medication communication is vital for optimising patient safety and quality of care in specialty practice settings. Relevance to clinical practice For nurses to make informed and rapid decisions regarding appropriate patient care, information about all types of prescribed medications is essential, which is communicated in an explicit and clear way. Jargon and assumptions related to medication details should be minimised to reduce the risk of misunderstandings. Disclosure of structured medication information supports nurses to perform accurate patient assessments, make knowledgeable decisions about the appropriateness of medications and their doses, and anticipate possible adverse events associated with medications. In addition, benefits of patient and family member contributions in communicating about medications at handover should also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]