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Purpose: The role of healthcare leaders is becoming increasingly complex, and carries great responsibility for patients, employees, and the quality of service delivery. This study explored the barriers and enablers that department leaders in nursing homes encounter when managing the dual responsibilities in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Quality and Patient Safety (QPS). Methodology: Case study design with data collected through semi structured interviews with 16 department leaders in five Norwegian municipalities. We analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis. Results: Data analysis resulted in four themes explaining what department leaders in nursing homes experience as barriers and enablers when handling the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS: Temporal capacity: The importance of having enough time to create a health-promoting work environment that ensures patient safety. Relational capacity: Relationships have an impact on work process and outcomes. Professional competence: Competence affects patient safety and leadership strategies. Organizational structure: Organizational frameworks influence how the dual responsibilities are handled. Conclusion: Evidence from this study showed that external contextual factors (eg, legislations and finances) and internal factors (eg, relationships and expectations) are experienced as barriers and enablers when department leaders are enacting the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS. Of these, relationships were found to be the most significant contributor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nursing practice environment has impact on the quality of nursing care and on patients' and nurses' outcomes, namely better performances of these healthcare workers. Improving the nursing practice environment is a low-cost organizational strategy to achieve better patients' outcomes and retain qualified nurses, thus improving nursing care of units, healthcare organizations and healthcare system. This study aims to analyse the relationship between nursing practice environment and the nurses' perception of quality of care, patient safety, and safety culture in Primary Health Care in Portugal. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, analytical, and cross-sectional study using data from RN4CAST Portugal. The sample was composed of 1059 nurses from 55 Health Center Groups of the mainland Portugal, 15 Health Centers of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and 6 Health Centers of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Multivariate analysis and correlation analysis methods were used for data processing. Results: Nurses consider that, in the Portuguese Primary Health Care, there is a mixed and unfavourable nursing practice environment, with a perception of a good quality of care, and both acceptable patients' safety and safety culture. The Collegial Nurse-Physician Relations and Nursing Foundations for Quality of Care dimensions to have the best ratings. The perception of Primary Health Care nurses on the dimension Nurse Participation in Organization Affairs was the one that showed the lowest score, followed by Staffing and Resource Adequacy and Nurse Manager Ability, Leadership, and Support of Nurses. Based on perception of nurses, the relationship between the nursing practice environment and the safety culture is higher, followed by the quality of care and patients' safety. Conclusions: The perception of Primary Health Care nurses is that there is an unfavourable and mixed nursing practice environment, with good quality of care, and acceptable patient safety and safety culture. The quality of the nursing practice environments is associated to better quality and safety of care. Thus, improving the nursing practice environments in healthcare organizations is a low-cost organizational strategy to achieve greater patients and nurses' outcomes, improving the quality of nursing care to patients in the Primary Health Care units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a lot of emphasis on the need for good infection prevention and control practices and acute care, the increasing complexity of patients being cared for in their own homes means that there is an increased risk for infection. Good practice is required by community nurses to minimise this risk. Patients' own homes can present particular challenges in complying with good practice and this article looks at some of the barriers to optimum infection prevention and control precautions in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the high-reliability principles and practices at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Topics include the launch by the VHA of an array of supports to strengthen high-reliability organizations (HRO) capabilities across the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S., the VHA's assessment process, and how the VHA boosts HRO improvement initiatives and leadership practices that support a safety culture.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge and understanding of the relationship between full-time-culture and the outcome for quality and safety of care. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a literature review with a qualitatively oriented thematic analysis concerning quality or safety outcomes for patients, or patients and staff when introducing a full-time culture. Findings: Identified factors that could have a positive or negative impact on quality and patient safety when introducing full-time culture were length of shift, fatigue/burnout, autonomy/empowerment and system/structure. Working shifts over 12 h or more than 40 h a week is associated with increased adverse events and errors, lower quality patient care, less attention to safety concerns and more care left undone. Long shifts give healthcare personnel more flexibility and better quality-time off, but there is also an association between long shifts and fatigue or burnout. Having a choice and flexibility around shift patterns is a predictor of increased wellbeing and health. Originality/value: A major challenge across healthcare services is having enough qualified personnel to handle the increasing number of patients. One of the measures to get enough qualified personnel for the expected tasks is to increase the number of full-time employees and move towards a full-time culture. It is argued that full-time culture will have a positive effect on work environment, efficiency and quality due to a better allocation of work tasks, predictable work schedule, reduced sick leave, and continuity in treatment and care. There is limited research on how the introduction of full-time culture will affect the quality and safety for patients and staff, and few studies have been focusing on the relationship between longer shift, work schedule, and quality and safety of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to (a) elucidate the effects of hospital management and unit supervisor support for patient safety on nurse speaking‐up behaviours and (b) identify potential mediators of this relationship. Background: Speaking‐up behaviour among nurses has emerged as a critical source of patient safety. Fuller understanding of the developmental mechanisms contributing to nurses' speaking‐up behaviours could help to enhance patient safety in health care organisations. Methods: A correlational approach was used to conduct a secondary analysis of cross‐sectional survey data collected from 450 staff nurses in Korea. Path analysis was performed to test potential mediation effects. Results: After controlling for nurses' hospital and unit tenure, hospital management and supervisor support for patient safety had significant direct and indirect effects on nurses' speaking‐up (promotive and prohibitive voice) behaviours through their perceptions of response to error and communication openness. Conclusions: Study findings indicate that when hospital management and supervisors emphasize patient safety and provide necessary resources, nurses are likely to perceive the hospital's safety culture more positively, in turn enhancing their speaking‐up behaviours. Implications for Nursing Management: Hospital administrators and nurse managers should clearly display hospital management and supervisory support for patient safety through implementation of related policies, resources, and communication standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been estimated that medical errors are the third highest‐ranking cause of death in the United States. A patient safety culture has been touted for many years as best practice to reduce medical error. While there is a general agreement of its importance, it has remained elusive for many. This study sought to learn how strengthening leadership skills within a health care organization could catalyze patient safety culture improvement. The research asked the following to gain an appreciation for that question: How does a leader ensure consistency in policies, practices, and protocols to create a patient safety culture? What attitudes, beliefs, and collective efficacy are needed to produce a patient safety culture? What leadership characteristics are needed to create a patient safety culture? The research participants were the employees who make up the patient safety department in a large academic health care system. Information was gathered to capture their view of leadership's role in patient safety culture and to gain knowledge relative to their individual experiences following a medical error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This aim of this study was to explore how hospital-based physicians in Sweden experienced the challenges in working conditions related to the provision of care during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when hospitals transitioned to pandemic care. Design/methodology/approach: The study has a qualitative design. Twenty-five hospital-based physicians were interviewed about their experiences from working in a hospital while healthcare organisations initially responded to COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the empirical material. Findings: The analysis resulted in four themes: involuntary self-management, a self-restrictive bureaucracy, passive occupational safety and health (OSH) management, and information overload. These themes reflect how the physicians perceived their work situation during the pandemic and how they tried to maintain quality care for their patients. Practical implications: The study gives valuable insights for formulating preparedness in regard to crisis management plans that can secure the provision of care for future emergencies in the healthcare services. Originality/value: This paper shows that a crisis management plans in the healthcare services should include decision structures and management, measures of risk assessment and OSH management, and the maintenance of personnel wellbeing. A prepared healthcare management can preserve quality care delivery while under crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My experiences as a legitimate informal whistle-blower have afforded me an understanding of the dichotomy that is Trust allegiance and misplaced brand loyalty over and above both patient and staff safety, such that when poor care is spoken of as a potential or experienced from either angle, the general rule within healthcare management is not to acknowledge, reflect, mitigate and learn in order to improve, but instead to gaslight, deny and subordinate such that from a staff safety perspective they are caught between a rock and a hard place. This paper explores some of the opportunities which healthcare organizations could embrace to positively influence the effects of power and hierarchy on staff safety. Aims: This paper discusses the bigger picture of maternity services safety. Methods: This is a discussion piece. Findings: For some healthcare staff it is preferable to remain quiet, not rock the proverbial boat, and maintain deeply loyal allegiances to their employers over and above public protection. For others, the journey of honesty, integrity and tenacity carries a high price in terms of personal energy, health and financial compromise. Conclusion: This exploration into how power & hierarchy influence both staff and patient safety has identified and briefly explored some of the tensions created by misplaced brand loyalty inherent within healthcare institutions, and the legacy of harms resulting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the professional policies approved by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHS) House of Delegates including the policies 2101-2112, 2113-2120, and 2121-2143 that were respectively approved in March, May, and June 2021. Policy topics covered include direct-to-consumer clinical genetic tests, pharmacogenomics, and universal influenza vaccination. Also noted is planned posting of the House of Delegates complete proceedings in the ASHA website.

Emergency departments (EDs) are the point of entry for infectious diseases, making it necessary to reevaluate current practices and make adjustments to decrease transmission when presented with a novel viral infection. This article discusses strategies implemented in the ED to prevent transmission of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) while identifying areas of needed change in creating a safe environment for patients, health care workers, and ancillary staff. A team approach is ultimately necessary for success; therefore, development of interprofessional teams was formed to mitigate any obstacles. Dissemination of the most current information regarding proper personal protective equipment use, triaging, patient flow, and treatment areas were implemented with weekly emails, videoconferencing, and daily huddles. Developing an efficient triage screening process, redesigning patient flow, and cohorting of patients and staff to a geographical location are essential to minimize transmission. Constant reevaluation of processes is necessary to meet all the needs of patients and health care staff to prevent the spread of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the management strategies implemented at the New York University (NYU) Langone Health Department of Radiology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include the use of electronic mail (email) newsletters and group Zoom video calls, among others, as communication modes for employees, responsibilities of the multidisciplinary committees created by NYU Langone Health, and efforts of its leaders to ensure patient and staff protection against virus transmission.

Sam Foster, Executive Director of Professional Practice, Nursing and Midwifery Council, considers the Freedom to Speak Up report and its importance in ensuring patient and staff safety [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals face the increasing challenge of balancing the need to provide quality care with that of being cost-effective. While guidelines and benchmarks for quality care exist in many areas within the hospital, those guidelines can be lacking for the acute (inpatient) dialysis setting. Nephrology nurses working in this setting may provide hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, continuous kidney replacement therapy, and apheresis treatments at the patient's bedside and in an acute dialysis unit. This article discusses the need to promote patient and nurse safety in acute dialysis settings through advocacy and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Safety culture can be described and understood through its manifestations in the organization as artefacts, espoused values and basic underlying assumptions and is strongly related to leadership-yet it remains elusive as a concept. Even if the literature points to leadership as an important factor for creating and sustaining a mature safety culture, little is known about how the safety work of first line managers' is done and how they balance the different and often conflicting organizational goals in everyday practice. The purpose of this study was to explore how health care first line managers perceive their role and how they promote patient safety and patient safety culture in their units.Methods: Interview study with first line managers in intensive care units in eight different hospitals located in the middle of Sweden. An inductive qualitative content analysis approach was used, this was then followed by a deductive analysis of the strategies informed by constructs from High reliability organizations.Results: We present how first line managers view their role in patient safety and exemplify concrete strategies by which managers promote patient safety in everyday work.Conclusions: Our study shows the central role of front-line managers in organizing for safe care and creating a culture for patient safety. Although promoted widely in Swedish healthcare at the time for the interviews, the HSOPSC was not mentioned by the managers as a central source of information on the unit's safety culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between organizational safety climate (OSC), in-hospital mortality (IM), and failure to rescue (FTR) in 2 hospitals, 1 with and 1 without crew-resource-management training. BACKGROUND: OSC is 1 of the most important organizational factors that promotes safety at work; however, there is a lack of research examining the relationship between OSC and patient deaths in hospitals. METHODS: We utilized a matched 2-group comparison of surgical patients and surveyed surgical staff to assess the relationship between OSC, FTR, and IM. RESULTS: The OSC assessment was completed by 261 surgical team members. A total of 1764 patients had at least 1 FTR complication; however, there was no association between OSC with FTR or IM for either hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse leaders should remain vigilant in building work teams with strong hospital safety climates. More research is needed to explore the relationship between OSC and patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to health service psychology (HSP) education and training but also presents tremendous opportunities for growth that will persist well past the resolution of this public health crisis. The present article addresses three aims in understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by the HSP education and training community. First, it describes challenges to HSP education and training created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need to maintain the integrity of training; facilitate trainee progress; continue clinical service delivery; manage the safety and wellbeing of trainees, faculty, staff, and clients/patients; and adhere to national and local emergency orders. Second, the article summarizes guidance from training organization leadership regarding training program and clinical site responses to these challenges. Several principle-based recommendations called upon training programs to prioritize trainees and their training needs, while urging balance and flexibility in meeting the multiple demands of training programs, institutions, and the public. Third, the article discusses key opportunities for improvement in HSP education and training, including more effective use of competency evaluations; distance technologies in therapy, supervision, and admissions; and reconsideration of internship and degree timing and HSP's identity as a health care profession; and the potential for comprehensive review and redesign of HSP education and training. Embracing these opportunities may help ensure that HSP education and training is preparing its graduates to meet the psychological health care needs of the future. Public Significance Statement: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health service psychology educators to continue clinical training and service delivery in the context of unprecedented health risks and community shutdowns. Creative responses to these challenges have highlighted opportunities for improvements in how health service psychologists are trained (e.g., in the use of distance technologies for admissions, therapy, and supervision; more effective use of competency evaluations), and in the role of health service psychology trainees as health care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic due to the serious health risk posed by coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The number of infected cases is on the rise globally with escalating human, economic, and societal costs. Survivors of COVID-19 may experience a range of clinical, functional, and psychological impairments, resulting in disabilities. Many are amenable to rehabilitation intervention. The current focus of COVID-19 management is on public health measures and acute management. As patients transfer to subacute care or discharged to the community, rehabilitation services need to have a number of organizational and operational models in place to provide safe and effective care for patients and health professionals. There is need for global action by professional organizations in developing a structured rehabilitation approach for international response to disasters, including pandemics. This report proposes development of a "Rehabilitation Response Plan" to enable the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, to provide crucial leadership and governance role in liaison and coordination with the World Health Organization (and other stakeholders), to provide rehabilitation input during current and future pandemics. The key considerations include following categories: governance, coordination, communication, evaluation, and care continuum. These will strengthen rehabilitation, assist in the effective delivery of services, and provide advocacy and an international coordinated perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has impacted all health care professionals in multiple ways. This article surveyed a cross-section of the nursing profession from across the United States from the ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation ProgramThe COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has impacted all health care professionals in multiple ways. This article surveyed a cross-section of the nursing profession from across the United States from the ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program® and ANCC Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Program. The article summarizes how they responded to the pandemic, addressed challenges, and learned valuable lessons. [[J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(7):304–308.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Workplace incivility can be a factor in unhealthy work environments. Addressing unit culture improves job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Aim: The purpose of this quality improvement program was to educate nurses to identify and respond to hospital incivility. Setting: A community hospital in the Northeastern United States. Participants—A convenience sample of nurses. Methods: A quality improvement program was conducted, which included an incivility education module and cognitive rehearsal training. The nursing incivility scale (NIS) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational module. Participants completed the NIS before, immediately after, and 1 month after the program. Cognitive rehearsal training included role playing using scripted responses to uncivil behavior. Results: A one‐way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to compare total score and eight subscale scores on the NIS before, after, and 1 month after implementation of the intervention. There was a statistically significant difference for effect of total time as well as for five of the eight subscales. Conclusions: Incivility programs can provide nurses with the needed tools to identify uncivil behaviors and react in a proactive, professional manner; this promotes a safe working environment for nurses and their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine personal, ward and organisational factors related to the functioning of general hospital staff under missile attack. Background: The summer of 2014 is remembered in Israel for missile attacks from the Gaza Strip targeting the civilian population of southern Israel. Methods: The study was carried out in two steps: (1) Qualitative—a focus group to identify the issues faced by the staff of a hospital under fire, (2) Quantitative—a cross‐sectional study among 409 hospital workers to explore: (a) personal involvement in decision‐making, (b) clarity of directives, (c) coping with emergency on the ward and on (d) the management level, (e) personal professional functioning. Results: A statistically significant positive correlation was found between personal involvement in decision‐ and policy‐making, the clarity of directives and hospital ward functioning. A regression analysis demonstrated that executive management and leadership, clarity of directives and workers' personal functioning statistically significantly explained 46.1% (R2 = 0.461) of the variance in ward functioning during emergency. Conclusion: Clarity of directives and executive management and leadership in emergency were positively associated with ward functioning and coping with emergency. Implications for Nursing Management: To ensure proper hospital functioning during emergency, managers must demonstrate personal involvement and leadership, providing clear directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence indicates that chances for a successful patient mobility program, prevention of pressure injury and falls, and safe patient handling are enhanced when an organization possesses an appropriate culture for safety. Frequently, these improvement initiatives are managed within silos often creating a solution for one and a problem for the others. A model of prevention integrating early patient mobility, preventing pressure injuries and falls while ensuring caregiver safety, is introduced. The journey begins by understanding why early mobility and safe patient handling are critical to improving overall patient outcomes. Measuring current culture and understanding the gaps in practice as well as strategies for overcoming some of the major challenges for success in each of these areas will result in sustainable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurse health and safety and the environments in which nurses work impact nurses, patient safety and quality of care, and organizational outcomes. In January 2018, we conducted a comprehensive national assessment of the overall health and safety of nephrology nurses and their work environments as a follow-up study to the 2014 study on Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Settings conducted by American Nephrology Nurses Association. This article presents initial broad findings of this national study. Results identified a number of opportunities for improvement in nephrology nurse work environments, especially in the areas of staffing, optimizing the knowledge and skills of registered nurses, and mental and physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Violence Prevention Community Meeting (VPCM) is to reduce violence on inpatient psychiatry units, and has been written about elsewhere. The purpose of this article is to explain how other nurses can implement a similar meeting in their work setting. Details of different aspects of the VPCM are provided including the purpose, administrative support role of patients and staff, and the content and process of the VPCM. The reader is presented with several different scenarios about assault. The VPCM is an innovative, group-based treatment, administered by nursing staff members. Goals of the VPCM are to promote a shared culture of safety and respect among patients and nursing staff, and freedom for patients and staff from being targets, perpetrators, or witnesses of verbal or physical violence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To ensure the safety of staff, patients, and visitors to psychiatric inpatient units, a standardized safe search protocol was developed and implemented across a psychiatric facility. This article provides an overview of the methods used in the planning, implementation, and spread of this quality improvement initiative, focusing on the concepts of change management, leadership, and team involvement. The professional development of point-of-care staff is enhanced by active engagement in quality improvement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on interaction of health and safety of health care workers and patients in the healthcare system of the U.S. It discusses the report titled "To Err is Human" in 2000 published by the U.S. Institute of Medicine related to patient safety. It mentions a Summit hosted by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the Underwriters Laboratories Integrated Health and Safety Institute (ULIHSI) related to the issues.

Aim This study analysed nurses' perceptions of authentic leadership and safety climate and examined the contribution of authentic leadership to the safety climate. Background It has been suggested and emphasised that authentic leadership should be used as a guidance to ensure quality care and the safety of patients and health-care personnel. Methods This predictive study was conducted with 350 nurses in three Turkish hospitals. The data were collected using the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and the Safety Climate Survey and analysed using hierarchical regression analysis. Results The mean authentic leadership perception and the safety climate scores of the nurses were 2.92 and 3.50, respectively. The percentage of problematic responses was found to be less than 10% for only four safety climate items. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that authentic leadership significantly predicted the safety climate. Conclusions Procedural and political improvements are required in terms of the safety climate in institutions, where the study was conducted, and authentic leadership increases positive perceptions of safety climate. Recommendations for nursing management Exhibiting the characteristics of authentic leadership, or improving them and reflecting them on to personnel can enhance the safety climate. Planning information sharing meetings to raise the personnel's awareness of safety climate and systemic improvements can contribute to creating safe care climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines how a 13-bed critical access hospital in the midwestern U.S. identified a need for an improved safety culture. Topics mentioned include a football-themed program in the hospital called "Flag the Play," topics discussed in the program to foster a culture of transparency and intentional reporting, and improvement in the institution's safety culture through education of staff on the psychological aspects of team dynamics and the potential for groupthink.

The article encourages health care organizations to develop a reporting culture for close calls, or hazardous situations, unsafe acts of conditions, to ensure safety and quality patient care. Examples of inadequate leadership that suppress a culture of safety are cited. Emphasis is given on the need for all levels of leadership to establish trust and performance expectations in a safe environment. It urges for the elimination of fear of punishment and creation of streamlined reporting method.

Every healthcare worker plays a vital part in minimising the risk of cross infection. Infection prevention and control (IPC) practitioners have the skills and competencies to assist organisations in improving engagement among staff and play a vital part in achieving this. IPC practitioners have skills in clinical practice, education, research and leadership, and these skills ensure high-quality care for patients and support strategies for engaging staff. This article highlights how IPC practitioners' skills and competencies are required for preventing infection and improving staff engagement. Engaged staff generate positive outcomes for both patients and staff, which is a welcome result for all healthcare organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses strategies to sustain the successful implementation of the Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) in Dementia Care program. Topics covered include the person-centered approach to caring for dementia and delirium patients, the clinical nurse specialists (CNS) from complex continuing care, and occupational therapists and physical therapists as champions of GPA.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that surgical team members' attitudes about safety and teamwork in the operating theatre may play a role in patient safety. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess attitudes about teamwork and safety among Italian surgeons and operating room nurses. METHODS: Fifty-five surgeons and 48 operating room nurses working in operating theatres at one hospital in Italy completed the Operating Room Management Attitudes Questionnaire (ORMAQ). RESULTS: Results showed several discrepancies in attitudes about teamwork and safety between surgeons and operating room nurses. Surgeons had more positive views on the quality of surgical leadership, communication, teamwork, and organizational climate in the theatre than operating room nurses. Operating room nurses reported that safety rules and procedures were more frequently disregarded than the surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: The results are only partially aligned with previous ORMAQ surveys of surgical teams in other countries. The differences emphasize the influence of national culture, as well as the particular healthcare system. This study shows discrepancies on many aspects in attitudes to teamwork and safety between surgeons and operating room nurses. The findings support implementation and use of team interventions and human factor training. Finally, attitude surveys provide a method for assessing safety culture in surgery, for evaluating the effectiveness of training initiatives, and for collecting data for a hospital's quality assurance programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify which components of a system-wide safe patient handling (SPH) program reduced musculoskeletal injury (MSI) due to patient handling among nurses. METHODS: The 3-year longitudinal study from 2008 to 2011 used a pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted in the Veterans Health Administration, and all medical centers participated. The outcome was 2011 MSI incidence rates due to patient-related handling for nurses, expressed as injuries per 10 000 full-time employees. RESULTS: Three organizational risk factors, bed days of care, facility complexity level, and baseline MSI incidence rate, were significantly associated with MSI incidence rate and explained 21 % of its variation. Five SPH components, including deployment of ceiling lifts and other new technologies, peer leader effectiveness, competency in SPH equipment use, facility coordinator link with safety committee, and peer leader training, uniquely accounted for an additional 23 % of the total variation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide evidence to support the effectiveness of a multicomponent approach to SPH programs given contextual considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses guidance on positive and proactive medical care and the use of restrictive patient interventions which was issued in 2014 by Great Britain's Department of Health. The author is supportive of the aims of the guidance and of reducing the use of patient restraints but is somewhat critical of the effectiveness of positive behavior support/active support training and practice for nurses.

John Tingle discusses some major inquiry reports into patient safety crises in the NHS and asks whether any lessons have been learnt from events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As new matrons taking up our posts in a pandemic we were entering uncharted territory. Guidance changed rapidly, services were redesigned, staff were shielding or off sick and anxiety levels were high. We both felt the pressure to be up and running as quickly as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author talks about the role of nurses in improving safety and preventing adverse events in the hospital setting. Topics include the celebration of National Nurses Week in the U.S. in May 2016 and the American Nurses Association's theme "Culture of Safety-It Starts With You," the role of nurses in preventing hospital-acquired conditions, and the Clinical Leadership Development Program by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) organization.