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In Australia, nurses performing endoscopic procedures is a recent phenomenon and is uncommon. Challenges include gastroenterologist and patient acceptance of the nurse endoscopist role. This article aims to explore Monash Health's experience with the introduction of a nurse endoscopist. A nurse endoscopist trainee undertook a comprehensive training program under the supervision of a gastroenterologist. All procedural data were collected, organizational policy and procedures were developed, and patients (n = 40) completed a telephone interview postprocedure. The nurse endoscopist trainee completed all training requirements during the 12-month program and was deemed competent for independent practice. The trainee performed 255 colonoscopies, with no complications reported. The organization successfully implemented the expanded scope of practice, established a new model of care for patients, and initiated a governance framework for this advanced practice role. Eighty percent of patients (n = 32) reported that overall, they had a very good experience with the nurse endoscopist trainee. A nurse endoscopist initiative can facilitate the expansion of endoscopy services to meet the growing need for gastroenterological procedures within the community. This pilot program has demonstrated that it is possible to integrate an advanced practice nurse role into an established endoscopy unit. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The prevention of falls is a key safety priority for hospitals. There are no tools that examine the safety climate from a falls prevention perspective. The aim of this study was to measure the falls prevention safety climate at an Australian metropolitan hospital. The Victorian Safety Climate Survey (SCS) was used to examine the general safety climate, with four items replicated and modified to examine the falls prevention climate. Data (n = 458) for the six SCS domains compared favourably with statewide data. The falls prevention items were correlated with the original items from which they were derived but responses regarding falls prevention tended to be less positive than patient safety more broadly. Priorities for improvement identified using a falls safety climate survey can inform the development of falls prevention strategies and form the basis of a more comprehensive tool to explore the falls prevention safety climate.

Background: Professional nursing governance refers to the processes and structures that influence nursing practice within an organisation. This study measured the effect of structured meeting communication processes on nurses' perceptions of professional governance. Method: The intervention was implemented in eight hospital wards. After 3 months, nurses on the intervention wards and eight matched-control wards completed the Index of Professional Nursing Governance (N = 225). Data were compared with a sample of Magnet (R) (N = 3) and non-Magnet (N = 46) hospitals. Results: There was substantial variation in nurses' perceptions of governance across the 16 wards, irrespective of the intervention. Compared to non-Magnet hospitals, the overall score and three of the six subscales scores were higher in this study. Magnet hospitals scores, however, were typically higher suggesting greater progress towards shared governance. Conclusions: Professional nursing governance can be highly variable across individual wards and tailored interventions should be considered. Refereed/Peer-reviewed