Workplace Violence and Perceptions of Safety Among Emergency Department Staff Members

Introduction: In Saudi Arabia, the establishment of pharmacy services as a part of the emergency department is relatively new and has been run by non-residency-trained pharmacists and limited to non-emergency services. We sought to explore emergency department staff members’ perceptions of clinical emergency pharmacy services in an academic emergency department. Method: In this survey study, 24 questions were sent to all emergency department staff 9 months after establishing an emergency pharmacist program with the goal of improving medication safety and quality of care. Results: Most, 122 out of 145 (84%), emergency department staff members responded to the survey. All 41 emergency department providers completed the survey, compared to 81 (78%) nurses. Half of the respondents had less than 1 year of experience working with emergency pharmacist. Two-thirds (66%) had consulted an emergency pharmacist at least once; however, 68% of providers had no contact with the emergency pharmacist. Almost half (46%) agreed that the emergency pharmacist’s contribution to medication safety was maximized through the order review process, and more than three-fourths (77%) agreed that an emergency pharmacist should review all orders. Most respondents agreed that the emergency pharmacist improves the quality of care (89%), is an integral part of the emergency department team (86%), is more useful if located in the emergency department (87%); it is helpful if he or she checks medication orders before they are carried out (88%), enhances the emergency department staff’s ability to deliver safe, quality care during medical resuscitations (85%), and is a valuable educator serving both patients (88%) and emergency department staff (77%). All respondents were in positive agreement with the different specific functions for the emergency pharmacist role. Conclusion: The emergency department staff believes that an emergency pharmacist is an important part of the emergency department team, acts to maximize medication safety, contributes to the education of emergency department staff and patients, and improves the quality of care.

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Observational study to understand interpreter service use in emergency medicine: why the key may lie outside of the initial provider assessment

Emergency Medicine Journal ◽

10.1136/emermed-2019-208420 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 582-588 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Natalie C Benda ◽

Rollin J Fairbanks ◽

D Jeffrey Higginbotham ◽

Li Lin ◽

Ann M Bisantz

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Service Use ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Interpreter Services ◽

Staff Members ◽

Emergency Department Staff ◽

Department Staff ◽

Common Strategy ◽

Eastern Usa ◽

Interpreter Service

ObjectiveTo characterise the use of interpreter services and other strategies used to communicate with limited English proficient (LEP) patients throughout their emergency department visit.MethodsWe performed a process tracing study observing LEP patients throughout their stay in the emergency department. A single observer completed 47 hours of observation of 103 communication episodes between staff and nine patients with LEP documenting the strategy used to communicate (eg, professional interpreter, family member, own language skills) and duration of conversations for each communicative encounter with hospital staff members. Data collection occurred in a single emergency department in the eastern USA between July 2017 and February 2018.ResultsThe most common strategy (per communicative encounter) was for the emergency department staff to communicate with the patient in English (observed in 29.1% of encounters). Total time spent in communicating was highest using telephone-based interpreters (32.9% of total time spent communicating) and in-person interpreters (29.2% of total time spent communicating). Communicative mechanism also varied by care task/phase of care with the most use of interpreter services or Spanish proficient staff (as primary communicator) occurring during triage (100%) and the initial provider assessment (100%) and the lowest interpreter service use during ongoing evaluation and treatment tasks (24.3%).ConclusionsEmergency department staff use various mechanisms to communicate with LEP patients throughout their length of stay. Utilisation of interpreter services was poorest during evaluation and treatment tasks, indicating that this area should be a focus for improving communication with LEP patients.

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Emergency Department Staff Responses to a Protocol of Care for Abused Women

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/109019810002700505 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 572-590 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Sue Loughlin ◽

Carla Spinola ◽

Liz Stewart ◽

Janet Fanslow ◽

Robyn Norton

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Public Hospital ◽

Partner Abuse ◽

Care Providers ◽

Staff Members ◽

Emergency Department Staff ◽

Department Staff ◽

Depth Interviews

While there is increasing recognition by health care providers of the need to identify and intervene in cases of partner abuse, there has been little evaluation of the interventions that have been implemented. This article documents emergency department staff responses to a five-step protocol of care on partner abuse implemented in a public hospital. It draws on in-depth interviews with a range of emergency department staff members, undertaken as part of the project’s process evaluation. Findings suggest protocol training provided staff members with an opportunity to gain a greater awareness and understanding of partner abuse. Protocol use improved and consolidated existing practices; however, staff members were concerned about screening all women for abuse and highlighted areas in which further support and resources are required. Taking these factors into account may assist the appropriate and effective introduction of such protocols in other health care settings.

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