scholarly journals The quality and safety of locum doctors: a narrative review

2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 462-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Ferguson ◽  
Kieran Walshe
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Narrative Synthesis ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Staffing Levels

Summary Locum doctors are often perceived to present greater risks of causing harm to patients than permanent doctors. After eligibility and quality assessment, eight empirical and 34 non-empirical papers were included in a narrative synthesis to establish what was known about the quality and safety of locum medical practice. Empirical literature was limited and weak methodologically. Locums enabled healthcare organisations to maintain appropriate staffing levels and allowed staffing flexibility, but they also gave rise to concerns about continuity of care, patient safety, team function and cost. There was some evidence to suggest that the way locum doctors are recruited, employed and used by organisations, may result in a higher risk of harm to patients. A better understanding of the quality and safety of locum working is needed to improve the use of locum doctors and the quality and safety of patient care that they provide.

scholarly journals The Attitudes Towards the Use of Restraint and Restrictive Intervention Amongst Healthcare Staff on Acute Medical and Frailty Wards—A Brief Literature Review

Geriatrics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Gunawardena ◽  
Smithard
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Staffing Levels ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
Necessary Evil

Restraint in modern non-psychiatric-based healthcare is often regarded as a rare occurrence. It is deemed to be used as a last resort to prevent patients from directly harming themselves. However, techniques are used in modern day practice which are considered direct and indirect restraints with the justification of maintaining patient safety, but they are often not classified as “restraints”. Examples of these include the use of bed rails or tables to prevent patients from “wandering” and to reduce the risk of falls and injuries. More indirect techniques would involve passive interactions with patients or leaving mobility aids out of reach. Staff subconsciously restrain patients and reduce their liberties despite agreeing that patient autonomy should be upheld—a necessary evil to maintain a duty of care. Whilst the use of restraints is often justified to ensure patient care and prevent injury, it is not without consequence. There are physical and psychological health risks such as pressure sores from the inability to mobilise, or the brewing of anger and frustration when denied access to everyday actions. The reasons why restraints are used, whilst stemming from maintaining patient safety, are often due to low staffing levels and the inability to constantly watch at-risk patients due to a large workload. Inadequate training is another factor; by improving education in direct and indirect restraint and providing alternative methods, more ethical decisions and positive outcomes can be implemented. Healthcare professionals are reluctant to use restraint but often conduct it without realising it; assessing their understanding of restraint and providing education to raise awareness of the consequences of direct and indirect methods would result in positive steps toward reducing their use at the same time as looking to provide alternatives to uphold patient care whilst maintaining their dignity and liberty.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Patient Safety Culture: The Beginning for Quality and Safety Improvement Plans in Patient Care Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-247
Author(s):  
E Rahimi ◽  
SH* Alizadeh ◽  
AR Safaeian ◽  
N Abbasgholizadeh ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
Patient Safety Culture ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Safety Improvement

scholarly journals Editorial: Advances in healthcare provider and patient training to improve the quality and safety of patient care

2015 ◽  
pp. 348-352
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Healthcare Provider ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Computer Based Training ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Improve Patient

This special issue of the Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal is dedicated to describing “Advances in Healthcare Provider and Patient Training to Improve the Quality and Safety of Patient Care.” Patient safety is an important and fundamental requirement of ensuring the quality of patient care. Training and education has been identified as a key to improving healthcare provider patient safety competencies especially when working with new technologies such as electronic health records and mobile health applications. Such technologies can be harnessed to improve patient safety; however, if not used properly they can negatively impact on patient safety. In this issue we focus on advances in training that can improve patient safety and the optimal use of new technologies in healthcare. For example, use of clinical simulations and online computer based training can be employed both to facilitate learning about new clinical discoveries as well as to integrate technology into day to day healthcare practices. In this issue we are publishing papers that describe advances in healthcare provider and patient training to improve patient safety as it relates to the use of educational technologies, health information technology and on-line health resources. In addition, in the special issue we describe new approaches to training and patient safety including, online communities, clinical simulations, on-the-job training, computer based training and health information systems that educate about and support safer patient care in real-time (i.e. when health professionals are providing care to patients). These educational and technological initiatives can be aimed at health professionals (i.e. students and those who are currently working in the field). The outcomes of this work are significant as they lead to safer care for patients and their family members. The issue has both theoretical and applied papers that describe advances in patient safety and training.

Clinical Cybersecurity Training Through Novel High Fidelity Simulations (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Dameff ◽  
Jordan Selzer ◽  
Jonathan Fisher ◽  
James Killeen ◽  
Jeffrey Tully
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Protected Health Information ◽  
Patient Harm ◽  
Security Vulnerabilities ◽  
Clinical Simulations ◽  
Medical Infrastructure

BACKGROUND Cybersecurity risks in healthcare systems have traditionally been measured in data breaches of protected health information but compromised medical devices and critical medical infrastructure raises questions about the risks of disrupted patient care. The increasing prevalence of these connected medical devices and systems implies that these risks are growing. OBJECTIVE This paper details the development and execution of three novel high fidelity clinical simulations designed to teach clinicians to recognize, treat, and prevent patient harm from vulnerable medical devices. METHODS Clinical simulations were developed which incorporated patient care scenarios with hacked medical devices based on previously researched security vulnerabilities. RESULTS Clinician participants universally failed to recognize the etiology of their patient’s pathology as being the result of a compromised device. CONCLUSIONS Simulation can be a useful tool in educating clinicians in this new, critically important patient safety space.

Occupational Exposures in the Homecare Environment: Piloting an Observation Tool

2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232098691
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bien ◽  
Kermit Davis ◽  
Susan Reutman ◽  
Gordon Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Home Healthcare ◽  
Occupational Hazards ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Occupational Setting

The population of home healthcare workers (HHCWs) is rapidly expanding. Worker tasks and the unique home care environments place the worker at increased risks of occupational exposures, injury, and illness. Previous studies focusing on occupational exposures of HHCWs are limited to self-reports and would benefit from direct observations. The purpose of this study is to describe the occupational hazards observed in the unique work environment of home healthcare. HHCWs and home care patient participants were recruited from one home care agency in the Midwest to be observed during a routine home visit. This cross-sectional study used a trained occupational health nurse for direct observation of the occupational setting. Standardized observations and data collection were completed using the Home Healthcare Worker Observation Tool. The observer followed a registered nurse and occupational therapist into 9 patient homes observing visits ranging from 22 to 58 minutes. Hazards observed outside of and within the home include uneven pavements (n = 6, 67%), stairs without railings (n = 2, 22%), throw rugs (n = 7, 78%), unrestrained animals (n = 2, 22%), dust (n = 5, 56%), and mold (n = 2, 22%). Hand hygiene was observed prior to patient care 2 times (22%) and after patient care during 5 visits (56%). Observations have identified hazards that have the potential to impact workers’ and patients’ health. The direct observations of HHCWs provided opportunities for occupational safety professionals to understand the occupational exposures and challenges HHCWs encounter in the home care environment and begin to identify ways to mitigate occupational hazards.

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