scholarly journals Assessment of Insulin-related Knowledge among Healthcare Professionals in a Large Teaching Hospital in the United Kingdom

Pharmacy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Bain ◽  
Sallianne Kavanagh ◽  
Sinead McCarthy ◽  
Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
The North ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Large Teaching Hospital ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Insulin Use

Despite numerous strategies introduced to promote the safe use of insulin, insulin-related medication errors persist. Our aim was to examine the knowledge and self-reported confidence of a range of healthcare professionals regarding insulin use in a large teaching hospital in the North of England. A 16-item electronic questionnaire was prepared in light of locally reported insulin-related incidents and distributed electronically to all healthcare professionals at the hospital over a 4-week study period. A range of healthcare professionals, including nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, junior doctors and consultants, completed the questionnaires (n = 109). Pharmacists achieved the greatest percentage of mean correct answers overall (49%), followed by consultant doctors (38%) and pharmacy technicians (37%), junior doctors (34%) and nurses (32%). Healthcare professionals were mainly “slightly confident” in their knowledge and use of insulin. Confidence level positively correlated to performance, but number of years’ experience did not result in higher confidence or performance. This small-scale study allowed for a broad assessment of insulin-related topics that have been identified both nationally and locally as particularly problematic. Identifying knowledge gaps may help tailor strategies to help improve insulin knowledge and patient safety.

scholarly journals Multisource feedback for the physician associate role

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-210
Author(s):  
M Theodoraki ◽  
TS Hany ◽  
H Singh ◽  
M Khatri
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Multisource Feedback ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

Introduction Physician associates (PAs) are dependent medical practitioners who work alongside doctors and other healthcare professionals. There are approximately 350 PAs working throughout the UK, with another 550 in training. Methods An online questionnaire was sent to healthcare professionals throughout the North West region with a total of 119 responding. Participants were asked nine questions on clinical skills and three on communication skills. These were to be rated as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘satisfactory’, ‘needs to improve’ or ‘unacceptable’. In addition, respondents were asked to indicate their agreement with 14 statements about the role of PAs. There was also a field for free text comments. Results Of the 1,071 individual responses to the survey questions on clinical skills, 859 (80%) were ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Similarly, among the 357 answers to the questions on communication skills, 317 (89%) were ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Comments in the free text field included both positive and negative observations, with all negative comments coming from junior doctors. Conclusions Overall feedback for the PA role was overwhelmingly positive. However, the most commonly mentioned problem was that they are not being utilised effectively and in turn, that they are taking learning opportunities from junior doctors. This is an important concern to note and warrants further investigation. PAs are clearly useful assets and are set to increase in number in the NHS over the coming years. It is therefore imperative that this new role works well with the existing roles and training structure of junior doctors.

scholarly journals 768 Impact Of COVID-19 And BOAST Standards on Surgical Management of Upper Limb Injuries in A Large Teaching Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Naylor
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Day Case ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Large Teaching Hospital ◽  
Limb Injuries ◽  
Upper Limb Surgery ◽  
Limb Fractures

Abstract Aim During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BOA recommended that upper limb surgery for trauma should be avoided if possible, or performed as day-case if unavoidable, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 related negative outcomes. This audit assessed compliance with recommendations and impact on proportion of injuries managed conservatively due to COVID-19 risks, inpatient stay duration, COVID-19 infections, and corrective surgical intervention rates. Method Data was collected for all referrals to orthopaedics for upper limb fractures/dislocations at a large NHS teaching hospital in the North West over a 10-week period from April 4th to June 12th. Follow up was performed to 6 months after date of injury. Care was audited against the “British Orthopaedic Association Standard in Trauma: Management of patient with urgent orthopaedic conditions and trauma during the coronavirus pandemic”. Results A total of 112 patients were referred. 76% of patients were discharged from Emergency Department, with surgery indicated in 48%. Of those, 11% (n = 6) were not operated on due to COVID-19 risks and 1 patient from this group (16.7%) has required secondary corrective surgery. Surgery was completed as day-case procedure in 50%. COVID-19 swabs were not taken in 46% of referrals, 50% had a negative test and 4% positive. No patients tested positive after discharge following treatment. Conclusions Few cases were managed conservatively based on COVID-19 risk, and only 1 patient has required secondary surgery. More upper limb injuries may be managed conservatively, as per BOAST standards, with day-case procedures better utilised as an alternative.

Story Sacks, Children's Narratives and the Social Construction of Reality

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-137
Author(s):  
Ian Barron ◽  
John Powell
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Social Construction Of Reality ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Early Literacy Development

Early literacy development and parental partnership and involvement have become key priorities in the United Kingdom. The two could be seen to be brought together in the use of ‘story sacks' as a vehicle for developing the literacy skills of both parents and children. The present small-scale study is concerned with the use of story sacks by parents and young children in a government-recognised Early Excellence Centre in the North West of England, which provides services for children below the age of five, when statutory schooling begins for British children, and their families. The evidence from observing children and their parents engaging with story sacks and from interviews with both children and parents suggests that story sacks are powerful vehicles for allowing children to be involved in adult-supported exploration of language and literacy, whilst allowing them a space in which to voice how they see and understand the world.

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers in a large teaching hospital in the North West of England: a period prevalence survey

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e045384
Author(s):  
Robert John Shorten ◽  
Shonagh Haslam ◽  
Margaret A Hurley ◽  
Anthony Rowbottom ◽  
M Myers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Prevalence Survey ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Large Teaching Hospital ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Bed Days

ObjectivesSince its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic that has significantly challenged healthcare systems. Healthcare workers have previously been shown to have experienced higher rates of infection than the general population. We aimed to assess the extent of infection in staff working in our healthcare setting.DesignA retrospective analysis of antibody results, compared with staff demographic data, and exposure to patients with COVID-19 infection.SettingA large teaching hospital in the North West of England.Participants4474 staff in diverse clinical and non-patient facing roles who volunteered for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing by the Roche Elecsys assay between 29 May and 4 July 2020.ResultsSeroprevalence was 17.4%. Higher rates were seen in Asian/Asian British (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.04) and Black/Black British (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.45) staff. Staff working in any clinical location were more likely to be seropositive (OR 2.68, 95% 2.27 to 3.15). Staff were at an increased risk of seropositivity as the ‘per 100 COVID-19 bed-days change’ increased in the clinical area in which they worked (OR 1.12, 95% 1.10 to 1.14). Staff working in critical care were no more likely to have detectable antibodies than staff working in non-clinical areas. Symptoms compatible with COVID-19 were reported in 41.8% and antibodies were detected in 30.7% of these individuals. In staff who reported no symptoms, antibodies were detected in 7.7%. In all staff who had detectable antibodies, 25.2% reported no symptoms.ConclusionsStaff working in clinical areas where patients with COVID-19 were nursed were more likely to have detectable antibodies. The relationship between seropositivity in healthcare workers and the increase in ‘per 100 COVID-19 bed-days’ of the area in which they worked, although statistically significant, was weak, suggesting other contributing factors to the risk profile. Of staff with detectable antibodies and therefore evidence of prior infection, a quarter self-reported that they had experienced no compatible symptoms. This has implications for potential unrecorded transmission in both staff and patients.

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