List of Titles

Nurse educator knowledge, attitude and skills towards using high-fidelity simulation : a study in the vocational education sector

- Akhter, Zainab, Malik, Gulzar, Plummer, Virginia

Authors: Akhter, Zainab , Malik, Gulzar , Plummer, Virginia
Date: 2021
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nurse Education in Practice Vol. 53, no. (2021), p.
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Description: High-fidelity simulation has become an essential educational approach in nurse education globally. Several studies have explored the experience of undergraduate nursing students and educators with high-fidelity simulation; however, none have explored the experience of students in the vocational educational sector. The aim of the study was to explore nurse educators’ knowledge, attitude and skills toward using high-fidelity simulation in the setting of vocational education. An anonymous on-line survey design was conducted at three campuses of a major Australian Technical and Further Education vocational education setting. Forty-eight nurse educators teaching into Diploma of Nursing program for at least six months were invited to participate, 29 participated in the study, a response rate of 60%. Participants expressed lack of knowledge in managing technological issues, simulation facilitation procedures and conducting scenarios. Most participants had positive attitude towards high-fidelity simulation and rated their skills as ‘novice’. An urgent need for nurse educator training was identified to enhance knowledge and skills in technical and scenario management of high-fidelity simulation. A program of supportive mentoring by nurse educator mentors experienced in high-fidelity simulation, engaging with existing simulation associations, will enhance and sustain nurse educator knowledge, attitude and skills in a protected environment further, so that they can optimise training they provide to students for safe quality care of patients in the future. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Attitudes of healthcare providers towards family involvement and presence in adult critical care units in Saudi Arabia : A quantitative study

- Al Mutair, Abbas, Plummer, Virginia, O'Brien, Anthony, Clerehan, Rosemary

Authors: Al Mutair, Abbas , Plummer, Virginia , O'Brien, Anthony , Clerehan, Rosemary
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Clinical Nursing Vol. 23, no. 5-6 (2014), p. 744-755
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Description: Aims and objectives: To describe healthcare providers' attitudes to family involvement during routine care and family presence during resuscitation or other invasive procedures in adult intensive care units in Saudi Arabia. Background: Previous research has shown that healthcare professionals have revealed a diversity of opinions on family involvement during routine care and family presence during resuscitation or other invasive procedures. Attitude assessment can provide an indication of staff acceptance or rejection of the practice and also help identify key potential barriers that will need to be addressed. It has also been evident that participation in the care has potential benefits for patients and families as well as healthcare providers. Design: A quantitative descriptive design. Methods: A questionnaire was used with a convenience sample of 468 healthcare providers who were recruited from eight intensive care units. Results: The analysis found that healthcare providers had positive attitudes towards family involvement during routine care, but negative attitudes towards family presence during resuscitation or other invasive procedures. Physicians expressed more opposition to the practice than did nurses and respiratory therapists. Staff indicated a need to develop written guidelines and policies, as well as educational programmes, to address this sensitive issue in clinical practice. Conclusion: Family is an important resource in patient care in the context of the critical care environment. Clinical barriers including resources, hospital policies and guidelines, staff and public education should be taken into account to facilitate family integration to the care model. Relevance to clinical practice: The findings can help to develop policies and guidelines for safe implementation of the practice. They can also encourage those who design nursing and other medical curricula to place more emphasis on the role of the family especially in critical care settings. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Families' needs of critical care Muslim patients in Saudi Arabia : A quantitative study

- Al Mutair, Abbas, Plummer, Virginia, Clerehan, Rosemary, O'Brien, Anthony

Authors: Al Mutair, Abbas , Plummer, Virginia , Clerehan, Rosemary , O'Brien, Anthony
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nursing in Critical Care Vol. 19, no. 4 (2014), p. 185-195
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Description: Aim: To identify the needs of families of adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Saudi Arabia as perceived by family members and health care providers. Background: Family members of critically ill patients are likely to have specific needs that should be addressed by the critical care team and which, if unmet, may produce stress for patients' families and health care providers. The literature has yet to identify the needs of Muslim families in relation to religious beliefs and cultural values in critical care settings in Saudi Arabia. Design: A cross-sectional survey design. Method: A total of 176 family members and 497 intensive health care providers were recruited from eight adult mixed medical-surgical ICUs between November 2011 and February 2012 utilizing a four-point Likert type scale self-administered questionnaire. Results: The findings revealed that family members and health care providers ranked assurance, information and cultural and spiritual needs as the most important, and support and proximity as least important. There were significant differences in the mean values found between family members and health care providers. A significant finding not identified in other studies was 'The need to have the health care providers handle the body of the dead Muslim with extreme caution and respect' which, under the dimension of cultural and spiritual needs, was perceived by family members to be the most important and by the health care providers as the fifth most important need. Conclusion: The recognition of family needs in the critical care unit informed the development of interventions to meet family needs and improve the care quality. © 2013 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Family presence during resuscitation : A descriptive study of nurses' attitudes from two Saudi hospitals

- Al Mutair, Abbas, Plummer, Virginia, Copnell, Beverley

Authors: Al Mutair, Abbas , Plummer, Virginia , Copnell, Beverley
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nursing in Critical Care Vol. 17, no. 2 (2012), p. 90-98
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Description: Background: The presence of family in the patient care area during resuscitation events is a matter of current debate among health care professionals in many communities. Family presence is highly recommended by many health organizations worldwide for several reasons including patient and family rights. There are no policies or guidelines in Saudi Arabia to guide health professionals in their practice regarding the option of family being present during resuscitations. The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes of nurses towards family presence during resuscitation in the Muslim community of Saudi Arabia. Design: This is a descriptive survey using data from a convenience sample of 132 nurses using a self-administered questionnaire. The study took place in two major trauma centres in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Results: The analysis of the data revealed that nurses (n = 132) had negative attitudes towards family presence during resuscitation. A high percentage (77·2%) agreed that witnessing resuscitation is a traumatic experience for the family members. Almost all participants (92·3%) disagreed with the statement that the practice of allowing family members to be present during the resuscitation of a loved one would benefit the patient and 78% disagreed with the statement that it would benefit families. The majority of the participants (65%) revealed that the presence of family would negatively affect the performance of the resuscitation team. However, almost half of the sample (43·8%) would prefer a written policy allowing the option of family presence during resuscitation in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: The findings of the study strongly suggest the need for the development of written policies offering families the option to remain with patients during resuscitation in Saudi Arabia. The study further recommends the development of education programs for staff and public for the safe implementation of the practice. © 2012 The Authors. Nursing in Critical Care © 2012 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Family needs and involvement in the intensive care unit : A literature review

- Al Mutair, Abbas, Plummer, Virginia, O'Brien, Anthony, Clerehan, Rosemary

Authors: Al Mutair, Abbas , Plummer, Virginia , O'Brien, Anthony , Clerehan, Rosemary
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article , Review
Relation: Journal of Clinical Nursing Vol. 22, no. 13-14 (2013), p. 1805-1817
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Description: Aims and objectives: To understand the needs of critically ill patient families', seeking to meet those needs and explore the process and patterns of involving family members during routine care and resuscitation and other invasive procedures. Methods: A structured literature review using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Pubmed, Proquest, Google scholar, Meditext database and a hand search of critical care journals via identified search terms for relevant articles published between 2000 and 2010. Results: Thirty studies were included in the review either undertaken in the Intensive Care Unit or conducted with critical care staff using different methods of inquiry. The studies were related to family needs; family involvement in routine care; and family involvement during resuscitation and other invasive procedures. The studies revealed that family members ranked both the need for assurance and the need for information as the most important. They also perceived their important needs as being unmet, and identified the nurses as the best staff to meet these needs, followed by the doctors. The studies demonstrate that both family members and healthcare providers have positive attitudes towards family involvement in routine care. However, family members and healthcare providers had significantly different views of family involvement during resuscitation and other invasive procedures. Conclusion: Meeting Intensive Care Unit family needs can be achieved by supporting and involving families in the care of the critically ill family member. More emphasis should be placed on identifying the family needs in relation to the influence of cultural values and religion held by the family members and the organisational climate and culture of the working area in the Intensive Care Unit. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A new scale for disaster nursing core competencies : Development and psychometric testing

- Al Thobaity, Abdulellah, Williams, Brett, Plummer, Virginia

Authors: Al Thobaity, Abdulellah , Williams, Brett , Plummer, Virginia
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal Vol. 19, no. 1 (2016), p. 11-19
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Description: Background: All nurses must have core competencies in preparing for, responding to and recovering from a disaster. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as in many other countries, disaster nursing core competencies are not fully understood and lack reliable, validated tools. Thus, it is imperative to develop a scale for exploring disaster nursing core competencies, roles and barriers in the KSA. Objectives: This study's objective is to develop a valid, reliable scale that identifies and explores core competencies of disaster nursing, nurses' roles in disaster management and barriers to developing disaster nursing in the KSA. Methods: This study developed a new scale testing its validity and reliability. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to develop and test psychometric properties of the new scale. The PCA used a purposive sample of nurses from emergency departments in two hospitals in the KSA. Participants rated 93 paper-based, self-report questionnaire items from 1 to 10 on a Likert scale. PCA using Varimax rotation was conducted to explore factors emerging from responses. Findings: The study's participants were 132 nurses (66% response rate). PCA of the 93 questionnaire items revealed 49 redundant items (which were deleted) and 3 factors with eigenvalues of >1. The remaining 44 items accounted for 77.3% of the total variance. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for all factors: 0.98 for Factor 1, 0.92 for Factor 2 and 0.86 for Factor 3. Conclusions: This study provided a validated, reliable scale for exploring nurses' core competencies, nurses' roles and barriers to developing disaster nursing in the KSA. The new scale has many implications, such as for improving education, planning and curricula. © 2015.

Perceptions of knowledge of disaster management among military and civilian nurses in Saudi Arabia

- Al Thobaity, Abdulellah, Plummer, Virginia, Innes, Kelli, Copnell, Beverley

Authors: Al Thobaity, Abdulellah , Plummer, Virginia , Innes, Kelli , Copnell, Beverley
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal Vol. 18, no. 3 (2015), p. 156-164
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Description: Summary Background It is generally accepted that nurses have insufficient knowledge about disaster preparedness due to a lack of acceptance of core competencies and the absence of disaster preparedness in nursing curricula.1 This study explored nurses’ knowledge and sources of knowledge, and skills as they relate to disaster management in Saudi Arabia, where more than 4660 people have died, 32,000 people have been affected, and US$4.65 billion in damage has been caused by disaster since 1980.2 Methods A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research design. Results Nurses in Saudi Arabia have moderate knowledge concerning disaster preparedness. However, nurses in military hospitals possess more knowledge than those who work in government hospitals. The majority of nurses gained their knowledge and skills from disaster drills. Conclusions Nurses need more education in all areas of disaster management, most importantly in their roles during response to disasters. Nurses perceive themselves as not well-prepared but they are willing to improve their skills in disaster preparedness if educational opportunities are provided.

Anxiety and clinical performance in simulated setting in undergraduate health professionals education : An integrative review

- Al-Ghareeb, Amal, Cooper, Simon J., McKenna, Lisa

Authors: Al-Ghareeb, Amal , Cooper, Simon J. , McKenna, Lisa
Date: 2017
Type: Text , Journal article , Review
Relation: Clinical Simulation in Nursing Vol. 13, no. 10 (2017), p. 478-491
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Description: Background Undergraduate health professionals clearly experience anxiety during simulation. However, little is known regarding learners’ physiological and psychological responses and the influence of these responses on performance. Method An integrative review was undertaken to provide a comprehensive understanding of the influence of anxiety on undergraduate health professionals’ performance during simulation, and to review the tools and measurements reported in the healthcare literature. Result Eleven articles were included showing simulation aroused learners physiologically and psychologically, either improving or declining clinical performance. Conclusion Two contrasting perceptions emerged, which are indicative of the current lack of understanding regarding the effects of anxiety on performance in a simulation setting. © 2017 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning

The influence of anxiety on student nurse performance in a simulated clinical setting : A mixed methods design

- Al-Ghareeb, Amal, McKenna, Lisa, Cooper, Simon J.

Authors: Al-Ghareeb, Amal , McKenna, Lisa , Cooper, Simon J.
Date: 2019
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Relation: International Journal of Nursing Studies Vol. 98, no. (2019), p. 57-66
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Description: Background: Anxiety has a powerful impact on learning due to activation of anxiety hormones, which target related receptors in the working memory. Experiential learning requires some degree of challenge and anxiety. Patient simulation, as a form of experiential learning, has been an integrated component of health professional education internationally over the last two decades, especially in undergraduate nursing education. Little information is available to determine if and how anxiety impacts nursing students’ clinical performance during simulation. Objectives: To investigate physiological and psychological anxiety during emergency scenarios in high-fidelity simulation and understand the effect of anxiety on clinical performance. Design: First2Act was the model for the simulation intervention. Second and third year undergraduate nursing students attended a two-hour simulation session and completed a demographic questionnaire plus pre-simulation self-reported psychological anxiety scale. A heart rate variability monitor was attached to each student's chest to measure heart rate variability (as a sign of anxiety) before engaging in two video-recorded simulated emergency scenarios (cardiac and respiratory) with a professional actor playing the patient. Performance was rated by a clinician followed by video-assisted debriefing. Finally, heart monitors were removed and students repeated self-reports of psychological anxiety. Results: Students’ psychological anxiety was high pre-simulation and remained high post-simulation. With regard to physiological anxiety, students were anxious at the start of the simulation but became more relaxed toward the end as they gained familiarly with the simulation environment (p < .007). Clinical performance increased significantly in the second scenario (p < .001). Factors found to positively affect clinical performance were length of enrolment in the nursing degree (p = .001), current employment in a nursing or allied healthcare field (p = .030), and previous emergency experience (p = .047). The relationship between physiological anxiety and clinical performance was statistically not significant, although there was an indication that low level anxiety led to optimal performance. Conclusion: High-fidelity patient simulation has the capacity to arouse novice nurses psychologically and physiologically while managing emergency situations. Indicative outcomes suggest that optimal performance was apparent when anxiety levels were low, indicating that they had received insufficient training to deal with situations that induced moderate to high anxiety levels.

Rapid visual search games and accuracy of students' clinical observation skills : a comparative study

- Al-Moteri, Modi, Alrehaili, Amani, Plummer, Virginia, Yaseen, Ruba, Alhakami, Reem

Authors: Al-Moteri, Modi , Alrehaili, Amani , Plummer, Virginia , Yaseen, Ruba , Alhakami, Reem
Date: 2021
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Clinical Simulation in Nursing Vol. 55, no. (2021), p. 19-26
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Description: Background: Rapid visual search (RVS) games require a player to search for a target against a distracting background. Playing RVS is known to improve observation and related skills for those professions that require ultimate observation skills. Aim: To examine whether using RVS games improves clinical observation of nursing students. Method: Post intervention assessment design was used in which participants were assigned to either RVS group or non-RVS group and their performance was compared to assess the impact of RVS games on students’ observational skills. Finding: Study findings revealed that RVS improved identification of cues that are highly visual in nature and related to liver cirrhosis. This may indicate that the RVS groups were more focused on the clinical markers than were the non-RVS group. © 2021. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Virginia Plummer” is provided in this record**

Nurses' cognitive and perceptual bias in the identification of clinical deterioration cues

- Al-Moteri, Modi, Cooper, Simon J., Symmons, Mark, Plummer, Virginia

Authors: Al-Moteri, Modi , Cooper, Simon J. , Symmons, Mark , Plummer, Virginia
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Critical Care Vol. 33, no. 4 (2020), p. 333-342
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Description: Background: Perception and processing of clinical cues have rarely been investigated in the nursing literature despite their relevance to the early identification and management of clinical deterioration. Aim: This study used a hypovolemic shock scenario from the Feedback Incorporating Review and Simulation Techniques to Act on Clinical Trends (FIRST2ACT) virtual simulation program, equipped with an eye tracker, to investigate cue processing during the management of patient deterioration. Result: The study revealed that attention deviation distorted interpretation of subsequent cues, causing 63% of participants to exhibit a cognitive bias (heightened sensitivity to specific but noncritical cues) and 65% to exhibit at least one episode of nonfixation on clinically relevant cues. Attention deviation and distorted interpretations of clinical cues will have an impact on patient safety. Conclusion: The findings are likely to have important implications for understanding error and associated training implications. © 2019 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd

Clinical deterioration of ward patients in the presence of antecedents : A systematic review and narrative synthesis

- Al-Moteri, Modi, Plummer, Virginia, Cooper, Simon J., Symmons, Mark

Authors: Al-Moteri, Modi , Plummer, Virginia , Cooper, Simon J. , Symmons, Mark
Date: 2019
Type: Text , Journal article , Review
Relation: Australian Critical Care Vol. 32, no. 5 (2019), p. 411-420
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Description: Aim: The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise published accounts of recognising and responding to patient deterioration in the presence of deterioration antecedents. Design: The systematic review canvassed four electronic databases/ search engines for studies of adult ward patients who had altered physiological parameters before developing major adverse events. Synthesis Methods: The findings were synthesised using a narrative approach. Results: Clinical deterioration can be missed by nurses, even with adequate charting. Delays in recognising and responding to patient deterioration remains an international patient safety concern, and strategies to enhance recognition of patient deterioration have not achieved consistent improvements. The lack of significant and sustained improvement through targeted training suggests the problem may be rooted in human behaviour and local ward culture. Nurses play a pivotal role in recognising and responding to patient deterioration; however, patient records do not facilitate tracking of all nurse decisions and actions, and any undocumented care cannot be easily captured by auditing processes. Conclusion: Failure to recognise clinical deterioration was evident even with adequate charting. It is not clear if nurses do not recognise clinical deterioration because they failed to interpret the signs of deterioration or they made a conscious decision not to escalate based on their clinical judgement or they lacked attention at the time of the event. Whatever the reason, focus is warranted for nurses' decisionmaking after the recording of clinical deterioration signs and the role of human factors in delayed recognition, before maximum benefit of any strategy can be achieved.

Factors that affect the job satisfaction of Saudi Arabian nurses

- Alotaibi, Jazi, Paliadelis, Penny, Valenzuela, Fredy‐Roberto

Authors: Alotaibi, Jazi , Paliadelis, Penny , Valenzuela, Fredy‐Roberto
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 24, no. 3 (2016), p. 275-282
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Description: Background Saudi Arabia has a chronic shortage of Saudi national nurses. This research contributes to a greater understanding of how job satisfaction influences the recruitment and retention of Saudi nationals within the nursing profession. Methods Qualitative data were gathered from Saudi nurses and content analysis was used to identify themes in the written responses. Results Four main themes emerged from the data: lack of educational opportunities and support and the poor image of the nursing profession, perceptions of favouritism, high workloads and stressful work environment and the effect of religion on job satisfaction. Conclusions Saudi nurses would be more satisfied with their jobs if they had greater access to educational opportunities and if there was a reduction in workload and the perceived favouritism in the workplace was addressed. Religion was also found to play a significant role in supporting job satisfaction. Implications for nursing management These findings suggest the development of educational scholarships, as well as policies that better support equity in the workplace, to address Saudi nurses’ level of job satisfaction. The generally positive impact of cultural and religious beliefs is also highlighted in this study.

Quantitative study of oncology nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain management in Saudi Arabian hospitals

- Alqahtani, Mohammed, Jones, Linda

Authors: Alqahtani, Mohammed , Jones, Linda
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: European Journal of Oncology Nursing Vol. 19, no. 1 (2015), p. 44-49
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Description: Pain is an unpleasant human experience, often associated with underlying medical conditions, and a key reason for individuals experiencing pain to seek medical advice. However, the pain experience is unique and subjective, and affects people's quality of life, as well as impacting on their concerned family members. Optimal pain management requires adequate knowledge, a positive attitude, and competent pain assessment measures. It has been reported that oncology nurses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have inadequate knowledge, assessment skills and management of pain. Objective: This paper aims to examine nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management in Saudi Arabian hospitals (SA). Method: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 320 nurses exhibiting considerable racial, cultural, religious and professional diversity, working in oncology units at five hospitals in the KSA. Self-completed survey questionnaires were distributed using the 'Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain' (KASRP) tool. Results: The nurses exhibited a relatively poor overall knowledge of pain management (mean score=45.1%; 95% CI=43.9%, 46.2%). The mean KASRP scores varied significantly at α=0.05 with respect to the nurses' nationality, whether they had attended pain-related courses, and whether they had participated in research. Conclusion: The results indicate the urgency needed to reform pain management education for oncology nurses in the KSA. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Measuring students perceptions of interprofessional clinical placements: Development of the interprofessional clinical placement learning environment inventory

- Anderson, Amanda, Cant, Robyn, Hood, Kerry

Authors: Anderson, Amanda , Cant, Robyn , Hood, Kerry
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nurse Education in Practice Vol. 14, no. 5 (2014), p. 518-524
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Description: Pre-professional healthcare courses, including nursing, are increasingly focused on interprofessional learning and experimentation with clinical education in ‘training wards’. This involves students from at least two disciplines who, under supervision, are responsible for patients' care. There is no consensus on how students' clinical learning experiences in this context are evaluated. We report the development and testing of the Interprofessional Clinical Placement Learning Environment Inventory (ICPLEI) in the Australian context. A question set was developed to measure student's perceptions of key variables in an interprofessional clinical learning environment: orientation, supervision, roles, learning and autonomy. An expert nursing panel rated items for a Content Validity Index of .93. Reliability was tested with 38 students. After a 2-week interprofessional ward placement nursing, medical and allied health students (n = 38) rated their learning environment highly, with median responses 4 or 5 of five (mean total 83%). The scale was reliable with a Cronbach alpha of .80 and moderate item-to-total correlations for 22/26 items. The Interprofessional Clinical Placement Learning Environment Inventory is a reliable, feasible, fast to complete tool, suitable for use with pre-registration healthcare students in this setting. Further testing of the tool's psychometric properties is recommended.

Workplace injuries in the Australian allied health workforce

- Anderson, Sarah, Stuckey, Rwth, Fortington, Lauren, Oakman, Jodi

Authors: Anderson, Sarah , Stuckey, Rwth , Fortington, Lauren , Oakman, Jodi
Date: 2019
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Health Review Vol. 43, no. 1 (2019), p. 49-54
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Description: Objective: This study aims to identify the number, costs and reported injury mechanisms of serious injury claims for allied health professionals. Methods: Using Australian Workers' Compensation injury data, the number, mechanism, and costs of injury claims were calculated for eight groups of allied health professions (chiropractors and osteopaths, speech pathologists and audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, podiatrists, social workers and prosthetists/orthotists) between the 2000-01 and 2013-14 financial years. Workforce injury rates were calculated using the 2011 Australian Census Workforce data (denominator) and 2011 Workers' Compensation Statistics claims data (numerator). Results: Across the allied health professions, 7023 serious injuries (minimum 5 days absence from work) were recorded with an associated total compensation cost of A$201 970 000. Fewer than 1.5% of each allied health professional group had an injury claim, with the exception of prosthetists/orthotists who had a rate of 25.9% serious injury claims (95% confidence interval 21.9-30.4). The average cost per claim varied across the allied health professions, from the lowest cost of A$19 091 per injury for occupational therapists to the highest of A$48 466 per claim in chiropractic and osteopathy. Body stressing followed by mental stress were the most common mechanisms of injury. Conclusions: Mechanism of injury, both physical and psychosocial, were identified. Prosthetists/orthotists are at the highest risk of workplace injury of all allied health professions. This suggests the need for further investigation and development of appropriately targeted injury prevention programs for each allied health profession. What is known about this topic?: Retention of allied health professionals is a significant issue, with workplace injuries identified as one contributing factor to this problem. Healthcare workers are potentially at high risk of injury as they are exposed to a range of physical and psychosocial hazards in their workplace. What does this paper add?: This paper is the first to report on serious injuries, minimum 5 days absence from work, from Australian Workers' Compensation data, across a range of allied health professions. Various allied health professions were examined to identify the number, mechanism and cost of serious workplace injuries finding there is an average of 500 serious claims per year at a cost of A$14 million. Prosthetists/orthotists were identified as having the highest proportion of claims per workforce population. What are the implications for practitioners?: These results suggest highly varied injury rates across allied health professions. Compensation data does not enable accurate identification of causal factors. Further work is required to identify relevant causal factors so that targeted risk reduction strategies can be developed to reduce workforce injuries. © 2019 AHHA.

Cultural relevance of the quality-of-life tools for people with kidney failure

- Ayoub, Abdelbasit, Nelson, Katherine, Wood, Pamela

Authors: Ayoub, Abdelbasit , Nelson, Katherine , Wood, Pamela
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Renal Care Vol. 39, no. 4 (2013), p. 236-245
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Description: Background Many tools are used to examine the Quality of Life (QOL) of patients with kidney disease, but little is known about how culturally relevant they are and why one should utilise one tool over another. As part of a larger study on the QOL of dialysis patients in United Arab Emirates, the cultural relevance of two tools (SF-36 and the QOL Index) was examined. This paper suggests a model to establish cultural relevance of QOL tools. Method A descriptive comparative survey design using a mixed method design was used in 2007 to study the QOL of 161 patients on dialysis and 350 people from the community. The cultural relevance of each tool was assessed by (i) examining missed questions, (ii) asking respondents about the cultural relevance of each tool, (iii) asking respondents what questions could be added or deleted to make the tools more culturally relevant and (iv) asking respondents to identify the factors that might contribute to their QOL. Results Of respondents, 94.7% from the dialysis sample and 90.4% from the community sample considered both tools culturally relevant. The QOL Index tool had more missing data. Many of the themes generated from the analysis of the qualitative data were addressed by the subscales of both tools. Themes not addressed by either tool were concerned with values, safety and country. Conclusion Cultural adaptation of QOL tools needs to follow well-established guidelines. The target population should be involved in establishing the cultural relevance of QOL tools.

Validation of the distress thermometer for caregivers of children and adolescents with schizophrenia

- Bai, Xiaoling, Wang, Anni, Cross, Wendy, Lam, Louisa, Plummer, Virginia, Guan, Ziyao, Sun, Mei, Tang, Siyuan

Authors: Bai, Xiaoling , Wang, Anni , Cross, Wendy , Lam, Louisa , Plummer, Virginia , Guan, Ziyao , Sun, Mei , Tang, Siyuan
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 76, no. 2 (Feb 2020), p. 687-698
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Description: Aim To develop and psychometrically test the distress thermometer for caregivers (DT-C) and document the distress level in primary caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia. Design A validation diagnostic accuracy study and descriptive cross-sectional survey. Methods DT-C was adopted based on Harverman's distress thermometer for parents. The cut-off score was detected by using receiver operating characteristic analysis with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 as a reference standard in a sample of 324 caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia in China collected between Jan 2017 and Feb 2018. Results One-item DT of DT-C indicated a good retest reliability (r = 0.86) and one-item DT and the Problem List (PL) indicated good convergent validity (r = 0.67-0.88). Overall and individual PL domains showed good internal consistency (KR 20 values ranged from 0.70-0.90). Setting seven as the cut-off score, the values of sensitivity (0.72-0.81), specificity (0.86-0.90), Youden's index (0.61-0.70), positive predictive value (0.67-0.74), and negative predictive value (0.84-0.92) were most satisfactory and area under curve values showed significantly excellent discrimination (0.88-0.90). The average DT score for the 324 participants was 6.34 (SD 2.49), with 46.9% of the participants above the cut-off. Caregivers above the cut-off score faced significant multiple problems in practical, family/social, cognitive, emotional, and parenting domains. Conclusion The DT-C, with six domains containing 35 items in Problem List and with the cut-off score at seven, can be a rapid screening tool to measure distress in these caregivers. The level of distress in caregivers was relatively high. Psychoeducation on specific needs and a solid mutual support network are recommended for mitigating caregivers' distress. Impact This study adapted a reliable DT-C to measure distress of caregivers, which has the potential to be introduced to caregivers of other types of child and adolescent mental disorders in research, assessments and care planning for health professionals.

Telephone triage in midwifery practice : A cross-sectional survey

- Bailey, Carolyn, Newton, Jennifer, Hall, Helen

Authors: Bailey, Carolyn , Newton, Jennifer , Hall, Helen
Date: 2019
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Nursing Studies Vol. 91, no. (2019), p. 110-118
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Description: Background: Childbearing women commonly access maternity services via the telephone. A midwife receiving these calls listens to the woman's concerns and then triages women according to their assessment. This may result in the provision of advice and instruction over the telephone or inviting the woman into the health service for further assessment. Midwives are responsible for all care and advice given to women, including via the telephone. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and practices of midwives regarding their management of telephone triage. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Setting and participants: Purposive non-probabilistic sampling of currently practising midwife members of professional organisations was used to recruit participants. From this, 242 midwives responded and 230 returned valid surveys were used in data analysis. Methods: Participant demographics, telephone triage processes, skills, educational preparation, confidence and anxiety levels, and external factors that influence midwives’ management of telephone triage were collected via an on-line survey. Descriptive statistics and further analyses were conducted to explore relationships between variables. Results: Eighty-three percent of midwives respond to 2–5 telephone calls per shift, with only 11.7% (n = 24) of midwives reporting that this is included in their workloads. Telephone triage is frequently managed in environments with distractions. Most midwives (84%; n = 177) report receiving no training in this skill. Confidence in performing telephone triage was reported, with higher confidence levels related to midwives’ increased years of experience (p < 0.05) and age (p < 0.01). Anxiety related to managing telephone triage has been experienced by 73% (n = 151) of midwives, with this being greater in midwives with less years of experience. Anxiety is reported less by midwives in rural or remote settings compared to metropolitan or regional (p < 0.05) settings in this study. A variety of standards and aids to guide practice, and document calls are utilised in a range of ways. Conclusion: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study conducted to explore midwives’ practises in telephone triage. The findings suggest the need for appropriate environments to conduct telephone calls and the inclusion of telephone triage in midwifery workloads. In addition, consistent education and processes are required to reduce anxiety and support midwives provision of this service to women. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Implementation of pressure ulcer prevention best practice recommendations in acute care: an observational study

- Barker, Anna, Kamar, Jeannette, Tyndall, Tamara, White, Lyn, Hutchinson, Anastasia, Klopfer, Nicole, Weller, Carolina

Authors: Barker, Anna , Kamar, Jeannette , Tyndall, Tamara , White, Lyn , Hutchinson, Anastasia , Klopfer, Nicole , Weller, Carolina
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Wound Journal Vol. 10, no. 3 (June 2012), p. 313-320
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Description: Pressure ulcers are a common but preventable problem in hospitals. Implementation of best practice guideline recommendations can prevent ulcers from occurring. This 9-year cohort study reports prevalence data from point prevalence surveys during the observation period, and three practice metrics to assess implementation of best practice guideline recommendations: (i) nurse compliance with use of a validated pressure ulcer risk assessment and intervention checklist; (ii) accuracy of risk assessment scoring in usual-care nurses and experienced injury prevention nurses; and (iii) use of pressure ulcer prevention strategies. The prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers decreased following implementation of an evidence-based prevention programme from 12 center dot 6% (2 years preprogramme implementation) to 2 center dot 6% (6 years postprogramme implementation) (P < 0 center dot 001). Audits between 2003 and 2011 of 4368 patient medical records identified compliance with pressure ulcer prevention documentation according to best practice guidelines was high (>84%). A sample of 270 patients formed the sample for the study of risk assessment scoring accuracy and use of prevention strategies. It was found usual-care nurses under-estimated patients' risk of pressure ulcer development and under-utilised prevention strategies compared with experienced injury prevention nurses. Despite a significant reduction in prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and high documentation compliance, use of prevention strategies could further be improved to achieve better patient outcomes. Barriers to the use of prevention strategies by nurses in the acute hospital setting require further examination. This study provides important insights into the knowledge translation of pressure ulcer prevention best practice guideline recommendations at The Northern Hospital.

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