Enhancing alcohol and other drug (AOD) screening by emergency nurses
- Authors: Kelly, David , Chan, Raymond , Plummer, Virginia
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal Vol. 22, no. 10 (2015), p. 49
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- Description: Within Australia it is culturally acceptable to consume alcohol and it is an integral part of the Australian way of life (Australian Government 2013). The National Drug Household Survey stated that about fourfifths of Australians aged 14 or older reported they had consumed alcohol in the past year and 6.5% drank on a daily basis (2013).
Perceptions of knowledge of disaster management among military and civilian nurses in Saudi Arabia
- 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.
ICU nurses feel unprepared to care for patients with mental illness : A survey of nurses' attitudes, knowledge, and skills
- Authors: Weare, Reuben , Green, Cameron , Olasoji, Michael , Plummer, Virginia
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Vol. 53, no. (2019), p. 37-42
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- Description: Objectives: To examine the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a cohort of Australian nurses towards caring for patients with mental illness in the intensive care unit. Research design: A questionnaire was developed and distributed via internal email to all nurses working in the study intensive care unit. Responses were anonymous. Setting: A metropolitan intensive care unit located in Melbourne, Australia. Main outcome measures: Intenisve care nurses completed a 76-question self-administered questionnaire. Results: Forty intensive care nurses completed the survey, a response rate of 35.7% (n = 40/112). Respondents were predominantly female (82.5%) and held a post-graduate qualification (62.5%). ICU nurses felt that they needed further training and education to care for patients with mental illness in the intensive care unit. While respondents were empathetic to this patient group, negative stereotypes and stigma were reported by some participants. The pressures of the environment were perceived barriers to delivering optimal person-centred care for patients with mental illness. Conclusion: This sample of nurses felt they require education and support in order to care for patients with mental illness in the intenisve care unit. Further education may also help to reduce negative perceptions of this patient group.
Validation of the distress thermometer for caregivers of children and adolescents with schizophrenia
- 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.
A wechat-based “three good things” positive psychotherapy for the improvement of job performance and self-efficacy in nurses with burnout symptoms : a randomized controlled trial
- Authors: Guo, Yu-Fang , Lam, Louisa , Plummer, Virginia , Cross, Wendy , Zhang, Jing-Ping
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 28, no. 3 (2020), p. 480-487
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- Description: Aim: To evaluate the effects of a WeChat-based “Three Good Things” on job performance and self-efficacy of clinical nurses with burnout symptoms. Background: Few studies have valued the impact of nurses' personal strengths and positive work environment on job performance, particularly in developing countries. Methods: A randomized controlled trial. The intervention group (n = 33) participated in WeChat-based Three Good Things, while the control group (n = 40) did not. Data were collected prior to and immediately after the intervention. WeChat, a popular social software, provides several communicating and recording functions. Results: The main intervention effects and interactions between time and intervention on job performance and self-efficacy were significant (each p < .05). The main time effects on self-efficacy were also significant (p < .05). The post-intervention scores for job performance and self-efficacy between the two groups were statistically different (each p < .05). The scores for job performance and self-efficacy of the intervention group were statistically different before and after the intervention (each p < .05). Conclusion: Three Good Things could significantly improve job performance and self-efficacy of nurses with burnout. Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers are recommended to include Three Good Things into their management systems to improve nurses' physical and mental health and work outcomes over the long term. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Nurses' cognitive and perceptual bias in the identification of clinical deterioration cues
- 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
- 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.