Public perception of medical errors : experiences and risks shared in Australia
- Authors: Kim, Jeong-ah , Terry, Daniel , Jang, Sunny , Nguyen, Hoang , Gilbert, Julia , Cruickshank, Mary
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 8, no. 1 (2020), p. 35-41
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- Description: Background: Research into patient safety has largely focused on healthcare organisations bureaucratic routines, with little research available regarding the impact of patient perceptions on clinical practice. Acknowledging and openly discussing patient perceptions of medical errors may result in improved quality of healthcare. The research study aimed to gain a better understanding of the public's perception of medical errors to drive a structured approach to improve healthcare outcomes. Methods: In this study, we examined the public experiences of medical errors using an anonymous on-line survey to collect empirical data from April to December 2018. A total of 407 responses were obtained with 303 participants meeting the criteria for inclusion in the study. Results: The majority (74.9%) of these participants identified that they had experienced a medical error during receiving healthcare in Australia and 73% of these confirmed that they were harmed as a result of these errors. Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate that many participants have experienced medical errors when accessing healthcare in Australia. These findings provide information and a deeper understanding of patient experiences and perceptions of healthcare service delivery which can be used by healthcare organisations to improve healthcare services and promote patient participation in their care. Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
The history and evolving image of nursing
- Authors: Cruickshank, Mary , Paliadelis, Penny , Gazula, Swapnali , McAllister, Margaret
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: The road to nursing Chapter 7 p. 99-116
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- Description: The traditional stereotypical image of a nurse is closely linked to that of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who established a training system for nurses to teach them how to be completely dedicated to the taskes of care regardless of personal needs; dependent on and deferential to authorities such as medical doctors and matron supervisors; and modest and feminine. Of course, contemporary nursing is no longer a profession exclusive to females, and nor does nursing work predominantly involve dependent actions. However, these old ideas remain strong in the minds of the public and are often repeated in popular culture.
Understanding self and others
- Authors: Arnott, Nick , Paliadelis, Penny , Cruickshank, Mary , Williams, Danielle
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: The road to nursing Chapter 10 p. 152-167
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- Description: As a society, we generally expect those working in professional roles to be 'professional', but this term is difficult to define. What does it actually mean to be professional? How can students develop their personal sense of self, and how might this interact with their professional identify and performance? This chapter explains self-awareness and the importance of understanding your own values, beliefs and motivations, which in turn will assist you to better understand the unique experiences and 'world-views' of others, and to develop and nurture the therapeutic and professional relationships that are essential for successful nursing practice.
Using the lens of enablement to explore patients’ experiences of Nurse Practitioner care in the Primary Health Care setting
- Authors: Frost, Jane , Currie, Marian , Cruickshank, Mary , Northam, Holly
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 25, no. 2 (2018), p. 193-199
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- Description: Background: Patient enablement is a patient-centred concept reflecting a patient's ability to cope, understand and manage their own health. It can be used as a measure of the quality of care and has been linked with improved patient outcomes. While there have been studies into patient enablement following consultations with General Practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses, Nurse Practitioners’ (NPs) role in enabling patients remains unexplored. Aim: To use the lens of enablement to explore patients’ lived experience of NP care in a Primary Health Care (PHC) setting in Australia. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, 12 patients who had consulted an NP in PHC participated in unstructured interviews. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to inform the study. A secondary analysis was conducted to explore possible synergies and resonance between the data and the constructs of the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI). Findings: This small qualitative study found that, following consultations with NPs in PHC, patients reported personal approaches and behaviours consistent with enablement. Three key existential themes appeared to contribute to patient enablement: the way NPs used consultation time (temporality), the building of partnerships between NPs and patients (relationality) and through NPs’ holistic and hands-on consultation approach (corporality). The effective use of time in the consultation was seen as particularly important. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest consultations with NPs do enable patients. This is a previously undocumented strength of NP care. Further research, using a variety of settings, methods and patient and health care provider populations, is recommended. © 2017 Australian College of Nursing Ltd
"This is how it's got to happen"
- Authors: Northam, Holly , Cruickshank, Mary , Hercelinskyj, Gylo
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Transplant Journal of Australasia Vol. 23, no. 1 (2014), p. 9-13
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- Description: Organ transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage organ failure and is a much sought-after therapy. Efforts are under way to maximise the number of families who agree to organ donation on behalf of a newly deceased relative in Australia, with the hope of easing the burden for dying and incapacitated patients and to reduce health care costs. Objective: To present initial findings from a study which asked families who had been required to make a deceased organ donation decision about their experience, and the factors that contributed to their decision to either agree to or decline organ donation. Methods: Following ethics approval, an exploratory multiple case study was conducted. Twenty-two family members from nine families who had experienced the death of a relative within the previous three years from five of Australia's state and territories contributed to the study in 17 recorded, transcribed and analysed interviews. Findings: Broad themes emerged that included the importance of time and location, perceptions of suffering, information and help for the families, and the need for families to assure themselves that the deceased's needs were addressed before and after death. Conclusion: The findings suggest families require trust that their family member was not suffering before and after death. The affirmation of this trust was helped by prior information about the organ donation process and sensory affirmation that their loved one was at peace. Family decisions about organ donation, hopes and 'deep hopes' were dependent on this trust.