Managing deteriorating patients: Registered nurses' performance in a simulated setting
- Authors: Cooper, Simon J. , McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Cant, Robyn , Porter, Joanne , Missen, Karen , Kinsman, Leigh , Endacott, Ruth , Scholes, Julie
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Open Nursing Journal Vol. 5, no. (2011), p. 120-126
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- Description: Aim: To examine, in a simulated environment, rural nurses’ ability to assess and manage patient deterioration using measures of knowledge, situation awareness and skill performance. Background: Nurses’ ability to manage deterioration and ‘failure to rescue’ are of significant concern with questions over knowledge and clinical skills. Simulated emergencies may help to identify and develop core skills. Methods: An exploratory quantitative performance review. Thirty five nurses from a single ward completed a knowledge questionnaire and two video recorded simulated scenarios in a rural hospital setting. Patient actors simulated deteriorating patients with an Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as the primary diagnosis. How aware individuals were of the situation (levels of situation awareness) were measured at the end of each scenario. Results: Knowledge of deterioration management varied considerably (range: 27%-91%) with a mean score of 67%. Average situation awareness scores and skill scores across the two scenarios (AMI and COPD) were low (50%) with many important observations and actions missed. Participants did identify that ‘patients’ were deteriorating but as each patient deteriorated staff performance declined with a reduction in all observational records and actions. In many cases, performance decrements appeared to be related to high anxiety levels. Participants tended to focus on single signs and symptoms and failed to use a systematic approach to patient assessment. Conclusion: Knowledge and skills were generally low in this rural hospital sample with notable performance decrements as patients acutely declined. Educational models that incorporate high fidelity simulation and feedback techniques are likely to have a significant positive impact on performance.
Emergency training boosts confidence
- Authors: Buykx, Penny , Missen, Karen , Cooper, Simon J. , Porter, Joanne , McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Cant, Robyn , Kinsman, Leigh , Endacott, Ruth , Scholes, Julie
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Nursing Journal Vol. 19, no. 7 (2012), p. 43
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Identifying patient deterioration: using simulation and reflective interviewing to examine decision making skills in a rural hospital
- Authors: Endacott, Ruth , Scholes, Julie , Cooper, Simon J. , McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Porter, Joanne , Missen, Karen , Kinsman, Leigh , Champion, Robert
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Nursing Studies Vol. 49, no. 6 (2012), p. 710-717
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- Description: Objectives The study aim was to examine how Registered Nurses identify and respond to deteriorating patients during in-hospital simulation exercises. Design Mixed methods study using simulated actors. Setting A rural hospital in Victoria, Australia. Participants Thirty-four Registered Nurses each completed two simulation exercises. Methods Data were obtained from the following sources: (a) Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) rating to assess performance of Registered Nurses during two simulation exercises (chest pain and respiratory distress); (b) video footage of the simulation exercises; (c) reflective interview during participants’ review of video footage. Qualitative thematic analysis of video and interview data was undertaken. Results Themes generated from the data were: (1) exhausting autonomous decision-making; (2) misinterpreting the evidence; (3) conditioned response; and (4) missed cues. Assessment steps were more likely to be omitted in the chest pain simulation, for which there was a hospital protocol in place. Conclusions Video review revealed additional insights into nurses’ decision-making that were not evident from OSCE scoring alone. Feedback during video review was a highly valued component of the simulation exercises.
The FIRST2ACT simulation program improves nursing practice in a rural Australian hospital
- Authors: Kinsman, Leigh , Buykx, Penny , Cant, Robyn , Champion, Robert , Cooper, Simon J. , Endacott, Ruth , McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Missen, Karen , Porter, Joanne , Scholes, Julie
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol. 20, no. 5 (2012), p. 270-274
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- Description: Objective: To measure the impact of the Feedback Incorporating Review and Simulation Techniques to Act on Clinical Trends (FIRST2ACT) simulation program on nursing observations and practice relevant to patient deterioration in a rural Australian hospital. Design: Interrupted time series analysis. Setting: A rural Australian hospital. Participants: All registered nurses (Division 1) employed on an acute medical/surgical ward. Intervention: The FIRST2ACT simulation program. Outcome measures: Appropriate frequency of a range of observations and administration of oxygen therapy. Results: Thirty-four nurses participated (83% of eligible nurses) in the FIRST2ACT program, and 258 records were audited before the program and 242 records after. There were statistically significant reductions in less than satisfactory frequency of observations (P = 0.009) and pain score charting (P = 0.003). There was no measurable improvement in the administration of oxygen therapy (P = 0.143), while the incidence of inappropriate nursing practice for other measures both before and after the intervention was too low to warrant analysis. Conclusion: FIRST2ACT was associated with measurable improvements in nursing practice.
Developing team based acute care scenarios: a rural hospital experience
- Authors: Missen, Karen , Sparkes, Louise , Porter, Joanne , Cooper, Simon J. , McConnell-Henry, Tracy
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Emergency Nursing Vol. 21, no. 3 (2013), p. 186-189
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- Description: Background Health professionals work in teams in a variety of health care settings especially in medical emergency teams at times of crisis. However, Registered Nurses (RNs) rarely have the chance to partake in educational programs designed for teams of nurses to practice working together in life-threatening situations. Further RN’s employed in rural setting have less opportunities for professional development than their city based counterparts. Simulated scenarios with a patient actor in a rural hospital have been utilised in this study to provide nurses with the opportunity to work as a team in the early recognition and management of patients with acute medical conditions. Aim This discussion paper focuses on one aspect of a larger research project with the aim of describing the development of team based scenarios for a rural hospital setting, focusing on the detection and management of a deteriorating patient. Methods Three team based scenarios, the related assessments and feedback techniques are all described. Conclusion Team based simulation provides a unique opportunity to assist registered nurses in rural settings in re-skilling or maintaining their emergency management skills.
Managing patient deterioration: assessing teamwork and individual performance
- Authors: Cooper, Simon J. , Cant, Robyn , Porter, Joanne , Missen, Karen , Sparkes, Louise , McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Endacott, Ruth
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Emergency Medicine Journal Vol. 30, no. 5 (2013), p.
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- Description: Objective To assess the ability of rural Australian nurse teams to manage deteriorating patients. Methods This quasi-experimental design used pre- and post-intervention assessments and observation to evaluate nurses' simulated clinical performance. Registered nurses (n=44) from two hospital wards completed a formative knowledge assessment and three team-based video recorded scenarios (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)). Trained patient actors simulated deteriorating patients. Skill performance and situation awareness were measured and team performance was rated using the Team Emergency Assessment Measure. Results Knowledge in relation to patient deterioration management varied (mean 63%, range 27–100%) with a median score of 64%. Younger nurses with a greater number of working hours scored the highest (p=0.001). OSCE performance was generally low with a mean performance of 54%, but performance was maintained despite the increasing complexity of the scenarios. Situation awareness was generally low (median 50%, mean 47%, range 17–83%, SD 14.03) with significantly higher levels in younger participants (r=−0.346, p=0.021). Teamwork ratings averaged 57% with significant associations between the subscales (Leadership, Teamwork and Task Management) (p<0.006), the global rating scale (p<0.001) and two of the OSCE measures (p<0.049). Feedback from participants following the programme indicated significant improvements in knowledge, confidence and competence (p<0.001). Conclusion Despite a satisfactory knowledge base, the application of knowledge was low with notable performance deficits in these demanding and stressful situations. The identification and management of patient deterioration needs to be taught in professional development programmes incorporating high fidelity simulation techniques. The Team Emergency assessment tool proved to be a valid measure of team performance in patient deterioration scenarios.
Situation awareness in undergraduate nursing students managing simulated patient deterioration
- Authors: McKenna, Lisa , Missen, Karen , Cooper, Simon J. , Bogossian, Fiona , Bucknall, Tracey , Cant, Robyn
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 34, no. 6 (June 2014), p. e27-e31
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- Description: Background: Nursing work often occurs in complex and potentially hazardous settings. Awareness of patient and practice environments is an imperative for nurses in practice. Objectives: To explore nursing students' situation awareness while engaging in simulated patient deterioration scenarios. Design: The educational process of FIRST2ACT was the model for the nurse intervention. Situation awareness was measured quantitatively using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment tool. Four domains were measured: physiological perception (patient parameters), global perception (surroundings), comprehension (interpretation of information), and projection (forecasting outcomes). Settings: Clinical laboratories at each of three participating universities. Participants: Ninety-seven nursing students from three Australian universities. Methods: Between March and July 2012, students participated in three video-recorded simulation events, in which a trained actor played patient roles and groups of three students worked as teams. To measure situation awareness, following the simulation each team leader was taken to a separate room and asked to report on a question set regarding the patient's vital signs, bedside setting and medical diagnosis. Results and Conclusions: Overall, situation awareness was low (41%). Of the four domains, physiological perceptions scored the lowest (26%) and projection the highest (59%).Final year nursing students may not have well developed situation awareness skills, especially when dealing with these types of scenarios. Education providers need to consider ways to assist students to fully develop this attribute. Findings suggest that this is an aspect of undergraduate nursing education that requires significant consideration by curriculum developers.
Designing a medical records review tool: An instructional guide
- Authors: McConnell-Henry, Tracy , Cooper, Simon J. , Endacott, Ruth , Porter, Joanne , Missen, Karen , Sparkes, Louise
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Contemporary Nurse Vol. 50, no. 1 (2015), p. 72-79
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- Description: Background: Medical Records Reviews (MRR) are commonly used in research and quality activities in health care, however, there is a paucity of literature offering a step by step guide to devising a reliable, user-friendly tool. Aim: This instructional paper focuses on the stages used to design and implement successful MRR using examples from two reviews in Australian rural hospitals investigating the responses of Registered Nurses to patient deterioration, and guided by time series principals. Methods: The MRR were conducted in two rural hospitals in conjunction with a simulation learning intervention where nurses rehearsed clinical management of a deteriorating patient. A six-step template is presented to guide practitioners on how to design and use a MRR tool. Conclusion: When well-planned and appropriately used, MRR provides an excellent means for examining patient outcomes in addition to safety and quality of care.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing students' perceptions of being a nurse: A scoping review
- Authors: Allen, Louise , Cooper, Simon J. , Missen, Karen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of professional nursing Vol. 42, no. (2022), p. 281-289
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- Description: High attrition rates in new graduate nurses maybe attributed to unrealistic perceptions of being a nurse. It is therefore important to identify nursing students' perceptions and the factors that influence them. The present study was conducted to identify and describe the literature relating to nursing students' perceptions of being a nurse. Research questions guiding the review were: (1) What are nursing students' perceptions of nursing? (2) What factors influence nursing students' perceptions of nursing? A scoping literature review was conducted between the years 2008 and March 2022 to capture nursing student perceptions from multiple countries, and year levels of study to note the changes in perceptions overtime. The data sources consisted of five electronic data bases CINAHL, Medline, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science and search engine Google Scholar revealed 39 relevant sources. A scoping review methodology informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and a published Scoping Review Checklist guided this review. An inductive thematic analysis identified five key themes. Key themes: Attributes and characteristics of nurses Nursing as a profession Skills required for nursing Gender perceptions and Influence of time and previous health work experience. Findings provide insight for future research to ensure the adequacy of curricula experiences in preparing new graduates for having realistic perceptions for practice. For nursing students to be prepared for the role of a nurse they must have realistic perceptions of what it means to be a nurse. Whilst it is evident that perceptions can be influenced by a variety of sources, this review highlights a lack of research pertaining to perceptions related to the physical, emotional, and social effects on an individual from being a nurse. •The databases reviewed ensured the inclusion of multiple countries and year levels of study.•Nursing students' perceptions of nursing change over the time of the nursing program.•Further investigation is required to identify what experiences within the program influence changes in perceptions.•Nursing students lack realistic perceptions pertaining to the physical, emotional and social factors of being a nurse.