Improving the quality and safety of maternity services is an international top agenda item. This thesis describes the progress towards the development of a multidimensional approach to measure the quality and safety of care in ten maternity units in Oman based on three of the five dimensional Patient Safety Measurement and Monitoring Framework (PSMMF) which include measuring "past harm" and "anticipation and preparedness”. The three monitoring approaches used in this research are: (1) measuring the patient safety culture (2) measuring patient satisfaction (3) and monitoring caesarean section rates. The specific objectives of the research are to (1) measure patient safety culture level, (2) examine the association between nurse’s nationality and patient safety culture, (3) validate an Arabic language survey to measure maternal satisfaction about the childbearing experience, (4) measure patient satisfaction about the childbearing experience, and (5) to examine caesarean section rates across maternity units using statistical process control charts. This thesis started with four systematic reviews that focused on (1) the use of patient safety culture for monitoring maternity units (2) the available interventions to improve patient safety culture (3) Arabic surveys available for measuring maternal satisfaction and (4) the use of statistical process control charts for monitoring performance indicators. The overall conclusion from these reviews that these approaches are being increasingly used in maternity, found feasible and useful, and there are areas that need attention for future work. Five field studies were conducted to address the research aim and objectives. Patient safety culture was measured by a cross-sectional survey of all staff in the ten maternity units. It was found that safety culture in Oman is below the target level and that there is wide variation in the safety scores across hospitals and across different categories of staff. Non-Omani nurses have a more positive perception of patient safety culture than Omani nurses in all domains except in respect of stress recognition and this difference need further investigation and needs to be considered by designers of interventions to enhance patient safety culture. Using two existing validated English surveys, an Arabic survey was developed, validated, and used to measure maternal satisfaction with childbirth services. It was found that the new survey has good psychometric properties and that in all the ten hospitals, mothers were satisfied with the care provided during child delivery but satisfaction score varied across hospitals and groups of participants. Caesarean section rate in the last 17 years was examined using statistical process control charts to understand the variation across the ten hospitals. It was found that caesarean section rate is above the rate recommended by the World Health Organisation. Special cause variations were detected that warrant further investigation. In conclusion, the field studies demonstrated that it is feasible to use the three approaches to monitor quality and safety in maternity units. However, further work is required to use these data to enhance the quality and safety of care. Additionally, future work is needed to cover the other three dimensions of the PSMMF. / Ministry of Health in Oman,

Yes / Multiple changes are made to older patients' medicines during hospital admission, which can sometimes cause confusion and anxiety. This results in problems with post-discharge medicines management, for example medicines taken incorrectly, which can lead to harm, hospital readmission and reduced quality of life. To explore the experiences of older patients and their family carers as they enacted post-discharge medicines management. Semi-structured interviews took place in participants' homes, approximately two weeks after hospital discharge. Data analysis used the Framework method. Recruitment took place during admission to one of two large teaching hospitals in North England. Twenty-seven participants aged 75 plus who lived with long-term conditions and polypharmacy, and nine family carers, were interviewed. Three core themes emerged: impact of the transition, safety strategies and medicines management role. Conversations between participants and health-care professionals about medicines changes often lacked detail, which disrupted some participants' knowledge and medicines management capabilities. Participants used multiple strategies to support post-discharge medicines management, such as creating administration checklists, seeking advice or supporting primary care through prompts to ensure medicines were supplied on time. The level to which they engaged with these activities varied. Participants experienced gaps in their post-discharge medicines management, which they had to bridge through implementing their own strategies or by enlisting support from others. Areas for improvement were identified, mainly through better communication about medicines changes and wider involvement of patients and family carers in their medicines-related care during the hospital-to-home transition. / This work was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR Yorkshire and Humber PSTRC). This independent research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0317-20010).

Yes / Background The first UK wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 placed unprecedented stress on community pharmacy. Various policies and initiatives were announced during this period to support community pharmacy to continue to perform in a manner that prioritised patient safety. However, little is understood about how these policies and initiatives were implemented by staff working in community pharmacy, and the system adaptions and responses that were initiated to maintain patient safety. Objective The study aimed to investigate how staff working in UK community pharmacy during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 responded and adapted to system stressors to maintain patient safety. Methods We adopted a qualitative interview approach, underpinned by Resilient Healthcare theory, with interview data collected between July 2020 and January 2021. Data were synthesised and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results 23 community pharmacy staff from England and Scotland were interviewed. We identified five themes supported by between two and six sub-themes: 1. Covid-19, an impending threat to the system. 2. Patient safety stressors during the first waves of Covid-19. 3. Altering the system, responding to system stressors. 4. Monitoring and adjusting. 5. Learning for the future. Conclusion Privileging the accounts of community pharmacy staff working on the frontline during the pandemic illuminated how responses and adaptions were developed and deployed, how continual monitoring occurred, and the factors that supported or hindered system resilience. The key learning derived from this study can serve to shorten the gap between ‘work as imagined’ and ‘work as done’, and in doing so, support the future resilience performance of community pharmacy during future outbreaks of Covid-19 or similar events. / This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR Yorkshire and Humber PSTRC).

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2015-07-16T17:52:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Natasha Dejigov Monteiro da Silva.pdf: 2789563 bytes, checksum: 4802430c85976463fb4fa4d5130e4bc1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-16T17:52:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Natasha Dejigov Monteiro da Silva.pdf: 2789563 bytes, checksum: 4802430c85976463fb4fa4d5130e4bc1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-04 / Considering patient safety one of the critical points that reflect the performance of a hospital organization, this study aimed to identify how patient safety is included in the organizational culture of hospital organizations in São Paulo, different in their administrative nature: public hospitals of direct administration, public hospitals operated by management contract, and private hospitals. The methodological strategy used was the multiple-case study, applying a self-assessment questionnaire from the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), translated for the Portuguese language. The questionnaire was applied both to leaders who work directly with patient care and administrative leaders that ensure assistance is not prevented or interrupted, and thus indirectly reflect on patient safety. Qualitative and quantitative questions were graded using a Likert scale and consolidated according to seven dimensions, namely: expectations and safety promotion, support and investment from hospital management, security environment, openness to communication and non-punitive response, organizational learning, teamwork, and feedback (information and communication feedback about errors). Data analysis was performed using the statistical programSTATATM 12.1, whose response sample was subjected to linear regression for analysis of variance (ANOVA), having an F test of joint statistical significance as decision rule , in which the p-value is zero. The analysis of mean values of the groups in the studied organizations, as perceived by the respondents, showed a gradation among organizations, with higher values concentrating in private institutions. However, when assessing the specifics among the dimensions of safety culture used for the data analysis, it was found that, as perceived by the participants of the study, the most significant dimensions are Security Environment and Organizational Learning, with an explanatory power of 80%. In addition, also as perceived by the agents, the correlation between the above-mentioned dimensions is stronger in direct administration organizations, followed by the institutions under governmental autonomous administration. / Considerando que a segurança do paciente é um dos pontos críticos que refletem no desempenho de uma organização hospitalar, o presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar como a segurança do paciente se insere na cultura organizacional de organizações hospitalares do município de São Paulo, de diferentes naturezas administrativas: hospitais públicos de administração direta, hospitais públicos administrados por contrato de gestão e hospitais privados. A estratégia metodológica utilizada foi o estudo de casos múltiplos, com aplicação do questionário de autoavaliação do Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), traduzido para a língua portuguesa. Procedeu-se a aplicação do instrumento com as lideranças que atuam diretamente com a assistência aos pacientes e com as lideranças administrativas que garantem que a assistência não seja inviabilizada ou interrompida, e, assim, refletem indiretamente na segurança dos pacientes. As questões, qualitativas e quantitativas, utilizaram uma escala de Likert para sua gradação e foram consolidadas segundo sete dimensões, a saber: expectativas e ações de promoção da segurança, apoio e investimento da gestão hospitalar, ambiente de segurança, abertura para comunicações e respostas não punitivas, aprendizado organizacional, trabalho em equipe e feedback (retorno da informação e comunicação a respeito de erros). Para análise dos dados utilizou-se o programa de estatística STATATM 12.1, cuja amostra de resposta foi submetida a regressão linear para análise de variância (ANOVA), considerando como base decisória um teste F, de relevância estatística conjunta, em que p-valor é igual a zero. A análise das médias de respostas obtidas nos grupos das organizações estudadas, segundo a percepção dos respondentes, evidenciou uma gradação entre as organizações com maiores valores se concentrando nas de natureza privada. Entretanto, ao serem avaliadas as especificidades entre as dimensões da cultura de segurança utilizadas para a análise dos dados, verificou-se que, segundo a percepção dos participantes do estudo, as dimensões significativas foram a do Ambiente de Segurança e Aprendizado Organizacional, com um poder explicativo de 80%. Além disso, também segundo a percepção dos agentes, a correlação entre as dimensões citadas acima foi mais forte nas organizações de administração direta, seguida pelas instituições sob administração autárquica.

Le Comité de Retour d’Expérience (CREX) est un dispositif de gestion de la sécurité des patients en équipe, engageant les professionnels de santé dans la pratique collective de l’analyse des causes racines des événements indésirables associés aux soins. Ce dispositif, développé en France en 2005, est désormais implanté dans la majorité des établissements de santé français. Curieusement, après 10 ans de développement dans des milliers d’équipes médicales, aucun travail scientifique publié ne s’était penché sur leur fonctionnement et leurs effets sur la sécurité des patients. Mon travail de thèse a permis d’évaluer le fonctionnement des CREX, ainsi que leur association aux dimensions de la culture de sécurité des professionnels de santé. Nous avons montré que les CREX sont appropriés pour fonctionner dans les diverses spécialités d’un établissement de santé. De plus, ce dispositif permet aux soignants de réaliser des analyses des causes racines, et de décider collectivement d’actions visant à corriger les défaillances profondes des organisations. Afin d’étudier les relations entre la participation à un CREX et les dimensions de la culture de sécurité des soignants, nous avons effectué une enquête auprès de 3888 professionnels de santé, en utilisant le questionnaire Hospital Survey On Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), dont nous avons précisé les propriétés métrologiques (psychométrie, variabilité des méthodes d’agrégation des scores, méthodes d’imputation des données manquantes). Nous avons mis en évidence des relations favorables entre la participation à un CREX et la culture de sécurité des soignants. Les CREX permettent de favoriser le travail en équipe, la multidisciplinarité, ainsi que de modifier la culture de l’erreur. Malgré ses limites, notre travail contribue à mieux connaitre les CREX et leur place dans les dispositifs de gestion de la sécurité des patients. Cette thèse plaide pour le développement d’une recherche centrée sur l’implication des professionnels de santé dans la gestion de la sécurité des patients. / The Experience Feedback Committee (EFC) is a tool designed to involve medical teams in patient safety management, through root cause analysis of adverse events within the team. This program was created in 2005, and was implemented in the vast majority of French hospitals. Despite its wide implementation in thousands of French medical teams, the EFC still lacks scientific evaluation. To our knowledge, the EFC framework and the association between EFC and patient safety culture have never been assessed. In this context, our work aimed to determine whether patient safety culture, as measured by the Hospital Survey On Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), differed regarding care provider involvement in EFC activities. Using the original data from a cross-sectional survey of 3,888 employees at a single university hospital in France, we analyzed the differences in HSOPS dimension scores according involvement in EFC activities. We also specified the metrological properties of the transcultural adaptation of the HSOPS into French (psychometrics properties, variability of scoring strategies and missing data imputation methods). Our findings suggest that EFC participation may improve patient safety culture, teamwork and non-blame oriented processes. Despite several limitations, our study contributes to a better understanding of EFC and its position amongst patient safety systems. This thesis advocates research developments centered on health care givers involvement in patient safety management.

Introduktion: Operationssjuksköterskan ansvarar för patientens omvårdnad under den perioperativa processen och den ska bedrivas utifrån personcentrerad omvårdnad (PCO). I den högteknologiska miljön fungerar operationssjuksköterskan som en länk mellan tekniken och patienten. Endast ett fåtal studier belyser operationssjuksköterskans perioperativa omvårdnad och behovet av ett omvårdnadsinriktat arbete inom operationssjukvården kan ifrågasättas. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att beskriva operationssjuksköterskors upplevelser av vad som utmärker perioperativ omvårdnad. Metod: Studien var en kvalitativ intervjustudie med induktiv ansats. Datainsamlingen gjordes genom reflexiva intervjuer av tio operationssjuksköterskor från två operationskliniker. Intervjuerna baserades på en upplevd situation av perioperativ omvårdnad. Dataanalysen genomfördes utifrån innehållsanalys. Resultat: Operationssjuksköterskornas upplevelser av perioperativ omvårdnad kan sammanfattas i en huvudkategori: Patientsäker omvårdnad. Tre generiska kategorier framkom: Bevara patientens värdighet, Samordna och kontrollera patientens vård samt Skydda patientens kropp. Operationssjuksköterskorna beskrev hur de arbetade utifrån patientens individuella behov samt hade operationsmetodiska och medicintekniska kunskaper vilket förhindrade vårdskador hos patienten. Konklusion: Den perioperativa omvårdnaden utmärks av att operationssjuksköterskorna genom sina specifika kunskaper samordnar och kontrollerar patientens vård, skyddar patientens kropp och medverkar till en bevarad värdighet hos patienten vilket bidrar till en patientsäker vård. Enligt riktlinjer ska den perioperativa omvårdnaden vara personcentrerad vilken den delvis är men ytterligare evidens kring PCO perioperativt skulle vara betydelsefullt. / Introduction: The operating theatre nurse (OTN) is responsible for the patient’s care during the perioperative process and it should be conducted on the basis of person-centered care (PCC). In the high-tech environment the OTN work as a link between technology and the patient. Only a few studies illustrate the OTN’s perioperative care and the need for a care-oriented work in the operating room is questionable. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe OTNs' experiences of the characteristics of perioperative nursing. Method: The study was a qualitative interview study with an inductive approach. The data was collected through reflexive interviews of ten OTNs’ from two surgical clinics. The interviews were based on a perceived situation of perioperative care. Data analysis was carried out with content analysis. Result: The OTNs' experiences of perioperative care can be summarized in one key category: Patient safe care. Three generic categories emerged: Preserving the patient's dignity, Coordination and control of the patient’s care and Protect the patient's body. The OTNs’ described how they worked according to individual patient needs and had specific operating and technical knowledge which prevented the emergence of health damage to the patient. Conclusion: The perioperative nursing characterized by the OTNs’ through their specific knowledge coordinates and controls the patient's care, protect the patient's body and contributes to the preservation of the patient’s dignity, which contributes to a patient safe care. According to the guidelines, the perioperative care should be person-centered which it partly is but further evidence regarding perioperative PCC would be significant.

No description available.

Background Patient safety is an undisputable part of healthcare. The use of clinical practice guidelines, usually based on evidence-based practice/best practice, promotes patient safety and high quality care, reduces unnecessary patient suffering, and healthcare costs. Analysing results from venous blood specimen collection is one of the most commonly used services within healthcare, and a substantial number of decisions on diagnosis, treatment, and treatment evaluation are based on the results. Hence, the accuracy of these tests are vitally important. Earlier research has demonstrated that healthcare staff report suboptimal adherence to venous blood specimen collection guidelines together with the need for improved practices. Blood sample collection is carried out by several professionals, among them registered nurses and, as a consequence, nursing students too. University nursing students learn and practice venous blood specimen collection in one of their first semesters. After initial skill training at clinical skill laboratories, they continue to perform the task during clinical placements in various clinical settings. Few or no studies have been performed on nursing students, hence it seemed important to assess guideline adherence to venous blood specimen collection among university students as well as to further explore adherence to guidelines among healthcare staff. Therefore, the overall aim for this thesis was to explore adherence to, and factors influencing venous blood specimen collection guidelines practice among university nursing students and healthcare staff. Methods The thesis includes four studies. Study I-III had a quantitative, cross-sectional design, study IV had a qualitative approach. Study I included 164 healthcare staff from 25 primary healthcare centres. Study II included 101 nursing students in their 5th and 6th semesters, and study III included 305 nursing students in their 2nd, 4th, and 6th semesters. To assess adherence to venous blood specimen collection guidelines, data were collected using the Venous Blood Specimen Questionnaire, completed with background variables (I, II, III) and additional scales (III). Descriptive statistics, multilevel and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In study IV, data were collected through five focus group interviews among 6th semester nursing students (n=26). Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Workplace affiliation was found to explain variances in reported adherence between different primary healthcare centres. Associations between reported venous blood specimen collection practices and individual as well as workplace factors were revealed. Nursing students were found to increasingly deviate from guideline adherence during their education. Also among students, several associations between guideline adherence and other iv factors were revealed. Reported research use at clinical practice was associated with higher levels of adherence, as were higher capability beliefs regarding both evidence-based practice and academic ability. Analyses from focus group interviews summarised students’ reflections on deviations from VBSC guidelines in the overall theme ‘Striving to blend in and simultaneously follow guidelines’. Conclusion Both healthcare staff at primary healthcare centres and nursing students demonstrate decreasing levels of guideline adherence with time. Factors influencing adherence are both individual as well as contextual. This indicate that both students and staff are subjected to socialisation processes that influences levels of adherence. In order to enhance venous blood specimen collection practices and thereby patient safety, actions must be taken - both in healthcare clinical contexts and by educators. The use of models in practical skill training, and in the ambition to bridge the theory-practice gap may be the path to success. It is reasonable to assume that collaboration between, on the one hand, education representatives and on the other, supervising RNs in clinical settings, will be fruitful. Finally, by empowering students their self-efficacy may be strengthened, and hence their ability to maintain guideline adherence.

Background: Insertion of a peripheral intravenous catheter (PVC) is a common procedure performed by nurses. The practical skill is a complex act, which not only requires theoretical and practical knowledge, but also nursing care adjusted to each patient's history and needs. Aim: The aim was to explore the procedure of inserting a peripheral intravenous catheter at a local hospital in Tanzania with focus on nursing care and patient safety. Method: The study was performed as a non-participating observational study and was preceded by a pilot study performed in Sweden. Eight observations were made, which were analysed with a qualitative content analysis. Result: The categories “Execution” and “Respecting patients” with associated sub-categories constituted the results. “Execution” describes how the procedure is performed, while “Respecting patients,” explains the performed nursing care during the practical skill. Conclusion: The Model of Practical Skill Performance was used for interpreting and discussing the result. The model clarified that some components were not fulfilled and the performance can therefore not be considered as well proceeded. One can discuss whether it depends on lack of knowledge, resources and/or culture. Keywords: Peripheral intravenous catheter, nursing care, patient safety, Tanzania, low-income country. / Bakgrund: Insättning av perifer venkateter (PVK) är en vanligt förekommande uppgift för sjuksköterskor. Denna praktiska färdighet kan anses vara komplex, då den inte bara kräver teoretisk och praktisk kunskap, utan också omvårdnad anpassad efter varje patients behov och tidigare erfarenheter. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka tillvägagångssättet vid insättning av perifer venkateter på ett lokalt sjukhus i Tanzania, med fokus på omvårdnad och patientsäkerhet. Metod: Studien utfördes som en icke-deltagande observationsstudie och föregicks av en pilotstudie utförd i Sverige. Åtta observationer genomfördes som sedan analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Kategorierna “Utförande” och “Respektera patienter” med tillhörande underkategorier utgjorde resultatet. ”Utförande” beskriver tillvägagångssättet vid insättnig av PVK, samt förberedelser och slutförande. “Respektera patienter” beskriver den givna omvårdnaden under det det praktiska utförandet. Konklusion: Modellen för praktisk färdighetsutövande användes för att tolka och diskutera resultatet. Modellen klargjorde att några komponenter inte uppfylldes och utförandet kan därmed inte anses som väl utfört. Det kan diskuteras om detta beror på bristande kunskap, resurser och/eller kultur. Nyckelord: Perifer venkateter, omvårdnad, patientsäkerhet, Tanzania, låginkomstland.

The objective of this thesis is to explore how a systems approach can be used to provide an insight into patient safety in NHS hospitals in England. Healthcare delivers considerable benefits yet there remains a relatively high rate of harm and death for patients through adverse events occurring during the process of treatment. The extant patient safety literature acknowledges the influence of organisational or system factors on patient safety. However, the literature is weak in explaining how system factors affect patient safety. To provide an insight into the interactions within healthcare systems, this research explores the characteristics of NHS hospitals, regarded as complex socio-technical systems, using concepts from resilience, systems, accident and social theory. A theoretical Safe Working Envelope (SWE) model (Rasmussen, 1997) is developed and contextualised for use in the NHS. The case study field work was carried out in two NHS hospitals during consecutive winter months at times of high demand for inpatient services. A third case study uses secondary data about patient safety failures in the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The original SWE model has three failure boundaries. The model is developed by introducing an additional boundary to take account of Government targets. Social theory and system dynamics are used to include the dialectic feedback of social actors and the dynamics of workload. The model depicts the competing pressures, constraints and the workload associated with the need to meet the financial, target, staff workload and patient safety requirements. Three interacting construct sets are explored. These are the constraints within which the system operates, the pressures from the context, and the system dynamics of demand, capacity and decision making. Insights into system behaviours of the hospitals are derived from examining the construct set interactions. The proposition is made that there are five system behaviour archetypes which create the conditions that influence patient safety. The archetypes are derived from the system dynamics and in particular the relationship between reinforcing and balancing feedback loops. The five archetypes are safe practice, drift, tip, collapse and transition towards failure. As hospitals become overcrowded the complexity increases and the reinforcing feedback loops dominate the system and potentially increase the risk to patients. An element of risk arises from staff normalising to the drift in standards of care.