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Showing results for tags 'Staff factors'.
Found 843 results
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Content ArticleSecond victims are healthcare providers involved in an unexpected adverse event, medical error or injury affecting a patient, who become victims in the sense they are traumatised by it. The purpose of the 'European Researchers' Network Working on Second Victims' is to Introduce an open dialogue among stakeholders about the theoretical conceptualisation and practical consequences of the second victims’ phenomenon based on a cross-national collaboration that integrates different disciplines and approaches. It facilitates discussion and share scientific knowledge, perspectives, and best practices concerning the consequences of adverse events in the healthcare workforce and to implement joint efforts to tackle with the second victims’ phenomenon.
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Content ArticleA strong focus on systems thinking and an encouragement to apply insights and expertise from human factors and ergonomics is paramount in how we plan, design and deliver healthcare safely. It’s central to the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan, the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) guidance on how to investigate incidents of unsafe care and the National Patient Safety Syllabus.[1-3] It’s something Patient Safety Learning emphasise in our report A Blueprint for Action and is central to the organisational standards for patient safety that we’ve developed.[4] But how should we ‘do’ human factors? How do we apply the concepts, methodologies, tools and techniques in healthcare? What training do we need? How can patient safety managers embed human factors in all of their work, not just a reactive response to incidents of harm? These are some of the questions that patient safety managers have been asking and discussing in the recent Patient Safety Manager Network (PSMN) meetings. The PSMN is an informal voluntary network for patient safety managers in England. Created by and for patient safety managers it provides a weekly drop-in session with guests to talk through issues of importance, providing information, peer support and safe space for discussion. You can find out more about the network here.
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Content ArticleThe West Suffolk Review, commissioned by NHS England on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care, was published last month. NHSE/I asked the West Suffolk Board to produce an action plan for the 28 January meeting of the Board of Directors. This paper summarises the current position in relation to the learning, reflection and response thus far, including the organisational development actions that have already been taken and require further embedding. It also highlights the engagement undertaken to date, and what more needs to happen, to ensure our plans are based on the priorities for staff, governors, patients and teams and can carry the confidence of stakeholders. The report, 'West Suffolk Review – organisational development plan (p. 217)', sets out nine broad themes of work, linked to the trust’s core functions, “that capture the priority areas for organisational and cultural development at WSFT in light of the learnings from the report”. The document sets out how the trust’s governance, freedom to speak up, HR, staff voice, patient safety and other parts of its corporate infrastructure failed and contributed to a scandal.
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Content ArticleAs Clare Gerada finished the final house calls of her long career in general practice, it struck her how detached she was from her patients now – and that it was not always like this. Where did we go wrong, and what can we do to fix it? she asks in this article in the Guardian.
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Content ArticleDespite recent discussions and campaigns to widen nursing’s appeal to people of diverse gender identities, it continues to be perceived as a largely female profession. In the context of an ageing workforce, and alongside recruitment and retention challenges, efforts should be directed at developing a more inclusive profession rather than focusing on why people other than women do not become nurses. To attract more men, transgender people and those who identify as nonbinary, as well as women, the approach to nursing recruitment needs to change. The profession must develop a more inclusive culture and examine and promote the advantages that gender diversity can bring to nursing. This article from Quinn et al. explores the lack of gender diversity in contemporary nursing, briefly examines the history of gender in nursing, and considers how the profession might evolve into a more gender-diverse and inclusive workforce.
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Content ArticleThe current debate about whether individuals should be entitled to work in the healthcare sector if they decline to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV2 has been largely informed by personal opinions and argument by analogy. In this BMJ opinion piece, Jeffrey K Aronson looks at a benefit:harm balance analysis which suggests that while vaccination has a highly favourable benefit:harm balance, the balance in instituting a “no jab, no job” policy is highly uncertain and may be unfavourable. Furthermore, there are practical difficulties and legal uncertainties. The much misunderstood precautionary principle dictates that if the benefit:harm balance of an intervention is unclear and may be unfavourable, the intervention should not be undertaken. Furthermore, the onus is on those who believe that the benefit:harm balance will be favourable to prove that it is so; it is not for the sceptics to prove that it isn’t. In the absence of good evidence in favour, this is an intervention that would be best avoided.
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Content ArticleThe need to evacuate an intensive care unit (ICU) or operating theatre complex during a fire or other emergency is a rare event but one potentially fraught with difficulty: not only is there a risk that patients may come to significant harm but also that staff may be injured and unable to work. The Intensive Care Society and the Association of Anaesthetists have published new 2021 guidelines regarding fire safety and emergency evacuation of ICUs and operating theatres. These guidelines have been drawn up by a multi-professional group including frontline clinicians, healthcare fire experts, human factors experts, clinical psychologists and representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), NHS Improvement, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), and representatives from relevant industries.
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Content ArticleJohn Drew, Director of Staff Experience and Engagement at NHS England and Improvement, presented at the NHS Health at Work Network Conference on how the NHS are supporting the health and wellbeing of staff by growing and developing NHS-delivered Occupational Health services. View the presentation slides below.
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Content ArticleThe direction of hospital design is taking a turn for the practical as a surge of institutions are updating their infrastructure and responding to demands for more outpatient facilities. Beyond aesthetics, hospitals are seeking architectural updates that improve safety, patient and staff satisfaction, and friendliness to the environment. Infection control, lighting conditions, noise level, air quality, and patient room design are just some of the factors that are considered.
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Content ArticleThe Ipsos Global Health Service Monitor is an annual study that explores the biggest health challenges facing people today and how well-equipped people think their country’s healthcare services are to tackle them. It ran the survey in 30 countries between 30 August and 3 September 2021. The survey found that public perceptions of healthcare services have not been adversely affected by the pandemic, according to our 30-country survey. Britons are generally happy with the quality of healthcare but are acutely aware of the challenges facing healthcare services.
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Content ArticleThis qualitative study in Patient Education and Counseling collected narrative accounts from doctors, nurses and patients to determine whether their perspectives can add new content to quality of care frameworks. The three groups raised the following 'quality of care' aspects: Successful communication among staff, with patients and care companions Staff motivation Frequency of knowledge errors Prioritisation of patient-preferred outcomes Institutional emphasis on building “quality cultures” Organisational implementation of fluid system procedures The study found that respondents primarily referred to care processes, rather than structure or outcomes, in their descriptions of 'quality of care'. 'Hippocratic pride' (in response to care successes) and 'rapid reactivity' (in response to (near) failures) emerged as two new outcome indicators of high-quality care.
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Content ArticleThis webinar from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors is about boosting organisational and personal performance by recognising, measuring and promoting wellness. It describes the development and application of indices to measure wellness using a 'Whole Life - Whole Organisation' approach. Topics include: Ways for organisations to improve key performance indicators such as sales, productivity, customer service, reduction in accidents, quality, safety/liability, people retention, absence, presenteeism and levels of engagement/motivation Access to new software and management intelligence to support and implement a 3D next generation organisational improvement approach New certifications such as Certificate in Personal Performance - Wellness Management Global Wellness Indices for Healthcare, Hybrid Workers, Hazardous Industries and Universities (staff and students) New research and development and the growing international community of organisations and people active in Performance – Wellness – Health
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Content ArticlePeople in Place highlights the fundamental skills and people issues which will determine the future of health and care in the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic has made these issues clearer and more pressing, but it has also revealed an appetite for change and resulted in innovative ways of working. This report argues that building effective collective leadership into systems and places is vital to overcome staffing and governance issues in the NHS. Focusing on building long-term frameworks for change rather than responding to immediate pressures, it suggests practical tools and resources that could be used to bring about transformation within the system.
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Mindfulness and safety
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Incentives and techniques
Current research suggests that staff mindfulness practices can contribute to better safety outcomes. Researchers at the University of Houston have conducted a systematic review of studies that assess the relationship between mindfulness and safety at work. The study suggests that: mindfulness training does not need to be lengthy or frequent to have a significant impact on workplace safety different mindfulness training techniques are better suited to specific industries such as healthcare and the military. -
Content ArticleAs COVID-19 hit England last spring, the health service faced workforce shortages of over 100,000 staff. Around 40% of the staffing shortfall was in nursing. Capacity constraints of all kinds have been an important backdrop to the management of the pandemic. Equipment and buildings matter, but throughout COVID-19 the key risk was not having enough staff to safely treat all the patients needing care. Anita Charlesworth discusses what action is now required.
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Working under pressure: Performance infographics
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Good practice
Core Cognition have produced some helpful infographics for staff working under pressure, including fatigue and cognitive performance, cognitive biases and diagnostic error and8 tools to improve communication under pressure, -
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Ensuring safe vascular access
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Improving patient safety
This guide, published in the Health Service Journal, looks at how greater standardisation and ultimately accreditation of specialised vascular access teams would ensure a basic level of competency and quality of care. -
Content ArticleHundreds of healthcare organisations around the world are Schwartz Center healthcare members and conduct Schwartz Rounds® to bring doctors, nurses and other caregivers together to discuss the social and emotional side of caring for patients and families. This video explains more.
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Content ArticleShabazz et al. explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine.
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"Am I safe?" Presented by Lee Fleisher (31 March 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Good practice
“We have to create the culture of learning; the culture of having a safe space, the culture of wanting to do better and learning those conditions in which we do do better” This powerful talk looks directly at how a clear approach to patient safety really can improve the standard of care where you work. What is the culture of quality and safety that you’re trying to embed, can you actually do better? Learn why it’s important to focus on psychological safety; “if people start being scared, everyone gets scared then it expands”. Learn how an evidence based approach can allow us to tackle these issues rather than shy away from them; “what factors are maintaining safety? How do we get to good outcomes? What are the things working well? How do we understand human variation?”. Presented by Lee Fleisher, Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania. -
Content Article
In his latest blog, Ehi Iden, hub topic lead for Occupational Health and Safety, OSHAfrica, discusses the importance of documenting and learning from patient safety incidences. Using a fictional story to draw parallels from, Ehi highlights how accountability, leadership and reporting incidences will help us keep staff and patients safe. -
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Fatigue and alertness: Keeping the rail industry alert
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Techniques
Whether you work in an office or on the front line, drive your car home from work or a train full of passengers, you need to be awake and alert to do your job safely and efficiently. Managing fatigue is everybody’s responsibility. RSSB's aim is to make sure that everyone, at all levels, understands their role in managing fatigue. Based on their research and consultation with the rail industry, RSSB have put together a range of resources to help with this. -
Content ArticleHelen McKenna sits down with Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The King’s Fund, and Professor Michael West to explore the results of the 2020 NHS Staff Survey and discuss how the NHS can create an inclusive, compassionate, and supportive working environment for staff.
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Content ArticleIn healthcare, leadership is decisive in influencing the quality of care and the performance of hospitals. How staff are treated significantly influences care provision and organisational performance so understanding how leaders can help ensure staff are cared for, valued, supported and respected is important. Research suggests ‘inclusion’ is a critical part of the answer, as Roger Kline explains further in this BMJ Opinion article.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan discuss resilience, the importance of recovery and how we can build resilience.
