404 research outputs found
Lifting the lid: a clinical audit on commode cleaning
Many healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are preventable by infection control procedures designed to interrupt the transmission of organisms from a source. Commodes are in use constantly throughout healthcare facilities. Therefore commode surfaces are constantly handled, and any pathogens present have the potential to be transferred to not only other surfaces but also, more importantly, to patients, thus compromising patient safety. In order to examine the effectiveness and thoroughness of cleaning commodes an audit was undertaken to assess compliance with evidence-based practice. This audit demonstrates a cycle which includes defining best practice, implementing best practice, monitoring best practice and taking action to improve practice. The audit results confirmed an issue that the authors had long suspected. That is, that commodes allocated to individual patients are not always cleaned after every use. Using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence as an indicator of organic soiling also demonstrated that commodes that were considered clean were not always cleaned to a high standard. Implementing the audit recommendations improves staff knowledge through education, standardises cleaning procedures and ultimately improves patient safety
Making the link between critical appraisal, thinking and analysis
Nursing has become an all-graduate profession; as such, student nurses must develop their skills of critical analysis. The need to develop critical analytical thinking has been identified as the single most important skill in undergraduate education and reaching the academic requirements of level six study. In degree-level healthcare programmes, students are frequently asked to complete a structured critical appraisal of research. This paper examines how critical appraisal activities can be an opportunity for students to develop transferable critical thinking skills. Critical appraisal teaches objectivity, reflection, logic and discipline, which encourage students to think critically in both theory and practice.N/
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"Who's actually gonna read this?" An evaluation of staff experiences of the value of information contained in written care plans in supporting care in three different dementia care settings
BACKGROUND: Reports of increased healthcare bureaucracy and concerns over care plan quality have emerged from research and surveys into staff and service user experiences. Little is known of mental health staff perspectives on the value of written care plans in supporting dementia care.
AIM: To investigate the experiences and views of staff in relation to care planning in dementia services in one National Health Service (NHS) provider Trust in England.
METHOD: Grounded Theory methodology was used. A purposive sample of 11 multidisciplinary staff were interviewed across three sites in one NHS Trust. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed using the constant comparative method.
FINDINGS: Five themes were identified and are explored in detail below: 1) Repetition; 2) the impact of electronic records on practice; 3) ambivalence about the value of paperwork; 4) time conflicts; and 5) alternative sources of information to plan care.
DISCUSSION: Participants perceived that written care plans did not help staff with good practice in planning care or to support dementia care generally. Staff were frustrated by repetitive documentation, inflexible electronic records and conflicting demands on their time.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Frontline staff should be involved in designing new information systems including care plans. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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Standards for midwife Practitioners of external cephalic version: A Delphi study
IntroductionExpansion of advanced and specialist midwifery practitioner roles across professional boundaries requires an evidence-based framework to evaluate achievement and maintenance of competency. In order to develop the role of Breech Specialist Midwife to include the autonomous performance of external cephalic version within one hospital, guidance was required on standards of training and skill development, particularly in the use of ultrasound
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