Pre-implementation context and implementation approach for a nursing and midwifery clinician researcher career pathway: A qualitative study.

AIM: To describe the pre-implementation context and implementation approach, for a clinician researcher career pathway. BACKGROUND: Clinician researchers across all health disciplines are emerging to radically influence practice change and improve patient outcomes. Yet, to date, there are limited clinician researcher career pathways embedded in clinical practice for nurses and midwives. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used. DATA SOURCES: Data were collected from four online focus groups and four interviews of health consumers, nursing and midwifery clinicians, and nursing unit managers (N = 20) between July 2022 and September 2023. RESULTS: Thematic and content analysis identified themes/categories relating to: Research in health professionals' roles and nursing and midwifery, and Research activity and culture (context); with implementation approaches within coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring (Normalization Process Theory). CONCLUSIONS: The Pathway was perceived to meet organizational objectives with the potential to create significant cultural change in nursing and midwifery. Backfilling of protected research time was essential. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: The Pathway was seen as an instrument to empower staff, foster staff retention and extend research opportunities to every nurse and midwife, while improving patient experiences and outcomes. IMPACT: Clinicians, consumers and managers fully supported the implementation of clinician researchers with this Pathway. The Pathway could engage all clinicians in evidence-based practice with a clinician researcher leader, effect practice change with colleagues and enhance patient outcomes. REPORTING METHOD: This study adheres to relevant EQUATOR guidelines using the COREG checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Health consumers involved in this research as participants, did not contribute to the design or conduct of the study, analysis or interpretation of the data, or in the preparation of the manuscript.

Parents' and nurses' perceptions and behaviours of family-centred care during periods of busyness.

PURPOSE: Busyness as a construct within modern healthcare is complex and multidimensional. To date, few studies have sought to explore how busyness influences family-centred care. This study explored the influence of busyness on the delivery of family-centred care for nurses and parents. DESIGN AND METHOD: Ethnography was selected as the research design. The study site was a metropolitan tertiary hospital inpatient paediatric unit in Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interview and non-participant observation techniques were used for data collection. Ten paediatric nurses and 10 parents were interviewed and 40 h of non-participant observations were undertaken. The COREQ was used to report the study. RESULTS: The findings are presented as three key themes: (i) 'Supporting family-centred care' in which participants detail beliefs about the nurse-parent relationships and how despite busyness nurses sought out moments to engage with parents; (ii) 'Being present at the bedside' identified the challenges in optimising safety and how parents adapted their way of being and interacting on the unit; and (iii) 'The emotional cost of busyness' and how this influenced nurse-parent interactions, care delivery and family-centred care. CONCLUSIONS: The ethnography has given shape to social understandings of busyness, the complexities of paediatric nursing and family-centred care. The culture of care changed in moments of busyness and transformed parent and nursing roles, expectations and collaborative care that at time generated internal emotional conflict and tension. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Given the increasing work demands across health systems, new agile ways of working need to ensure maintenance of a family-centred approach. Strategies need to be developed during periods of busyness to better support collaborative connections and the well-being of paediatric nurses and parents. At an organisational level, fostering a positive workplace culture that shares a vision for family-centred care and collaboration is essential. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Parents of sick children admitted to an acute paediatric inpatient ward were invited to be a participant in a single interview. Parents were aware of the study through ward advertisement and informal discussions with the researchers or senior clinical staff. Engagement with parents was important as healthcare delivery in paediatrics is focused on the delivery of family-centred care. To minimise the risk of child distress and separation anxiety, children were present during the parent interview. Whist children and young people voices were not silenced during the interview process, for this study the parent's voice remained the focus. While important, due to limited resources, parents were not involved in the design analysis or interpretation of the data or in the preparation of this manuscript. DATA SHARING: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

A systematic review of reasons and risks for acute service use by older adult residents of long-term care.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify the reasons and/or risk factors for hospital admission and/or emergency department attendance for older (≥60 years) residents of long-term care facilities. BACKGROUND: Older adults' use of acute services is associated with significant financial and social costs. A global understanding of the reasons for the use of acute services may allow for early identification and intervention, avoid clinical deterioration, reduce the demand for health services and improve quality of life. DESIGN: Systematic review registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022326964) and reported following PRISMA guidelines. METHODS: The search strategy was developed in consultation with an academic librarian. The strategy used MeSH terms and relevant keywords. Articles published since 2017 in English were eligible for inclusion. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection were searched (11/08/22). Title, abstract, and full texts were screened against the inclusion/exclusion criteria; data extraction was performed two blinded reviewers. Quality of evidence was assessed using the NewCastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Thirty-nine articles were eligible and included in this review; included research was assessed as high-quality with a low risk of bias. Hospital admission was reported as most likely to occur during the first year of residence in long-term care. Respiratory and cardiovascular diagnoses were frequently associated with acute services use. Frailty, hypotensive medications, falls and inadequate nutrition were associated with unplanned service use. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable risks have been identified that may act as a trigger for assessment and be amenable to early intervention. Coordinated intervention may have significant individual, social and economic benefits. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This review has identified several modifiable reasons for acute service use by older adults. Early and coordinated intervention may reduce the risk of hospital admission and/or emergency department. REPORTING METHOD: This systematic review was conducted and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Cognitive bias during clinical decision-making and its influence on patient outcomes in the emergency department: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: An integral part of clinical practice is decision-making. Yet there is widespread acceptance that there is evidence of cognitive bias within clinical practice among nurses and physicians. However, how cognitive bias among emergency nurses and physicians' decision-making influences patient outcomes remains unclear. AIM: The aim of this review was to systematically synthesise research exploring the emergency nurses' and physicians' cognitive bias in decision-making and its influence on patient outcomes. METHODS: This scoping review was guided by the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science and PubMed. No date limits were applied. The Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice and Research recommendation (PAGER) framework was used to guide the discussion. RESULTS: The review included 18 articles, consisting of 10 primary studies (nine quantitative and one qualitative) and eight literature reviews. Of the 18 articles, nine investigated physicians, five articles examined nurses, and four both physicians and nurses with sample sizes ranging from 13 to 3547. Six primary studies were cross-sectional and five used hypothetical scenarios, and one real-world assessment. Three were experimental studies. Twenty-nine cognitive biases were identified with Implicit bias (n = 12) most frequently explored, followed by outcome bias (n = 4). Results were inconclusive regarding the influence of biases on treatment decisions and patient outcomes. Four key themes were identified; (i) cognitive biases among emergency clinicians; (ii) measurement of cognitive bias; (iii) influence of cognitive bias on clinical decision-making; and (iv) association between emergency clinicians' cognitive bias and patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This review identified that cognitive biases were present among emergency nurses and physicians during clinical decision-making, but it remains unclear how cognitive bias influences patient outcomes. Further research examining emergency clinicians' cognitive bias is required. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Awareness of emergency clinicians' own cognitive biases may result to the provision of equity in care. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION IN THIS REVIEW: We intend to disseminate the results through publication in a peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.

Barriers and enablers for safe medication administration in adult and neonatal intensive care units mapped to the behaviour change wheel.

BACKGROUND: Intensive care settings have high rates of medication administration errors. Medications are often administered by nurses and midwives using a specified process (the '5 rights'). Understanding where medication errors occur, the contributing factors and how best practice is delivered may assist in developing interventions to improve medication safety. AIMS: To identify medication administration errors and context specific barriers and enablers for best practice in an adult and a neonatal intensive care unit. Secondary aims were to identify intervention functions (through the Behaviour Change Wheel). STUDY DESIGN: A dual methods exploratory descriptive study was conducted (May to June 2021) in a mixed 56-bedded adult intensive care unit and a 6-bedded neonatal intensive care unit in Sydney, Australia. Incident monitoring data were examined. Direct semi-covert observational medication administration audits using the 5 rights (n = 39) were conducted. Brief interviews with patients, parents and nurses were conducted. Data were mapped to the Behaviour Change Wheel. RESULTS: No medication administration incidents were recorded. Audits (n = 3) for the neonatal intensive care unit revealed no areas for improvement. Adult intensive care unit nurses (n = 36) performed checks for the right medication 35 times (97%) and patient identity 25 times (69%). Sixteen administrations (44%) were interrupted. Four themes were synthesized from the interview data: Trust in the nursing profession; Availability of policies and procedures; Adherence to the '5 rights' and departmental culture; and Adequate staffing. The interventional functions most likely to bring about behaviour change were environmental restructuring, enablement, restrictions, education, persuasion and modelling. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals insights about the medication administration practices of nurses in intensive care. Although there were areas for improvement there was widespread awareness among nurses regarding their responsibilities to safely administer medications. Interview data indicated high levels of trust among patients and parents in the nurses. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This novel study indicated that nurses in intensive care are aware of their responsibilities to safely administer medications. Mapping of contextual data to the Behaviour Change Wheel resulted in the identification of Intervention functions most likely to change medication administration practices in the adult intensive care setting that is environmental restructuring, enablement, restrictions, education, persuasion and modelling.

Implementation evaluation of a rapid response system in a regional emergency department: a dual-methods study using the behaviour change wheel.

BACKGROUND: Failure to recognise and respond to clinical deterioration is a major cause of high mortality events in emergency department (ED) patients. Whilst there is substantial evidence that rapid response teams reduce hospital mortality, unplanned intensive care admissions, and cardiac arrests on in-patient settings, the use of rapid response teams in the ED is variable with poor integration of care between emergency and specialty/intensive care teams. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate uptake and impact of a rapid response system on recognising and responding to deteriorating patients in the ED and identify implementation factors and strategies to optimise future implementation success. METHODS: A dual-methods design was used to evaluate an ED Clinical Emergency Response System (EDCERS) protocol implemented at a regional Australian ED in June 2019. A documentation audit was conducted on patients eligible for the EDCERS during the first 3 months of implementation. Quantitative data from documentation audit were used to measure uptake and impact of the protocol on escalation and response to patient deterioration. Facilitators and barriers to the EDCERS uptake were identified via key stakeholder engagement and consultation. An implementation plan was developed using the Behaviour Change Wheel for future implementation. RESULTS: The EDCERS was activated in 42 (53.1%) of 79 eligible patients. The specialty care team were more likely to respond when the EDCERS was activated than when there was no activation ([n = 40, 50.6%] v [n = 26, 32.9%], p = 0.01). Six facilitators and nine barriers to protocol uptake were identified. Twenty behaviour change techniques were selected and informed the development of a theory-informed implementation plan. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the EDCERS protocol resulted in high response rates from specialty and intensive care staff. However, overall uptake of the protocol by emergency staff was poor. This study highlights the importance of understanding facilitators and barriers to uptake prior to implementing a new intervention.

A Survey of Community Nurses' Knowledge and Strategies Used to Relieve Breathlessness in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about community nurses' knowledge of breathlessness and its management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). AIM: To explore the community registered nurses' knowledge of COPD and the strategies that they use to manage breathlessness in people with COPD. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study of community registered nurses was conducted using the 65-item Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire and an open-ended item to outline breathlessness strategies. FINDINGS: A total of 59 nurses participated. The total mean Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire Score was 43. The breathlessness category was the lowest scoring category. There were three themes that synthesised: the community nurse's role in monitoring self-management of medications to relieve breathlessness; the use of non-pharmacological strategies to relieve breathlessness; the nursing skills used to monitor breathlessness in people with COPD.

The role and contribution of family carers accompanying community-living older people with cognitive impairment to the emergency department: An interview study.

BACKGROUND: Older people with cognitive impairment may have lack of understanding of their health and ability to co-ordinate care needs. Family carers play a key role in supporting older people but the role of family carers in emergency discharge has not been explored well. OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe the role and contribution of family carers accompanying the older person with cognitive impairment to the emergency department. DESIGN: A exploratory descriptive study was conducted in which telephone interviews were performed. SETTING: Three emergency departments located in metropolitan Sydney, Australia; two major tertiary referral centres and one district hospital. The EQUATOR research checklist (COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research) (COREQ) was used to report the qualitative study. SUBJECTS: Participants were family carers accompanying people aged ≥64 years with cognitive impairment; with non-urgent triage classifications; English speaking and eligible for discharge home. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted 2 to 4 weeks after the older person was discharged. Data were reflexively thematically analysed in NVIVO independently by three researchers. RESULTS: Twenty-eight interviews were conducted. Three key themes were evident: (1) 'communicating knowledge of the older person's health status and usual behaviour'; (2) 'providing advocacy, translation, surrogacy and care co-ordination'; and (3) 'ensuring safe transition from the emergency department to home'. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings detailed how family carers created an important safety net while the older person was in emergency, through advocacy and the communication of vital health information. More importantly, their knowledge influenced the healthcare management of the older person and ensured safe discharge and co-ordination of care in the community. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study identified for older persons with cognitive impairment a safe stay in the ED and transition home from hospital was supported by family carers and assisted to ensure that discharge information was understood and adhered to optimise wellbeing and prevent adverse outcomes. The findings of this study can inform discharge processes for nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors. Additionally, processes to support family carer engagement would optimise older person compliance and better inform healthcare decision-making and choice for older peoples, family carers. The findings of the study should inform discharge processes to minimise risk of readmission, financial burden and harm.

Increasing accuracy in documentation through the application of a structured emergency nursing framework: A multisite quasi-experimental study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine if the use of an emergency nursing framework improves the accuracy of clinical documentation. BACKGROUND: Accurate clinical documentation is a nursing professional responsibility essential for high-quality and safe patient care. The use of the emergency nursing framework "HIRAID" (History, Identify Red flags, Assessment, Interventions, Diagnostics, reassessment and communication) improves emergency nursing care by reducing treatment delays and improving escalation of clinical deterioration. The effect of HIRAID on the accuracy of nursing documentation is unknown. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental pre-post study was conducted and the report was guided by the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. METHODS: HIRAID was implemented in four regional/rural Australian emergency departments (ED) using a range of behaviour change strategies. The blinded electronic healthcare records of 120 patients with a presenting problem of shortness of breath, abdominal pain or fever were reviewed. Quantity measures of completeness and qualitative measures of completeness and linguistic correctness of documentation adapted from the D-Catch tool were used to assess accuracy. Differences between pre-post groups were analysed using Wilcoxon rank-sum and two-sample t-tests for continuous variables. Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used for the categorical data. RESULTS: The number of records containing the essential assessment components of emergency care increased significantly from pre- to post-implementation of HIRAID. This overall improvement was demonstrated in both paediatric and adult populations and for all presentation types. Both the quantitative and qualitative measures of documentation on patient history and physical assessment findings improved significantly. CONCLUSION: Use of HIRAID improves the accuracy of clinical documentation of the patient history and physical assessment in both adult and paediatric populations. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The emergency nursing framework "HIRAID" is recommended for use in clinical practice to increase the documentation accuracy performed by emergency nurses.

Nurses' role in accomplishing interprofessional coordination: Lessons in 'almost managing' an emergency department team.

AIM: To describe how nurse coordinators accomplished day-to-day interprofessional coordination in an Australian emergency department team, drawing some lessons for the design of nurse coordinator roles in other settings. BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined leadership within nursing teams, and there are a growing number of registered nurses employed as care coordinators. There is limited literature on how the day-to-day coordination of interprofessional teams is accomplished, and by whom. METHOD: Nineteen semi-structured interviews with emergency department registered nurses, doctors and nurse practitioners analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three themes describe how coordinators accomplished interprofessional coordination: task coordination and oversight, taking action to maintain patient flow and negotiating an ambiguous role. CONCLUSION: Better-defined nurse coordinator roles with clearer authority and associated training are essential for consistent practice. However, accomplishing interprofessional coordination will always require the situated knowledge of the complex nursing-medical division of labour in the workplace and the interpersonal relationships that are only gained through experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The design of nurse coordinator roles must include the thorny question of 'who leads' interprofessional teams in the day-to-day coordination of tasks. New and inexperienced nurses may not have the necessary situated knowledge or interpersonal relationships to succeed. However, such roles offer an important development opportunity for future nurse managers.

Implementation of a hospital-wide multidisciplinary blunt chest injury care bundle (ChIP): Fidelity of delivery evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Ineffective intervention for patients with blunt chest wall injury results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. To address this, a blunt chest injury care bundle protocol (ChIP) was developed, and a multifaceted plan was implemented using the Behaviour Change Wheel. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reach, fidelity, and dose of the ChIP intervention to discern if it was activated and delivered to patients as intended at two regional Australian hospitals. METHODS: This is a pretest and post-test implementation evaluation study. The proportion of ChIP activations and adherence to ChIP components received by eligible patients were compared before and after intervention over a 4-year period. Sample medians were compared using the nonparametric median test, with 95% confidence intervals. Differences in proportions for categorical data were compared using the two-sample z-test. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Over the 19-month postimplementation period, 97.1% (n = 440) of eligible patients received ChIP (reach). The median activation time was 134 min; there was no difference in time to activation between business hours and after-hours; time to activation was not associated with comorbidities and injury severity score. Compared with the preimplementation group, the postimplementation group were more likely to receive evidence-based treatments (dose), including high-flow nasal cannula use (odds ratio [OR] = 6.8 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 4.8-9.6]), incentive spirometry in the emergency department (OR = 7.5, [95% CI = 3.2-17.6]), regular analgesia (OR = 2.4 [95% CI = 1.5-3.8]), regional analgesia (OR = 2.8 [95% CI = 1.5-5.3]), patient-controlled analgesia (OR = 1.8 [95% CI = 1.3-2.4]), and multiple specialist team reviews, e.g., surgical review (OR = 9.9 [95% CI = 6.1-16.1]). CONCLUSIONS: High fidelity of delivery was achieved and sustained over 19 months for implementation of a complex intervention in the acute context through a robust implementation plan based on theoretical frameworks. There were significant and sustained improvements in care practices known to result in better patient outcomes. Findings from this evaluation can inform future implementation programs such as ChIP and other multidisciplinary interventions in an emergency or acute care context.

Outcomes of Person-centered Care for Persons with Dementia in the Acute Care Setting: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study assessed clinical outcomes and quality care for persons with dementia in an acute hospital with PCC, compared with usual care. METHODS: Forty-seven consented persons 60 years and over with dementia were assigned to PCC (n = 26) or usual care (control) (n = 21). Hospital nurses and allied health staff received 3 h of face-to-face education in PCC, and practice support by four PCC-trained nurse champions. Control group staff received 3 h of face-to-face education on dementia and delirium care clinical guidelines. Primary outcomes behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms and care quality were analyzed based on repeated measures at baseline (Time 1), 4-5 days after baseline (Time 2) and day 8-10 after baseline (Time 3) where available. RESULTS: Compared with controls, at Time 2 PCC produced statistically significant improvements in behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms (adjusted p = .036) and care quality (adjusted p = .044). Where length of stay exceeded 8 days after baseline (Time 3), there was a sustained improvement in quality care (p = .007), but not in behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms (p = .27). CONCLUSIONS: PCC can improve care quality for persons with dementia; nursing; agitation; paid caregivers with dementia and reduce behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms during short hospital stays. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Hospital systems need to support PCC to reduce behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia during long hospital stays.

Priorities and expectations of patients attending a multidisciplinary interstitial lung disease clinic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The significant and progressive morbidity associated with ILD mean that patients often struggle with the impact of this disease on their QOL and independence. To date, no studies have investigated the importance of multidisciplinary care on patient experience in ILD. We aimed to determine the expectations and priorities of patients attending a tertiary referral centre multidisciplinary ILD clinic. In particular, we sought to learn how important the multidisciplinary element of the clinic was to patients and which aspects of the clinic were most valued. METHODS: An 18-item patient questionnaire was developed in conjunction with expert physicians and specialist nurses involved in the ILD clinic and sent to all patients on the centre's ILD registry at the time of the study (n = 240). Patients rated the importance of different aspects of their experience of attending the clinic. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Comparisons across disease severity were made using two-sided Z-tests for independent proportions. RESULTS: A total of 100 respondents comprised the study group. Almost all respondents valued the multidisciplinary aspect of the clinic. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and improving their disease understanding was most important to respondents. The importance of the ILD specialist nurse for both education and support increased with worsening disease severity. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a multidisciplinary approach to the management of ILD with additional focus on patient education, as well as tailoring care to disease severity, is a plausible pathway to improving the patient experience with ILD.

Implementation of a structured emergency nursing framework results in significant cost benefit.

BACKGROUND: Patients are at risk of deterioration on discharge from an emergency department (ED) to a ward, particularly in the first 72 h. The implementation of a structured emergency nursing framework (HIRAID) in regional New South Wales (NSW), Australia, resulted in a 50% reduction of clinical deterioration related to emergency nursing care. To date the cost implications of this are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine any net financial benefits arising from the implementation of the HIRAID emergency nursing framework. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted between March 2018 and February 2019 across two hospitals in regional NSW, Australia. Costs associated with the implementation of HIRAID at the study sites were calculated using an estimate of initial HIRAID implementation costs (AUD) ($492,917) and ongoing HIRAID implementation costs ($134,077). Equivalent savings per annum (i.e. in less patient deterioration) were calculated using projected estimates of ED admission and patient deterioration episodes via OLS regression with confidence intervals for incremental additional deterioration costs per episode used as the basis for scenario analysis. RESULTS: The HIRAID-equivalent savings per annum exceed the costs of implementation under all scenarios (Conservative, Expected and Optimistic). The estimated preliminary savings to the study sites per annum was $1,914,252 with a payback period of 75 days. Conservative projections estimated a net benefit of $1,813,760 per annum by 2022-23. The state-wide projected equivalent savings benefits of HIRAID equalled $227,585,008 per annum, by 2022-23. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of HIRAID reduced costs associated with resources consumed from patient deterioration episodes. The HIRAID-equivalent savings per annum to the hospital exceed the costs of implementation across a range of scenarios, and upscaling would result in significant patient and cost benefit.

Are clinicians using routinely collected data to drive practice improvement? A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Clinical registry participation is a measure of healthcare quality. Limited knowledge exists on Australian hospitals' participation in clinical registries and whether this registry data informs quality improvement initiatives. OBJECTIVE: To identify participation in clinical registries, determine if registry data inform quality improvement initiatives, and identify registry participation enablers and clinicians' educational needs to improve use of registry data to drive practice change. METHODS: A self-administered survey was distributed to staff coordinating registries in seven hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Eligible registries were international-, national- and state-based clinical, condition-/disease-specific and device/product registries. RESULTS: Response rate was 70% (97/139). Sixty-two (64%) respondents contributed data to 46 eligible registries. Registry reports were most often received by nurses (61%) and infrequently by hospital executives (8.4%). Less than half used registry data 'always' or 'often' to influence practice improvement (48%) and care pathways (49%). Protected time for data collection (87%) and benchmarking (79%) were 'very likely' or 'likely' to promote continued participation. Over half 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that clinical practice improvement training (79%) and evidence-practice gap identification (77%) would optimize use of registry data. CONCLUSIONS: Registry data are generally only visible to local speciality units and not routinely used to inform quality improvement. Centralized on-going registry funding, accessible and transparent integrated information systems combined with data informed improvement science education could be first steps to promote quality data-driven clinical improvement initiatives.

Applying real-time Delphi methods: development of a pain management survey in emergency nursing.

The modified Delphi technique is widely used to develop consensus on group opinion within health services research. However, digital platforms are offering researchers the capacity to undertake a real-time Delphi, which provides novel opportunities to enhance the process. The aim of this case study is to discuss and reflect on the use of a real-time Delphi method for researchers in emergency nursing and cognate areas of practice. A real-time Delphi method was used to develop a national survey examining knowledge, perceptions and factors influencing pain assessment and management practices among Australian emergency nurses. While designing and completing this real-time Delphi study, a number of areas, emerged that demanded careful consideration and provide guidance to future researchers.

Psychological capital, well-being, and patient safety attitudes of nurses and midwives: A cross-sectional survey.

Nursing and midwifery are unarguably stressful endeavors requiring high levels of psychological capital and coping strategies. The impact of the work environment on patient safety outcomes suggests that high nurse/midwife stress may be associated with more adverse patient events. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological capital of clinical nurses and midwives and identify explanatory factors (including psychological capital, well-being, and health-related behaviors) contributing to attitudes to patient safety. A descriptive web- and paper-based survey comprising a convenience sample of nurses and midwives in acute health facilities in Sydney, Australia, was performed (October 2018 and April 2019). Variables included psychological capital, psychological well-being, work culture, and attitudes to patient safety. Descriptive statistics were performed and a regression model was specified (a statistical significance of P < 0.05 was set a priori). Psychological capital, depression score, and work engagement had a significant effect on patient safety perceptions when controlling for other factors. The findings suggest that nurse and midwife well-being is an important consideration when striving to improve patient safety.

A nurse practitioner-led model of care improves access, early assessment and integration of oncology services: an evaluation study.

PURPOSE: In Australia, the number of cancer cases has doubled since 1991 and is the second most common cause of death as reported by Chen, H., et al. (Supportive Care in Cancer, 2018. 27: p. 451-460). Chemotherapy, a common treatment, is known to cause distressing symptoms that often lead to a person presenting to an emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to investigate whether a nurse practitioner (NP)-led model of care could improve cancer service integration and reduce hospital presentations. METHODS: This was an evaluation study for a new model of care that included (i) telephone helpline; (ii) urgent assessment clinic; and (iii) rapid day treatment consultation service. RESULTS: The utilisation rate was 337 telephone calls involving 157 patients in the 7-month pilot. The most common reason for calling the helpline was for symptom management (n = 173, 51%), followed by education regarding treatment (n = 61, 18%). As a result, 49% (n = 165) of callers were given advice, information, or education; 22% (n = 74) were referred on to other healthcare providers; and 11% (38) were admitted to hospital. Of the 38 admitted patients, 9 were admitted directly from the urgent NP-led clinic bypassing the ED. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the NP-led model of care has reduced ED presentations, optimised symptom management, and streamlined patient telephone enquiries using validated clinical assessment tools (Jones 2018) within cancer services. The telephone helpline was available for the broader local health district community and was actively utilised. Patient surveys were overwhelmingly positive. The model of care has improved symptom management for patients and reduced ED workload and presentation rates.

Clarifying workforce flexibility from a division of labor perspective: a mixed methods study of an emergency department team.

BACKGROUND: The need for greater flexibility is often used to justify reforms that redistribute tasks through the workforce. However, "flexibility" is never defined or empirically examined. This study explores the nature of flexibility in a team of emergency doctors, nurse practitioners (NPs), and registered nurses (RNs), with the aim of clarifying the concept of workforce flexibility. Taking a holistic perspective on the team's division of labor, it measures task distribution to establish the extent of multiskilling and role overlap, and explores the behaviors and organizational conditions that drive flexibly. METHODS: The explanatory sequential mixed methods study was set in the Fast Track area of a metropolitan emergency department (ED) in Sydney, Australia. In phase 1, an observational time study measured the tasks undertaken by each role (151 h), compared as a proportion of time (Kruskal Wallis, Mann-Whitney U), and frequency (Pearson chi-square). The time study was augmented with qualitative field notes. In phase 2, 19 semi-structured interviews sought to explain the phase 1 observations and were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: The roles were occupationally specialized: "Assessment and Diagnosis" tasks consumed the largest proportion of doctors' (51.1%) and NPs' (38.1%) time, and "Organization of Care" tasks for RNs (27.6%). However, all three roles were also multiskilled, which created an overlap in the tasks they performed. The team used this role overlap to work flexibly in response to patients' needs and adapt to changing demands. Flexibility was driven by the urgent and unpredictable workload in the ED and enabled by the stability provided by a core group of experienced doctors and nurses. CONCLUSION: Not every healthcare team requires the type of flexibility found in this study since that was shaped by patient needs and the specific organizational conditions of the ED. The roles, tasks, and teamwork that a team requires to "be flexible" (i.e., responsive and adaptable) are highly context dependent. Workforce flexibility therefore cannot be defined as a particular type of reform or role; rather, it should be understood as the capacity of a team to respond and adapt to patients' needs within its organizational context. The study's findings suggest that solutions for a more flexible workforce may lay in the organization of healthcare work.

Pain assessment and interventions by nurses in the emergency department: A national survey.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge, perceptions and factors influencing pain assessment and management practices among Australian emergency nurses. BACKGROUND: Pain is the most commonly reported symptom in patients presenting to the emergency department, with over half rating their pain as moderate-to-severe. Patients unable to communicate, such as critically ill intubated patients, are at greater risk of inadequate pain management. DESIGN: This cross-sectional exploratory study used survey methodology to explore knowledge, perceptions and factors influencing pain management practices among Australian emergency nurses. METHODS: Australian emergency nurses were invited to complete an online survey comprising 91 items. The response rate was 450 of 1,488 (30.2%). STROBE guidelines were used in reporting this study. RESULTS: Variations in level of acute pain management knowledge, especially in older, cognitively impaired or mechanically ventilated patients were identified. Poor interprofessional communication, workload and staffing negatively impacted on nurses' intention to administer analgesia. For intubated patients, validated observation pain assessment instruments were rarely used, although respondents recognised the importance of pain management in critically ill patients. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency nurses recognise the importance of pain relief. The ability to nurse-initiate analgesia, education and training in pain management education is variable. Little education is provided on assessing and managing acute pain in elderly, cognitively impaired or mechanically ventilated patients. Use of validated pain assessment instruments to assess pain in critically ill patients is poor. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: While pain management is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals, in the emergency department, it is a core role of emergency nursing. This study highlights the variation in ability to nurse-initiate analgesia, level of acute pain knowledge, education and training, and use of validated pain assessment instruments to guide pain management in critically ill intubated patients.