Head home: implementation during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that between 20% and 50% of paediatric head injuries attending our emergency department (ED) could be safely discharged soon after triage, without the need for medical review, using a 'Head Injury Discharge At Triage' tool (HIDAT). We sought to implement this into clinical practice. METHODS: Paediatric ED triage staff underwent competency-based assessments for HIDAT with all head injury presentations 1 May to 31 October 2020 included in analysis. We determined which patients were discharged using the tool, which underwent CT of the brain and whether there was a clinically important traumatic brain injury or representation to the ED. RESULTS: Of the 1429 patients screened; 610 (43%) screened negative with 250 (18%) discharged by nursing staff. Of the entire cohort, 32 CTs were performed for head injury concerns (6 abnormal) with 1 CT performed in the HIDAT negative group (normal). Of those discharged using HIDAT, four reattended, two with vomiting (no imaging or admission) and two with minor scalp wound infections. Two patients who screened negative declined discharge under the policy with later medical discharge (no imaging or admission). Paediatric ED attendances were 29% lower than in 2018. CONCLUSION: We have successfully implemented HIDAT into local clinical practice. The number discharged (18%) is lower than originally described; this is likely multifactorial. The relationship between COVID-19 and paediatric ED attendances is unclear but decreased attendances suggest those for whom the tool was originally designed are not attending ED and may be accessing other medical/non-medical resources.

Effects of simulation training on COVID-19 control ability and psychological states of nurses in a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discuss the effects of simulation training on improving the pre-examination, triage, prevention, and control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), explain the psychological states of pre-examination and triage staff in general hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic, and analyze relevant influencing factors. This study may serve as a reference of psychological consultation services to medical staff. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 60 nurses assigned in the pre-examination department, fever clinics, and isolation wards of a general hospital from January 26th to February 1st, 2020. Before assuming the posts, the nurses received simulation training on the clinical reception of suspected patients with COVID-19. Operation skills of the nurses before and after the training were assessed. RESULTS: The percent of passing significantly increased from 65% before the training to 98.33% after training (p<0.05). Training also significantly relieved the anxiety and depression of the nurses (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Scenario-simulation training can increase the emergency abilities of pediatric nurses in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic and relieve the anxiety of nurses.

Effectiveness of Clinical Nurses' interventions in reducing medication errors in a paediatric ward.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a bundle of interventions, developed and implemented by nurses, to reduce medication administration error rates and improve nurses' medication administration practice. BACKGROUND: Medication administration errors are a problematic issue worldwide, despite previous attempts to reduce them. Most interventions to date focus on isolated elements of the medication process and fail to actively involve nurses in developing solutions. DESIGN: An Action Research (AR) three-phase quantitative study. METHODS: Phase One aimed to build an overall picture of medication practice. Phase Two aimed to develop and implement targeted interventions. During this phase, the research team recruited six clinical paediatric nurses to be part of the AR Team. Five interventions were developed and implemented by the clinical nurses during this phase. The interventions were evaluated in Phase Three. Data collection included medication incident data, medication policy audits based on hospital medication policy and Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Quantitative analysis was undertaken. The Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE) checklist was followed in reporting this study. RESULTS: Postimplementing the interventions, medication error rates were reduced by 56.9% despite an increase in the number of patient admissions and in the number of prescribed medications. The rate of medication errors per 1,000 prescribed medications significantly declined from 2014 to 2016. The ward nurses were more compliant with the policy in postintervention phase than preintervention phase. The improvement in SAQ was reported in five of the seven domains. CONCLUSION: Clinically based nurse's participation in action research enabled practice reflection, development and implementation of a bundle of interventions, which led to a change in nursing practice and subsequent reduction in medication administration error rates. Active engagement of nurses in research empowers them to find solutions that are tailored to their own practice culture and environment.

Effect of organizational citizenship behavior on family-centered care: Mediating role of multiple commitment.

Family-centered care is one the most important indicators of high-quality care. The organizational citizenship behavior and commitment can enhance the quality of healthcare. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the organizational citizenship behavior on family-centered care considering the mediating role of multiple commitment. This descriptive study was conducted on 237 nurses working in pediatric and infant units of hospitals in Tehran city, Iran. The subjects were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data collection was performed using the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, Perceived Family-Centered Care Staff Questionnaire, Affective Commitment Scale, and Commitment to the Supervisor Scale. The SPSS v.22 and SEM-PLS v.2 software were used for data analysis. Results were extracted in the form of a standard model and fitted for indices pertaining to the measurement and structural models. Accordingly, the organizational citizenship behavior had a direct effect on family-centered care (ß = 0.19, t = 2.39). Moreover, multiple commitment including commitment to the leader and commitment to the organization had indirect weak and moderate effects on the relationship between the organizational citizenship behavior and family-centered care, respectively. An inverse association was reported between commitment to the leader and family-centered care. Furthermore, the organizational citizenship behavior predicted family-centered care by 70% considering the mediating role of multiple commitment. Therefore, family-centered care as an indicator of high-quality care can be improved through enhancing the organizational citizenship behavior and organizational commitment among Iranian nurses working in pediatric wards.

Promoting the Utilization of Science in Healthcare (PUSH) Project: A Description of the Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Research Utilization Among Pediatric Nurses.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to research utilization and evidence-based practice among nurses employed in a tertiary care children's hospital. Results revealed seven facilitator and six barrier themes that contribute to the understanding of the problem. The themes can be utilized by nursing professional development specialists to customize organizational infrastructure and educational programs.

Listening to paediatric primary care nurses: a qualitative study of the potential for interprofessional oral health practice in six federally qualified health centres in Massachusetts and Maryland.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the opportunities for interprofessional collaboration (IPC) to improve paediatric oral health in federally qualified health centres (FQHCs), to identify challenges to IPC-led integration of oral health prevention into the well-child visit and to suggest strategies to overcome barriers. SAMPLE: Nurse managers (NMs), nurse practitioners (NPs), paediatric clinical staff and administrators in six FQHCs in two states were interviewed using a semistructured format. DESIGN: Grounded theory research. Topics included feasibility of integration, perceived barriers and strategies for incorporating oral health into paediatric primary care. MEASUREMENTS: Qualitative data were coded and analysed using NVivo 10 to generate themes iteratively. RESULTS: Nurses in diverse roles recognised the importance of oral health prevention but were unaware of professional guidelines for incorporating oral health into paediatric encounters. They valued collaborative care, specifically internal communication, joint initiatives and training and partnering with dental schools or community dental practices. Barriers to IPC included inadequate training, few opportunities for cross-communication and absence of charting templates in electronic health records. CONCLUSIONS: NMs, NPs and paediatric nursing staff all value IPC to improve patients' oral health, yet are constrained by lack of oral health training and supportive charting and referral systems. With supports, they are willing to take on responsibility for introducing oral health preventive measures into the well-child visit, but will require IPC approaches to training and systems changes. IPC teams in the health centre setting can work together, if policy and administrative supports are in place, to provide oral health assessments, education, fluoride varnish application and dental referrals, decrease the prevalence of early childhood caries and increase access to a dental home for low-income children.

Nursing Staff's Perception of Barriers in Providing End-of-Life Care to Terminally Ill Pediatric Patients in Southeast Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To determine pediatric nurses' perceptions of intensity, frequency occurrence, and magnitude score of selected barriers in providing pediatric end-of-life (EOL) care. METHOD: A translated modified version of National Survey of critical care Nurses' s Regarding End-of-Life Care questionnaire was used to assess 151 nurses' perceptions of intensity and frequency occurrence of barriers in caring for dying children. RESULTS: The highest/lowest perceived barriers magnitude scores were "families not accepting poor child prognosis" (5.04) and "continuing to provide advanced treatment to dying child because of financial benefits to the hospital" (2.19). CONCLUSION: More high perceived barriers by nurses were family-related issues. One of the possible causes of such deficiencies was lack of palliative care (PC) education/PC units in Iran. Thus, developing EOL/PC education may enhance nurses' knowledge/skill to face EOL care challenges.

Nurses in Action: A Response to Cultural Care Challenges in a Pediatric Acute Care Setting.

Culturally congruent care is satisfying, meaningful, fits with people's daily lives, and promotes their health and wellbeing. A group of staff nurses identified specific clinical challenges they faced in providing such care for Hispanic and underserved Caucasian children and families in the pediatric medical-surgical unit of an urban regional children's hospital in the southeastern U.S. To address these challenges, an academic-practice partnership was formed between a group of nurse managers and staff nurses at the children's hospital and nursing faculty and graduate students at a local, research-intensive public university. Using the culture care theory, the partners collaborated on a research study to discover knowledge that would help the nursing staff resolve the identified clinical challenges. Twelve families and 12 healthcare providers participated. Data analysis revealed five care factors that participants identified as most valuable: family, faith, communication, care integration, and meeting basic needs. These themes were used to formulate nursing actions that, when applied in daily practice, could facilitate the provision of culturally congruent care for these children and their families. The knowledge generated by this study also has implications for healthcare organizations, nursing educators, and academic-practice partnerships that seek to ensure the delivery of equitable care for all patients.