An Acute Stress Scale for Health Care Professionals Caring for Patients With COVID-19: Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the response capacity of the health care workforce, and health care professionals have been experiencing acute stress reactions since the beginning of the pandemic. In Spain, the first wave was particularly severe among the population and health care professionals, many of whom were infected. These professionals required initial psychological supports that were gradual and in line with their conditions. OBJECTIVE: In the early days of the pandemic in Spain (March 2020), this study aimed to design and validate a scale to measure acute stress experienced by the health care workforce during the care of patients with COVID-19: the Self-applied Acute Stress Scale (EASE). METHODS: Item development, scale development, and scale evaluation were considered. Qualitative research was conducted to produce the initial pool of items, assure their legibility, and assess the validity of the content. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach α and McDonald ω. Confirmatory factor analysis and the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test were used to assess construct validity. Linear regression was applied to assess criterion validity. Back-translation methodology was used to translate the scale into Portuguese and English. RESULTS: A total of 228 health professionals from the Spanish public health system responded to the 10 items of the EASE scale. Internal consistency was .87 (McDonald ω). Goodness-of-fit indices confirmed a two-factor structure, explaining 55% of the variance. As expected, the highest level of stress was found among professionals working in health services where a higher number of deaths from COVID-19 occurred (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: The EASE scale was shown to have adequate metric properties regarding consistency and construct validity. The EASE scale could be used to determine the levels of acute stress among the health care workforce in order to give them proportional support according to their needs during emergency conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seguridad del paciente e implicación de las enfermeras: encuesta en los hospitales de Cataluña / Patient safety and nursing implication: Survey in Catalan hospitals

OBJETIVO: El presente estudio pretende describir la implementación de los programas de seguridad del paciente (SP) de los hospitales catalanes y analizar el nivel de implicación de las enfermeras. MÉTODO: Estudio descriptivo multicéntrico y transversal. Para la obtención de los datos se elaboraron dos cuestionarios, uno dirigido a la dirección y otro al referente de SP que se distribuyeron entre los 65 hospitales de agudos de Cataluña en 2013. RESULTADOS: El cuestionario lo respondieron 43 direcciones de enfermería y 40 referentes de enfermería de SP. El 93% de los hospitales respondió disponer de programa de SP y el 81,4% monitoriza los resultados mediante un cuadro de indicadores específico. El referente en SP del centro es enfermera en el 55,8% de los centros. El 92,5% disponen de un sistema de notificación de efectos adversos con un promedio de 190,3 notificaciones anuales y el 86% de los centros dedican enfermeras a la SP aunque únicamente el 16% a jornada completa. Los referentes de enfermería valoran el grado de implementación del programa SP con un aprobado y proponen como mejora aumentar el personal con dedicación a SP y disponer de formación académica específica. CONCLUSIONES: El grado de implementación de los programas de SP es elevado en los hospitales catalanes aunque la estructura organizativa presenta una gran diversidad. En más de la mitad de los centros el referente en SP es una enfermera, confirmándose la implicación de las enfermeras en estos programas

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the implementation of the patient safety (PS) programs in catalan hospitals and to analyze the level of nursing involvement. METHOD: Multicenter cross-sectional study. To obtain the data two questionnaires were developed; one addressed to the hospital direction and another to the nurse executive in PS. The survey was distributed during 2013 to the 65 acute care hospitals in Catalonia. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 43 nursing directors and 40 nurse executive in PS.93% of the hospitals responded that they had a PS Program and 81.4% used a specific scoreboard with PS indicators. The referent of the hospital in PS was a nurse in 55.8% of the centres.92.5% had a system of notification of adverse effects with an annual average of 190.3 notifications. In 86% of the centres had a nurse involved in the PS program but only in the 16% of the centres the nurse dedication was at full-time. The nurse respondents evaluate the degree of implementation of the PBS program with a note of approved and they propound as improvement increase the staff dedicated to the PS and specific academic training in PS. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of implementation of programs for patient safety is high in Catalan acute hospitals, while the organizational structure is highly diverse. In more than half of the hospitals the PS referent was a nurse, confirming the nurse involvement in the PS programs

Patient safety and nursing implication: Survey in Catalan hospitals. / Seguridad del paciente e implicación de las enfermeras: encuesta en los hospitales de Cataluña.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the implementation of the patient safety (PS) programs in catalan hospitals and to analyze the level of nursing involvement. METHOD: Multicenter cross-sectional study. To obtain the data two questionnaires were developed; one addressed to the hospital direction and another to the nurse executive in PS. The survey was distributed during 2013 to the 65 acute care hospitals in Catalonia. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 43 nursing directors and 40 nurse executive in PS. 93% of the hospitals responded that they had a PS Program and 81.4% used a specific scoreboard with PS indicators. The referent of the hospital in PS was a nurse in 55.8% of the centres. 92.5% had a system of notification of adverse effects with an annual average of 190.3 notifications. In 86% of the centres had a nurse involved in the PS program but only in the 16% of the centres the nurse dedication was at full-time. The nurse respondents evaluate the degree of implementation of the PBS program with a note of approved and they propound as improvement increase the staff dedicated to the PS and specific academic training in PS. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of implementation of programs for patient safety is high in Catalan acute hospitals, while the organizational structure is highly diverse. In more than half of the hospitals the PS referent was a nurse, confirming the nurse involvement in the PS programs.

Episodios adversos asociados a catéteres vasculares insertados en Urgencias / Adverse events associated with vascular catheters in Emergency

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