Daily work variability in falls prevention of hospitalized patients: nursing team's perception.

BACKGROUND: The identification of safety incidents and establishment of systematic methodologies in health services to reduce risks and provide quality care was implemented by The World Health Organization. These safety incidents allowed the visualization of a vast panorama, ranging from preventable incidents to adverse events with catastrophic outcomes. In this scenario, the issue of fall(s) is inserted, which, despite being a preventable event, can lead to several consequences for the patient, family, and the healthcare system, being the second cause of death by accidental injury worldwide, this study aims to identify the variability inherent in the daily work in fall prevention, the strategies used by professionals to deal with it and the opportunities for improvement of the management of work-as-imagined. METHOD: A mixed method approach was conducted, through process modeling and semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in a public university hospital in southern Brazil. Study steps: modeling of the prescribed work, identification of falls, modeling of the daily work, and reflections on the gap between work-as-done and work-as-imagined. Medical records, management reports, notification records, protocols, and care procedures were consulted for modeling the work process, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Nursing professionals. The study was conducted between March 2019 and December 2020. RESULTS: From July 2018 to July 2019, 447 falls occurred, 2.7% with moderate to severe injury. The variability occurred in the orientation of the companion and the assurance of the accompanied patient's de-ambulation. The professionals identified individual strategies to prevent falls, the importance of multi-professional work, learning with the work team, and the colleague's expertise, as well as suggesting improvements in the physical environment. CONCLUSION: This study addressed the need for fall prevention in the hospital setting as one of the main adverse events that affect patients. Identifying the variability inherent to the work allows professionals to identify opportunities for improvement, understand the risks to which patients are subjected, and develop the perception of fall risk as a way to reduce the gap between work-as-imagined and work-as-done.

Modeling of adult patient falls and the repercussions to Nursing as a second victim. / Modelagem de quedas de pacientes adultos e as repercussões à Enfermagem como segunda vítima.

OBJECTIVE: analyze the falls of adult hospitalized patients and their repercussions on the Nursing worker as the second victim. METHOD: an exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study conducted in two stages - identification of falls with moderate to severe damage and the modeling of falls using the software Functional Resonance Analysis Method; and analysis of the repercussions on the worker as the second victim by means of semi-structured interviews submitted to Content Analysis, with 21 Nursing workers. RESULTS: a total of 447 falls of adult patients were identified, 12 of which with moderate to severe damage, occurred in the absence of the companion, while using sleep inducing, hypotensive or muscle strength altering medications. The modeling identified 22 functions related to the Standard Operating Procedure, to the fall prevention protocol and to the post-event actions. Of these, eight presented variability in their execution. In the second step, the categories "The complexity of care to prevent falls" and "Feelings of the second victim" emerged. CONCLUSION: falls are complex phenomena and prevention requires involvement of the patient, family and multi-professional team. The professionals involved are second victims and experience feelings of guilt, fear, anguish and helplessness. This study can contribute to the multi-professional spirit and to the early approach to second victims.

Coping with complexity in the COVID pandemic: An exploratory study of intensive care units.

Although the COVID pandemic has challenged the resilience of health services in general, this impact has been most visible in intensive care units (ICUs). This paper presents an exploratory study of how ICUs in Brazil have coped with the complexity stemming from the pandemic. Five guidelines for coping with complexity were adopted as analytical framework. The guidelines were concerned with slack resources, diversity of perspectives, visibility, work-as-done, and unintended consequences. There were three main sources of data: (i) a survey with respondents from 33 ICUs, which indicated their agreement with 23 statements related to the use of the complexity guidelines; (ii) semistructured interviews with seven survey respondents and two public health officials; and (iii) 20 h of observations of the meetings of a municipal bed management committee. Seventy resilience practices were identified from these data sources. Most of these practices (n = 30) were related to the guideline on slack resources, which were commonly obtained from other hospital units. As for the survey data, the statement related to the availability of extra or standby human resources obtained the lowest score, reinforcing the key role of slack resources. Five lessons learned for coping with complexity in ICUs were drawn from our data; one lesson for each guideline. Furthermore, the survey questionnaire is a potential ICU assessment tool, which can be adapted to other health services.

Modelagem de quedas de pacientes adultos e as repercussões à Enfermagem como segunda vítima / Modeling of adult patient falls and the repercussions to Nursing as a second victim / Modelaje de caídas de pacientes adultos y las repercusiones en la Enfermería como segunda víctima

Resumo Objetivo: analisar as quedas de pacientes adultos hospitalizados e suas repercussões no trabalhador de Enfermagem como segunda vítima. Método: estudo exploratório, descritivo e qualitativo realizado em duas etapas - identificação das quedas com dano moderado ao grave e a modelagem das quedas com uso do software Functional Resonance Analysis Method e análise das repercussões no trabalhador como segunda vítima por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas submetidas à Análise de Conteúdo, com 21 trabalhadores de Enfermagem. Resultados: identificadas 447 quedas de pacientes adultos, sendo 12 com dano moderado ao grave, ocorridas na ausência do acompanhante, no uso de medicamentos indutores do sono, hipotensores ou que alteram a força muscular. A modelagem identificou 22 funções relacionadas ao Procedimento Operacional Padrão, ao protocolo de prevenção de quedas e às ações pós-evento. Dessas, oito apresentaram variabilidade em sua execução. Na segunda etapa, emergiram as categorias "A complexidade dos cuidados para prevenir as quedas" e "Sentimentos da segunda vítima". Conclusão: as quedas são fenômenos complexos e a prevenção exige envolvimento do paciente, família e equipe multiprofissional. Os profissionais envolvidos são segundas vítimas e experimentam sentimentos de culpa, medo, angústia e impotência. Este estudo pode contribuir com a multiprofissionalidade e na abordagem precoce às segundas vítimas.

Abstract Objective: analyze the falls of adult hospitalized patients and their repercussions on the Nursing worker as the second victim. Method: an exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study conducted in two stages - identification of falls with moderate to severe damage and the modeling of falls using the software Functional Resonance Analysis Method; and analysis of the repercussions on the worker as the second victim by means of semi-structured interviews submitted to Content Analysis, with 21 Nursing workers. Results: a total of 447 falls of adult patients were identified, 12 of which with moderate to severe damage, occurred in the absence of the companion, while using sleep inducing, hypotensive or muscle strength altering medications. The modeling identified 22 functions related to the Standard Operating Procedure, to the fall prevention protocol and to the post-event actions. Of these, eight presented variability in their execution. In the second step, the categories "The complexity of care to prevent falls" and "Feelings of the second victim" emerged. Conclusion: falls are complex phenomena and prevention requires involvement of the patient, family and multi-professional team. The professionals involved are second victims and experience feelings of guilt, fear, anguish and helplessness. This study can contribute to the multi-professional spirit and to the early approach to second victims.

Resumen Objetivo: analizar las caídas de pacientes adultos hospitalizados y sus repercusiones en el trabajador de Enfermería como segunda víctima. Método: estudio exploratorio, descriptivo y cualitativo realizado en dos etapas - Identificación de las caídas con daño moderado a grave y el modelaje de las caídas utilizando el software Functional Resonance Analysis Method y Análisis de las repercusiones en el trabajador como segunda víctima por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas posteriormente sometidas al Análisis de Contenido, en 21 trabajadores de Enfermería. Resultados: fueron identificadas 447 caídas de pacientes adultos, siendo 12 con daño moderado a grave, ocurridas en la ausencia del acompañante, al usar medicamentos inductores de sueño, hipotensores y/o los que alteran la fuerza muscular. El modelaje identificó 22 funciones relacionadas al Procedimiento Operacional Estándar, es decir el protocolo de prevención de caídas y las acciones seguidas después del evento. Entre estas, ocho presentaron variabilidad en su ejecución. En la segunda etapa, surgieron las categorías "La complejidad de los cuidados para prevenir las caídas" y "Sentimientos de la segunda víctima". Conclusión: las caídas son fenómenos complejos y la prevención exige la participación del paciente, familia y equipo multiprofesional. Los profesionales involucrados son segundas víctimas y experimentan sentimientos de culpa, miedo, angustia e impotencia. Este estudio puede contribuir con la multiprofesionalidad y el abordaje precoz a las segundas víctimas.

Modelling interactions between procedures and resilience skills.

Although work in complex socio-technical systems needs support from several "resources for action", the interactions between these are not usually managed systematically. This study introduces a six-step framework for analyzing the interactions between two key resources for action, namely the use of standardized operating procedures and resilience skills (RSs). The main steps for applying the framework involve: (i) a content analysis of the procedure, which allows for the identification of underspecified rules and situations that could be emphasized in scenario-based training focused on developing RSs; and (ii) the identification of factors that set the stage for the emergence of RSs, which could be accounted for by procedures and the broader work system design. An application of the framework is presented in the preparation and administration of intravenous medications in an emergency department. Data collection involved 98 h of observations, 14 interviews, and document analysis. Based on this field study, a model of the interactions between procedures and RSs is proposed as well as the lessons learned from applying the framework are discussed.

Resilience skills as emergent phenomena: A study of emergency departments in Brazil and the United States.

Although the use of resilience skills (RSs) by emergency department (ED) front-line staff is ubiquitous, the nature and origin of these skills tend to be taken for granted. This study investigates the research question "where do RSs come from"? Case studies in two EDs were undertaken in order to answer the research question: one in Brazil and the other in the United States. The case studies adopted the same data collection and analysis procedures, involving interviews, questionnaires, observations, and analysis of documents. A model for describing RSs as emergent phenomena is proposed. The model indicates that RSs arise from interactions between: work constraints, hidden curriculum, gaps in standardized operating procedures, organizational support for resilience, and RSs themselves. An instantiation of the model is illustrated by a critical event identified from the American ED. The model allows the identification of leverage points for influencing the development of RSs, instead of leaving their evolution purely to chance.

The design of scenario-based training from the resilience engineering perspective: a study with grid electricians.

Although scenario-based training (SBT) can be an effective means to help workers develop resilience skills, it has not yet been analyzed from the resilience engineering (RE) perspective. This study introduces a five-stage method for designing SBT from the RE view: (a) identification of resilience skills, work constraints and actions for re-designing the socio-technical system; (b) design of template scenarios, allowing the simulation of the work constraints and the use of resilience skills; (c) design of the simulation protocol, which includes briefing, simulation and debriefing; (d) implementation of both scenarios and simulation protocol; and (e) evaluation of the scenarios and simulation protocol. It is reported how the method was applied in an electricity distribution company, in order to train grid electricians. The study was framed as an application of design science research, and five research outputs are discussed: method, constructs, model of the relationships among constructs, instantiations of the method, and theory building. Concerning the last output, the operationalization of the RE perspective on three elements of SBT is presented: identification of training objectives; scenario design; and debriefing.

Characterizing complexity in socio-technical systems: a case study of a SAMU Medical Regulation Center.

Complexity theory has been adopted by a number of studies as a benchmark to investigate the performance of socio-technical systems, especially those that are characterized by relevant cognitive work. However, there is little guidance on how to assess, systematically, the extent to which a system is complex. The main objective of this study is to carry out a systematic analysis of a SAMU (Mobile Emergency Medical Service) Medical Regulation Center in Brazil, based on the core characteristics of complex systems presented by previous studies. The assessment was based on direct observations and nine interviews: three of them with regulator of emergencies medical doctor, three with radio operators and three with telephone attendants. The results indicated that, to a great extent, the core characteristics of complexity are magnified) due to basic shortcomings in the design of the work system. Thus, some recommendations are put forward with a view to reducing unnecessary complexity that hinders the performance of the socio-technical system.

Identification of non-technical skills from the resilience engineering perspective: a case study of an electricity distributor.

Training in non-technical skills (NTS) does not usually question the design of the work system, and thus focuses narrowly on workers as the unit of analysis. This study discusses how the identification of NTS, a major step for developing an NTS training program, might be re-interpreted from the perspective of resilience engineering (RE). This discussion is based on a case study of identifying NTS for electricians who perform emergency maintenance activities in an electricity distribution power line. The results of the case study point out that four data analysis procedures might operationalize the RE perspective: (a) identifying factors that make the work difficult and which could be integrated into NTS training scenarios; (b) identifying recommendations for re-designing the system, in order either to reduce or eliminate the need for NTS; (c) classifying the NTS into pragmatic categories, which are meaningful for workers; and (d) regarding the identification of NTS as an opportunity to give visibility to adaptations carried out by workers.