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Emergency Staff (emergency + staff)
Selected AbstractsAggression towards health care staff in a UK general hospital: variation among professions and departmentsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2004Sue Winstanley BSc Background., Aggression towards health care staff is an increasing problem and although many studies have examined psychiatric settings, few have considered general hospitals and in particular, variation among professions and locations. In addition, studies often fail to include all forms of aggression such as threatening behaviour and verbal aggression. Methods., This study extends existing research by evaluating physical assault, threatening behaviour and verbal aggression from patients/visitors towards general hospital staff in the context of different professions and departments. Results and conclusions., The survey of staff showed that aggression is widespread. Within the preceding year, 27% of the respondents were assaulted, 23% experienced threatening behaviour from patients and 15.5% experienced threatening behaviour from visitors. Over 68% reported verbal aggression, 25.7% experiencing it more regularly than monthly. By departments, over 42% of the medical department staff, 36% of the surgical staff and over 30% of the Accident and Emergency staff were assaulted. By profession, staff nurses and enrolled nurses reported the most assaults (43.4%) and doctors, the fewest (13.8%). Other nursing grades and health care professions all reported levels of physical assault in excess of 20%. Correspondingly high levels of threatening behaviour and verbal aggression were also reported although the patterns of victimization differed according to the various professions and departments. Independently, significant levels of assault, threatening behaviour and verbal aggression were reported. When aggregated they demonstrate the higher levels of victimization that general hospital staff experienced on a regular basis. Relevance to clinical practice., Institutional averages actually obscure the much higher levels of aggression experienced by the particular professions in particular departments. This study helps to localize the problem and identify those at most risk, but more research is needed into the aetiology of the aggression and of vulnerability factors associated with victimization. [source] Experiences of seeking help from health professionals in a sample of women who experienced domestic violenceHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 1 2003Loraine Bacchus BSc MA PhD Abstract The present paper describes a qualitative study of women who suffered domestic violence. The aim was to explore their experiences of seeking help from health professionals and assess their psychological health. Purposive sampling was used to select a subsample from a larger sample of women who were screened for domestic violence as part of a study undertaken at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London, UK. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the subsample of women during the postpartum period (up to 14 months). Interviews were conducted in women's homes and general practitioners' (GPs) surgeries. The sample consisted of 10 women who had experienced domestic violence in the past 12 months (including the current pregnancy), and six women who had experienced domestic violence in the past 12 months but not the current pregnancy. The main outcome measures included: women's experiences of seeking help from health professionals; and assessment for postnatal depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress. Women scored highly on measures of postnatal depression and PTSD. With regard to seeking help, there was a tendency for women to regard GPs, and accident and emergency staff as less helpful compared with health visitors in responding to domestic violence. Lack of privacy, continuity of care and time constraints were dominant themes which emerged from women's contacts with health professionals. Very few women voluntarily disclosed domestic violence to a health professional and even fewer were asked directly about domestic violence by one. It is important for health professionals to enquire about domestic violence in a sensitive manner and provide a response that takes into accounts the complexity of women's needs. Domestic violence training is necessary to equip health professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to respond to domestic violence more effectively. [source] An evaluation of the implementation of a liaison service in an A&E departmentJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2000V. Morgan rmn bsc pgc(publicmanagement) msc This paper describes the results of an evaluation of a multidisciplinary liaison service based in an A&E department of a district general hospital in South Wales. The aims of the services were to increase the rate of referral for psychosocial assessment of individuals who presented at the department following acts of deliberate self-harm and to increase the number of such assessments completed within 24 h. The paper describes the context in which such a service was developed and outlines how this preliminary evaluation was completed. Data were collected from hospital records, over two corresponding five-month time-periods, in the year before the implementation of the service and the year following implementation of the service. The results show that the implementation of the service led to a statistically significant increase in the rate of referral for assessment by accident and emergency staff. Amongst other positive outcomes, the rate of repeat presentations was reduced for the period of one year following initial presentation. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to other research in the area and the suggestion is made that nursing staff may be more clinically and cost effective in completing psychosocial assessments in A&E departments than medical staff. [source] Barriers to Metered-dose Inhaler/spacer Use in Canadian Pediatric Emergency Departments: A National SurveyACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2007Martin H. Osmond MDCM Background Metered-dose inhalers and spacers (MDI+S) are at least as effective as nebulizers for treating children with mild to moderate asthma exacerbations. Despite advantages in terms of efficacy, side effects, and ease of use, MDI+S are not used in many North American pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). Objectives To survey emergency physicians, emergency nurses, and respirologists in Canadian pediatric teaching hospitals regarding their practices, beliefs, and barriers to change with respect to bronchodilator delivery. Methods This was a cross-sectional, mailed survey of all emergency physicians, all respirologists, and a random sample of emergency nurses at ten Canadian PEDs. Results A total of 291 of 349 health care professionals (83%) responded. Twenty-one percent of emergency physicians use MDI+S in the PED (largely concentrated at two "user sites"). A majority at nonuser sites, and virtually all professionals at user sites, responded that MDI+S are at least as effective as nebulizers, switching to MDI+S is justified by existing research, patient outcomes would be equal or better, and they have the required knowledge and skills to use MDI+S in the emergency department. The largest perceived barriers to MDI+S implementation include concerns regarding safety and costs, related to feasibility of providing and sterilizing spacers, and parental expectations for nebulizers. Other barriers included staff beliefs regarding the effectiveness of MDI+S, changes in nursing workload, and lack of a physician champion for change. Conclusions MDI+S are infrequently used to treat patients with acute asthma in Canadian PEDs, despite the fact that most emergency staff believe they are effective. Important barriers to using MDI+S have been identified in this study and should be used to guide future implementation strategies. [source] | ||||||||||