The emergence of COVID-19 has spurred demand for facemasks and prompted many studies aiming to develop masks that provide maximum protection. Filtration capacity and fit define the level of ...protection a mask can provide, and the fit is in large part determined by face shape and size. Due to differences in face dimensions and shapes, a mask of one size will not be likely to fit all faces. In this work, we examined shape memory polymers (SMPs) for producing facemasks that are able to alter their shape and size to fit every face. Polymer blends with and without additives or compatibilizers were melt-extruded, and their morphology, melting and crystallization behavior, mechanical properties, and shape memory (SM) behavior were characterized. All the blends had phase-separated morphology. The mechanical properties of the SMPs were modified by altering the content of polymers and compatibilizers or additives in the blends. The reversible and fixing phases are determined by the melting transitions. SM behavior is caused by physical interaction at the interface between the two phases in the blend and the crystallization of the reversible phase. The optimal SM blend and printing material for the mask was determined to be a polylactic acid (PLA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) blend with 30% PCL. A 3D-printed respirator mask was manufactured and fitted to several faces after being thermally activated at 65°C. The mask had excellent SM and could be molded and remolded to fit a variety of facial shapes and sizes. The mask also exhibited self-healing and healed from surface scratches.
BackgroundResearch on patient safety in emergency medical services (EMS) has mainly focused on the organisation’s and/or the EMS personnel’s perspective. Little is known about how patients perceive ...safety in EMS. This study aims to describe the patients’ experiences of their sense of safety in EMS.MethodsA qualitative design with individual interviews of EMS patients (n=21) and an inductive qualitative content analysis were used.ResultsPatients’ experiences of EMS personnel’s ability or inability to show or use their medical, technical and driving skills affected the patients’ sense of safety. When they perceived a lack of professionalism and knowledge among EMS personnel, they felt unsafe. Patients highlighted equality in the encounter, the quality of the information given by EMS personnel and the opportunity to participate in their care as important factors creating a sense of safety during the EMS encounter. Altogether, patients’ perceptions of safety in EMS were connected to their confidence in the EMS personnel.ConclusionsOverall, patients felt safe during their EMS encounter, but the EMS personnel’s professional competence alone is not enough for them to feel safe. Lack of communication or professionalism may compromise their sense of safety. Further work is needed to explore how patients’ perceptions of safety can be used in improving safety in EMS.
ObjectivesThis study aimed to describe emergency medical services (EMS) managers’ and medical directors’ perceptions of collaborating with patients concerning patient safety issues in the ...EMS.DesignThe study used a descriptive qualitative approach. Five focus groups and two individuals were interviewed using a semi-structured guide with open-ended questions. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research was used to guide the reporting of this study.SettingEMS organisations from Finland’s five healthcare districts.ParticipantsEMS medical directors (n=5) and EMS managers (n=14). Purposive sampling was used.ResultsTwo main themes, ‘Patient safety considered an organisational responsibility’ and ‘EMS patients’ opportunities and obstacles to speaking up’, were generated from the data. Under the main theme, ‘Patient safety considered an organisational responsibility’, were three subthemes: patient safety considered part of the quality in EMS, system-level models for handling and observing patient safety in EMS, and management’s ability to find a balance when using patients’ feedback for patient safety development. Under the other main theme were four subthemes: ‘social and feedback skills of EMS personnel and management’, ‘managements’ assumptions of patients’ reasons for not speaking up’, ‘EMS organisations’ different but unsystematic ways of collecting feedback’ and ‘management’s openness to develop patient participation’.ConclusionsThe nature of the EMS organisations and EMS assignments could affect a patient’s participation in developing patient safety in EMS. However, EMS managers and medical directors are receptive to collaborating with patients concerning patient safety issues if they have sufficient resources and a coherent way to collect patient safety concerns. The management is open to collaborating with patients, but there is a need to develop a systematic method with enough resources to facilitate the management’s collaborating with patients.
When healthcare students witness, engage in, or are involved in an adverse event, it often leads to a second victim experience, impacting their mental well-being and influencing their future ...professional practice. This study aimed to describe the efforts, methods, and outcomes of interventions to help students in healthcare disciplines cope with the emotional experience of being involved in or witnessing a mistake causing harm to a patient during their clerkships or training.
This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and includes the synthesis of eighteen studies, published in diverse languages from 2011 to 2023, identified from the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS and APS PsycInfo. PICO method was used for constructing a research question and formulating eligibility criteria. The selection process was conducted through Rayyan. Titles and abstracts of were independently screened by two authors. The critical appraisal tools of the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies.
A total of 1354 studies were retrieved, 18 met the eligibility criteria. Most studies were conducted in the USA. Various educational interventions along with learning how to prevent mistakes, and resilience training were described. In some cases, this experience contributed to the student personal growth. Psychological support in the aftermath of adverse events was scattered.
Ensuring healthcare students' resilience should be a fundamental part of their training. Interventions to train them to address the second victim phenomenon during their clerkships are scarce, scattered, and do not yield conclusive results on identifying what is most effective and what is not.
Pandemics such as COVID-19 pose threats to the physical safety of healthcare workers and students. They can have traumatic experiences affecting their personal and professional life. Increasing rates ...of burnout, substance abuse, depression, and suicide among healthcare workers have already been identified, thus making mental health and psychological wellbeing of the healthcare workers a major issue. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the characteristics of emotional support programs and interventions targeted to healthcare workers and students since the onset of COVID-19 and other SARS-CoV pandemics and to describe the effectiveness and experiences of these programs.
This was a mixed method systematic review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and the review was registered on PROSPERO CRD42021262837. Searches were conducted using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. The COVIDENCE systematic review management system was used for data selection and extraction by two independent reviewers. The JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute) critical appraisal tools were used to assess the quality of selected studies by two additional reviewers. Finally, data extraction and narrative analysis were conducted.
The search retrieved 3161 results including 1061 duplicates. After screening, a total of 19 articles were included in this review. Participants in studies were nurses, physicians, other hospital staff, and undergraduate medical students mostly working on the front-line with COVID-19 patients. Publications included RCTs (n = 4), quasi-experimental studies (n = 2), cross-sectional studies (n = 6), qualitative interview studies (n = 3), and systematic reviews (n = 4). Most (63.4%) of the interventions used online or digital solutions. Interventions mostly showed good effectiveness (support-seeking, positive emotions, reduction of distress symptoms etc.) and acceptance and were experienced as helpful, but there were some conflicting results.
Healthcare organizations have developed support strategies focusing on providing emotional support for these healthcare workers and students, but it is difficult to conclude whether one program offers distinct benefit compared to the others. More research is needed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of emotional support interventions for health workers.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is, by its nature, a challenging context that may create risks for both patients and employees. It is also known that an organisation's safety culture has ...an influence on both patient and employee safety. Finnish EMS organisations lack knowledge of how their safety culture is perceived by their employees. Aim This study aims to test the psychometric properties of the Emergency Medical Services Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ) in a Finnish EMS setting. We also explore the connections between individual- and organisation-based characteristics and safety attitudes in the Finnish EMS. Methods A cross-sectional survey study design was used. The EMS-SAQ was used to collect data via social media. The instrument measures six domains of workplace safety culture: safety climate, teamwork climate, perceptions of management, job satisfaction, working conditions and stress recognition. The 5-point Likert scale was converted to a 100-point scale and mean greater than or equai to 75 was dichotomized as a positive. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to validate the EMS-SAQ in a Finnish setting. Other results were analysed by using non-parametric tests. Results 327 responses were included in the analysis. CFA showed that the total EMS-SAQ model had acceptable goodness-of-fit values in the Finnish EMS setting. Total mean scores for each safety culture domain were identified non-positively (mean score < 75); safety climate 60.12, teamwork climate 60.92, perceptions of management 56.31, stress recognition 64.55, working conditions 53.43 and job satisfaction 70.36. Higher education was connected to lower job satisfaction and the teamwork climate within the individual characteristics. All organisation-based characteristics caused at least one significant variation in the safety culture domain scores. Working area significantly affected (p < 0.05) five out of the six safety culture domain scores. Conclusions The EMS-SAQ is a valid tool to evaluate safety culture among the Finnish EMS organisations; it offers a novel method to evaluate safety and patient safety within the Finnish EMS organisations. According to the findings, the organisation-based characteristics more likely had an impact on safety attitudes than did the individual-based characteristics. Therefore, it is suggested that the Finnish EMS organisations undertake safety culture development at the organisational level. Keywords: Safety culture, Safety climate, EMS-SAQ, Prehospital, Patient safety, Survey, Cross-sectional, Psychometric test
Preventing adverse events and enhancing patient safety in health care are key objectives of nursing education. This integrative literature review critically appraises the content of patient safety in ...prelicensure nursing education, the teaching and learning methods used, and subsequent nursing student learning. The studies (N = 20) reviewed reveal that patient safety in nursing curricula was not necessarily obvious. However, patient safety was taught within both academic settings and clinical environments. The identified content of patient safety was learning from errors, responsible individual and interprofessional team working, anticipatory action in complex environments, and patient safety-centered nursing. The teaching and learning methods used included combining multiple methods. Patient safety curricula included continuing improvement in patient safety competency, sensitivity to nursing students' role, and having a supportive learning environment. Patient safety in the nursing curriculum requires broad, comprehensive attention and development as a specific theme with an interprofessional approach.
This study aims to assess the inclusion of second victims and other patient safety issues in the curricula of undergraduate medical and nursing degrees in the countries participating in the European ...Researchers' Network Working on Second Victims (The ERSNT Consortium, COST Action 19,113). A review of medical and nursing school curricula in 206 universities was carried out, using their websites to search for subjects addressing "patient safety", "quality of care", "risk management", "safe practices", "interprofessional communication", "adverse events", and "second victims". There was substantial variability in the extent of training for patient safety. Forty-four out of 88 nursing schools and 74 of 118 medical schools did not include any of the patient safety topics studied. The most frequent in both nursing and medicine was "interprofessional communication", followed by "quality of care" and basic aspects on "patient safety". The second victim phenomenon was present in only one curriculum of the total sample. Our study showed that patient safety, especially the second victim phenomenon, is still neglected in medical and nursing curricula in European universities, although positive initiatives were also found. Given the frequency with which adverse events occur in health centres and the need to prepare students to deal with them adequately, additional efforts are needed to introduce patient safety elements into medical and nursing education.
IntroductionEvidence shows that gender has a substantial impact on health behaviours, access to and use of health systems and health system responses. This study aims to assess gender bias in ...patients subjected to low-value practices in the primary care setting and to develop recommendations for reducing adverse events that women experience for this reason.Methods and analysisA Delphi study will be performed to reach a consensus on the ‘Do Not Do’ recommendations with a possible gender bias. A retrospective cohort study in a random selection of medical records will then be carried out to identify the frequency of adverse events that occur when the selected ‘Do Not Do’ recommendations are ignored. Qualitative research techniques (consensus conference and nominal group) will be carried out to develop recommendations to address any gender bias detected, considering barriers and facilitators in clinical practice.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the ethics committee of San Juan de Alicante Hospital (San Juan de Alicante, Spain) Reference N. 21/061. We will disseminate the research findings via peer-reviewed articles, presentations at national and international scientific forums and webinars.Trial registration numberThe study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05233852) on 10 February 2022.
Underpinning all nursing education is the development of safe practitioners who provide quality care. Learning in practice settings is important, but student experiences vary.
This study aimed to ...systematically develop a robust multilingual, multiprofessional data collection tool, which prompts students to describe and reflect on patient safety experiences.
Core to a 3-year, 5-country, European project was development of the SLIPPS (Sharing Learning from Practice for Patient Safety) Learning Event Recording Tool (SLERT). Tool construction drew on literature, theory, multinational and multidisciplinary experience, and involved pretesting and translation. Piloting included assessing usability and an initial exploration of impact via student interviews.
The final SLERT (provided for readers) is freely available in 5 languages and has face validity for nursing across 5 countries. Student reports (n = 368) were collected using the tool.
The tool functions well in assisting student learning and for collecting data. Interviews indicated the tool promoted individual learning and has potential for wider clinical teams.
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