Sharon Latimer

Non-Therapeutic Medication Omissions: Incidence and Predictors at an Australian Hospital

The inconsistent definition of non‐therapeutic medication omissions, under‐reporting, and a poor understanding of their associated factors hamper efforts to improve medication administration practices.

The repositioning of hospitalized patients with reduced mobility: a prospective study

To determine the frequency of patient repositioning across three consecutive nursing shifts (day, evening and night) and to identify predictors of repositioning frequency.

Pressure injury prevention strategies in acute medical inpatients: an observational study.

Background: Pressure injuries are a patient safety issue. Despite the suite of prevention strategies, sustained reductions in pressure injury prevalence rates have not been achieved. Generally, nurses are usually responsible for assessing patients’ pressure injury risk, and then implementing appropriate prevention strategies. The study aim was to describe five planned and implemented pressure injury prevention strategies (risk assessment, management plan, support surface, repositioning, and education), and determine if a relationship existed between the planning and implementation of support surfaces and regular repositioning. Method: An observational study collecting data using chart audits and semi-structured observations. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This study was set in four medical units across two Australian metropolitan hospitals. The sample comprised adult medical inpatients with reduced mobility. A subsample of participants assessed at pressure injury risk on admission was drawn from this sample. Participants were aged ≥18 years, had a hospital length of stay of ≥3 days prior to recruitment, provided an informed consent, and had reduced mobility. Results: There was suboptimal planning and implementation of pressure injury prevention strategies for the sample and subsample. There was a significant relationship between planned and implemented support surfaces at both hospitals; however, no relationship existed between the planned and implemented of regular repositioning at either site. Conclusion: The planning and implementation of pressure injury strategies is haphazard. Patients received support surfaces; however, gaps exist in pressure injury risk assessment, management planning, regular repositioning, and patient education.

Human connectedness in nursing: A case study

Abstract Human connectedness is a powerful human need. Human connectedness occurs when an individual is actively engaged with another person, activity, object or environment, resulting in a sense of well-being. Nurses and patients, through their daily interactions share a commonality of emotions derived from the human experience. This case study describes one nurses’ experience of human connectedness with a patient and how, through the use of reflection, this translated into better patient care and colleague interaction.