Sok Ying Liaw

Collaboration between hospital physicians and nurses: An integrated literature review

BACKGROUND Ineffective physician-nurse collaboration has been shown to cause work dissatisfaction among physicians and nurses and compromised the quality of patient care. AIM The review sought to explore: (1) attitudes of physicians and nurses toward physician-nurse collaboration; (2) factors affecting physician-nurse collaboration; and (3) strategies to improve physician-nurse collaboration. METHODS A literature search was conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Wiley Online Library and Scopus from year 2002 to 2012, to include papers that reported studies on physician-nurse collaboration in the hospital setting. FINDINGS Seventeen papers were included in this review. Three of the reviewed articles were qualitative studies and the other 14 were quantitative studies. Three key themes emerged from this review: (1) attitudes towards physician-nurse collaboration, where physicians viewed physician-nurse collaboration as less important than nurses but rated the quality of collaboration higher than nurses; (2) factors affecting physician-nurse collaboration, including communication, respect and trust, unequal power, understanding professional roles, and task prioritizing; and (3) improvement strategies for physician-nurse collaboration, involving inter-professional education and interdisciplinary ward rounds. CONCLUSION This review has highlighted important aspects of physician-nurse collaboration that could be addressed by future research studies. These include: developing a comprehensive instrument to assess collaboration in greater depth; conducting rigorous intervention studies to evaluate the effectiveness of improvement strategies for physician-nurse collaboration; and examining the role of senior physicians and nurses in facilitating collaboration among junior physicians and nurses. Other implications include inter-professional education to empower nurses in making clinical decisions and putting in place policies to resolve workplace issues.

Assessment for simulation learning outcomes: A comparison of knowledge and self-reported confidence with observed clinical performance

BACKGROUND With extensive use of simulation in nursing education, researchers around the world are evaluating learning outcomes from simulation. Numerous studies reported the use of knowledge tests and self-reported measures to evaluate simulation outcomes. AIM To determine whether self-reported confidence and knowledge measures are indicators of clinical performance observed in a simulation-based assessment. METHOD Thirty-one third year nursing students were randomized into intervention and control group. The intervention group received a six hour simulation-based programme in care of a patient with physiological deterioration. Pre and post-tests using knowledge test, confidence scale and simulation-based assessment were conducted immediately before and after the simulation program. RESULTS The intervention group had a significantly higher post-test mean score than the control group for knowledge and clinical performances. Both groups demonstrated a significant improvement on post-test scores from pre-test scores for self-confidence with no significant differences detected among the two groups. Correlation tests indicated no significant correlation between self-confidence and clinical performance, and between knowledge and clinical performance. CONCLUSION The study did not provide evidence to support the validity of the knowledge test and self-confidence measures for predicting clinical performance. Most importantly, it revealed potential danger of a simulation-based assessment that could lead toward overestimation of self-confidence.

Developing clinical competency in crisis event management: an integrated simulation problem-based learning activity

This study aimed to evaluate the integration of a simulation based learning activity on nursing students’ clinical crisis management performance in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. It was hypothesized that the clinical performance of first year nursing students who participated in a simulated learning activity during the PBL session would be superior to those who completed the conventional problem-based session. The students were allocated into either simulation with problem-based discussion (SPBD) or problem-based discussion (PBD) for scenarios on respiratory and cardiac distress. Following completion of each scenario, students from both groups were invited to sit an optional individual test involving a systematic assessment and immediate management of a simulated patient facing a crisis event. A total of thirty students participated in the first post test related to a respiratory scenario and thirty-three participated in the second post test related to a cardiac scenario. Their clinical performances were scored using a checklist. Mean test scores for students completing the SPBD were significantly higher than those who completing the PBD for both the first post test (SPBD 20.08, PBD 18.19) and second post test (SPBD 27.56, PBD 23.07). Incorporation of simulation learning activities into problem-based discussion appeared to be an effective educational strategy for teaching nursing students to assess and manage crisis events.

Front line nurses' experiences with deteriorating ward patients: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND Nurses in the general ward are faced with patients who are at high risk of clinical deterioration. Having the key role in performing routine vital signs monitoring, non-registered nurses such as enrolled nurses are the front line nurses who play a pivotal role in detecting and responding to the deteriorating ward patient. AIMS (1) To explore the experience of enrolled nurses with deteriorating patients in pre-cardiac arrest situations and (2) to identify strategies to enhance their role in caring for deteriorating ward patients. METHOD A qualitative study using critical incident technique was conducted. Fifteen enrolled nurses who had encountered deteriorating ward patients were interviewed. Data were analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS Three themes emerged describing enrolled nurses experience with deteriorating patients: recognizing deterioration, responding to deterioration and taking responsibility. Two themes, including educational development and modifying clinical processes, were strategies identified to enhance the ability of enrolled nurses in recognizing and managing deteriorating patients. CONCLUSION The study highlighted a need to enhance the ability of front line nurses in recognizing and responding to patient deterioration through nursing education and modifications of clinical processes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY Nursing education could focus on increasing the awareness of the importance of performing complete vital signs monitoring and undertaking accurate interpretation of vital signs. Strategies to improve clinical processes could include the need for registered nurses to provide supervision of enrolled nurses in the interpretation of vital signs readings and share the responsibility of performing vital signs monitoring.

Designing and Evaluating an Interactive Multimedia Web-Based Simulation for Developing Nurses’ Competencies in Acute Nursing Care: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Web-based learning is becoming an increasingly important instructional tool in nursing education. Multimedia advancements offer the potential for creating authentic nursing activities for developing nursing competency in clinical practice. Objective This study aims to describe the design, development, and evaluation of an interactive multimedia Web-based simulation for developing nurses’ competencies in acute nursing care. Methods Authentic nursing activities were developed in a Web-based simulation using a variety of instructional strategies including animation video, multimedia instructional material, virtual patients, and online quizzes. A randomized controlled study was conducted on 67 registered nurses who were recruited from the general ward units of an acute care tertiary hospital. Following a baseline evaluation of all participants’ clinical performance in a simulated clinical setting, the experimental group received 3 hours of Web-based simulation and completed a survey to evaluate their perceptions of the program. All participants were re-tested for their clinical performances using a validated tool. Results The clinical performance posttest scores of the experimental group improved significantly (P<.001) from the pretest scores after the Web-based simulation. In addition, compared to the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher clinical performance posttest scores (P<.001) after controlling the pretest scores. The participants from the experimental group were satisfied with their learning experience and gave positive ratings for the quality of the Web-based simulation. Themes emerging from the comments about the most valuable aspects of the Web-based simulation include relevance to practice, instructional strategies, and fostering problem solving. Conclusions Engaging in authentic nursing activities using interactive multimedia Web-based simulation can enhance nurses’ competencies in acute care. Web-based simulations provide a promising educational tool in institutions where large groups of nurses need to be trained in acute nursing care and accessibility to repetitive training is essential for achieving long-term retention of clinical competency.

Comparison of virtual patient simulation with mannequin-based simulation for improving clinical performances in assessing and managing clinical deterioration: randomized controlled trial.

Background Virtual patient simulation has grown substantially in health care education. A virtual patient simulation was developed as a refresher training course to reinforce nursing clinical performance in assessing and managing deteriorating patients. Objective The objective of this study was to describe the development of the virtual patient simulation and evaluate its efficacy, by comparing with a conventional mannequin-based simulation, for improving the nursing students’ performances in assessing and managing patients with clinical deterioration. Methods A randomized controlled study was conducted with 57 third-year nursing students who were recruited through email. After a baseline evaluation of all participants’ clinical performance in a simulated environment, the experimental group received a 2-hour fully automated virtual patient simulation while the control group received 2-hour facilitator-led mannequin-based simulation training. All participants were then re-tested one day (first posttest) and 2.5 months (second posttest) after the intervention. The participants from the experimental group completed a survey to evaluate their learning experiences with the newly developed virtual patient simulation. Results Compared to their baseline scores, both experimental and control groups demonstrated significant improvements (P<.001) in first and second post-test scores. While the experimental group had significantly lower (P<.05) second post-test scores compared with the first post-test scores, no significant difference (P=.94) was found between these two scores for the control group. The scores between groups did not differ significantly over time (P=.17). The virtual patient simulation was rated positively. Conclusions A virtual patient simulation for a refreshing training course on assessing and managing clinical deterioration was developed. Although the randomized controlled study did not show that the virtual patient simulation was superior to mannequin-based simulation, both simulations have demonstrated to be effective refresher learning strategies for improving nursing students’ clinical performance. Given the greater resource requirements of mannequin-based simulation, the virtual patient simulation provides a more promising alternative learning strategy to mitigate the decay of clinical performance over time.

Vital signs monitoring to detect patient deterioration: An integrative literature review.

Vital signs monitoring is an important nursing assessment. Yet, nurses seem to be doing it as part of a routine and often overlooking their significance in detecting patient deterioration. An integrative literature review was conducted to explore factors surrounding ward nursing practice of vital signs monitoring in detecting and reporting deterioration. Twenty papers were included. The structural component of a Nursing Role Effectiveness Model framework, which comprises of patient, nurse and organizational variables, was used to synthesize the review. Patient variables include signs of deterioration displayed by patients which include physical cues and abnormal vital signs. Nursing variables include clinical knowledge, roles and responsibilities, and reporting of deteriorating vital signs. Organizational variables include heavy workload, technology, and observation chart design. This review has highlighted current nursing practice in vital signs monitoring. A myriad of factors were found to surround ward practice of vital signs monitoring in detecting and reporting deterioration.

Strengthening the afferent limb of rapid response systems: an educational intervention using web-based learning for early recognition and responding to deteriorating patients

Background The timely recognition and response to patients with clinical deteriorations constitute the afferent limb failure of a rapid response system (RRS). This area is a persistent problem in acute healthcare settings worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the effect of an educational programme on improving the nurses’ knowledge and performances in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration. Method The interactive web-based programme addressed three areas: (1) early detection of changes in vital signs; (2) performance of nursing assessment and interventions using airway, breathing, circulation, disability and expose/examine and (3) reporting clinical deterioration using identity, situation, background, assessment and recommendation. Sixty-seven registered nurses participated in the randomised control study. The experimental group underwent a 3 h programme while the control group received no intervention. Pretests and post-tests, a mannequin-based assessment and a multiple-choice knowledge questionnaire were conducted. We evaluated the participants’ performances in assessing, managing and reporting the deterioration of a patient using a validated performance tool. Results A significantly higher number of nurses from the experimental group than the control group monitored respiratory rates (48.2% vs 25%, p<0.05) and pulse rates (74.3% vs 37.5%, p<0.01) in the simulated environment, after the intervention. The post-test mean scores of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group for knowledge (21.29 vs 18.28, p<0.001), performance in assessing and managing clinical deterioration (25.83 vs 19.50, p<0.001) and reporting clinical deterioration (12.83 vs 10.97, p<0.001). Conclusions A web-based educational programme developed for hospital nurses to strengthen the afferent limb of the RRS significantly increased their knowledge and performances in assessing, managing and reporting clinical deterioration.

Building a successful platform for interprofessional education for health professions in an Asian university

Implementing Interprofessional Education (IPE) across health professions schools is challenging. Within an Asian context, academic staff at the National University of Singapore designed a platform to create a sustainable IPE effort. A two-pronged approach was developed to ensure adequate coverage of key concepts relating to IPE within each involved faculty. The Interprofessional Core Curricula (ICC) component ensures that each health profession student will be exposed to IPE concepts in their required curriculum. Interprofessional Enrichment Activities (IEA) incentivize further cross-faculty participation and progress within the IPE competency framework. Best practices and success factors were identified, while lessons learned led to further improvements. Adoption of this approach can help circumvent well-known barriers to implementation.

A study to explore nurses' knowledge in using the Glasgow Coma Scale in an acute care hospital.

Background: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a neurological instrument, which measures the “depth and duration of impaired consciousness.” The appeal of the GCS lies in its applicability in a wide variety of clinical situations as well as its ease of use by a range of healthcare staff. However, the GCS is not without its weaknesses and limitations. Its ease of use opens it up to misinterpretation and misapplication. Despite the propensity for incorrect assessment, the GCS remains in use in the clinical setting and enjoys an “unwarranted and privileged position.” This creates an issue to patient care as the GCS is an important instrument in communicating an accurate assessment of the patient’s condition between clinical staff. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate nurses’ knowledge in using the GCS and the demographic factors influencing knowledge of the GCS. Methodology: This is a correlational observational study conducted in one acute care hospital in Singapore. The participants were registered nurses involving in bedside nursing care. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to the participants via ward managers. The quantitative responses were collated and analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Results: Type of clinical discipline (i.e., neuroscience, general medicine, and neurointensive care unit; beta = 0.51, p < .001) and the length of experience in a neuroscience setting (beta = 0.22, p = .005) were significant in determining a nurses’ knowledge of the GCS. Nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit scored the highest mean scores (12.7), whereas nurses from the general medicine wards scored the lowest mean scores (9.7). Nurses who worked in a neuroscience setting for 6 years or more scored higher mean scores (11.9) on the knowledge scale, whereas nurses who worked in a neuroscience setting for less than a year scored lower mean scores (10.0). Conclusion: Educational interventions and guidelines in performing GCS assessment are suggested to maintain and improve knowledge in performing the GCS.