Articles: patients.
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BMJ quality & safety · Jun 2012
Medical emergency team calls in the radiology department: patient characteristics and outcomes.
We sought to identify the characteristics of patients who experience medical emergency team calls in the radiology department (MET-RD) and the relationship between these characteristics and patient outcomes. ⋯ The majority of patients who experienced MET-RD calls came from non-intensive care units, with comorbidities and vital sign alterations prior to arrival at the RD. Risk appeared to be increased for those requiring CT and MRI. These findings suggest that prior identification of a subset of patients at risk of instability in the RD may be possible.
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Int J Older People Nurs · Jun 2012
Comparative Study'Poppets and parcels': the links between staff experience of work and acutely ill older peoples' experience of hospital care.
Few empirical studies have directly examined the relationship between staff experiences of providing healthcare and patient experience. Present concerns over the care of older people in UK acute hospitals - and the reported attitudes of staff in such settings - highlight an important area of study. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. To examine the links between staff experience of work and patient experience of care in a 'Medicine for Older People' (MfOP) service in England. ⋯ The work experiences of staff in a MfOP service impacted directly on patient care experience. Poor ward and patient care climates often lead staff to seek job satisfaction through caring for 'poppets', leaving less favoured - and often more complex patients - to receive less personalised care. Implications for practice. Investment in staff well-being and ward climate is essential for the consistent delivery of high-quality care for older people in acute settings.
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In the case of an emergency, fast and structured patient management is crucial for a patient's outcome. Every physician and graduate medical student should possess basic knowledge of emergency care and the skills to manage common emergencies. This study determines the effect of a simulation-based curriculum in emergency medicine on students' abilities to manage emergency situations. ⋯ The simulation-based intervention offers a positively evaluated possibility to enhance students' skills in recognising and handling emergencies. Additional studies are required to measure the long-term retention of the acquired skills, as well as the effect of training in healthcare professionals.
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Transfusion medicine · Jun 2012
Consent to transfusion: patients' and healthcare professionals' attitudes towards the provision of blood transfusion information.
Patients should be informed about the risks and benefits of blood transfusion and their consent should be documented. However, this is not routinely practised in the UK, and there have been few studies to investigate patients' and healthcare professionals' attitudes towards this process. ⋯ Greater efforts should be made to provide information to patients about the risks and benefits of blood transfusions. Future research should explore the most effective ways of delivering this information to patients in an appropriate and timely manner.
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High patient turnover (patient throughput generated by admissions, discharges, and transfers) contributes to increased demands and resources for care. We examined how the relationship between registered nurse (RN) staffing and failure-to-rescue (FTR) varied with patient turnover levels by analyzing quarterly data from the University HealthSystem Consortium. ⋯ When patient turnover increased from 48.6% to 60.7% on nonintensive units (non-ICUs), the beneficial effect of non-ICU RN staffing on FTR was reduced by 11.5%. RN staffing should be adjusted according to patient turnover because turnover increases patient care demand beyond that presented by patient count, and outcomes may be adversely affected.