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Patient-Safety-Learning

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Everything posted by Patient-Safety-Learning

  1. News Article
    A new study has found nursing shortages may have negatively impacted patient safety, including unsafe practice management workarounds and cognitive failures. Research has found cutting corners when understaffed may have been the only way to get the work done quicker due to the added strain and heavier workload and in another study, it was discovered nurse staffing demand increased to 245 percent between September and December 2020. It was also reported that nurses who had little or no experience of working in the ICU environment were assigned to work there which may have led to higher stress levels and cognitive failures such as memory and attention lapses. Read full story. Source: Recycle Intelligence, 13 July 2021
  2. News Article
    New research has suggested unvaccinated young people may be at a higher risk of getting long-term symptoms. With restrictions being lifted on 19th July, concerns have been raised about the impact of the Delta variant. Professor Danny Altmann has said “From every version of Covid we’ve ever seen on the planet, we’ve got a rule of thumb that any case of Covid, whether it’s asymptomatic, mild, severe, or hospitalised, incurs a 10 to 20% risk of developing long Covid, and we haven’t seen any exceptions to that.” Read full story. Source: The Guardian, 13 July 2021
  3. News Article
    As restrictions are due to lift on the 19th July and the mandatory face masks mandate moving to recommended, Scotland have said they will keep the mandatory rule. BMA Council Chair, Dr Chaand Nagpaul has called the decision to lift restrictions 'irresponsible and perilous', with Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation saying there was "a real risk that dropping the restrictions including to wear masks, especially in health care settings and to socially distance will lead to a significant COVID-19 surge which will place even more strain on a system struggling to cope". Read full story. Source: Medscape, 13 July 2021
  4. News Article
    Researchers at Imperial College London have found a pattern of rouge antibodies that may allow a simple blood test to diagnose Long Covid in the next 6 to 18 months. Currently, there is no diagnostic test for Long Covid and the condition is not yet fully understood, and with the rise in cases, it is not yet known if the vaccination can protect patients from getting long-term symptoms. However, leading the research team at Imperial College London, Professor Danny Altmann believes the research could allow for a test to be performed in a GP surgery. And regarding the rising cases, Professor Altmann has said "If we're heading into a phase of 100,000 cases per day, and, we're saying that 10-20% of all infections can result in long Covid, I can see no certainty that we're not brewing those long Covid cases despite having a vaccinated population," Read full story. Source: BBC News, 12 July 2021
  5. News Article
    In November last year, Unison and RCN raised concerns with NHS Forth Valley chief executive Cathie Cowan amid bullying claims made by emergency department staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital. In light of the reports of bullying, a review was commissioned and leaked details revealed junior doctors were left unsupervised on shifts, nurses and doctors had said they are 'battle-weary', and many senior staff members have resigned their posts. Karren Morrison, Unison Forth Valley health branch secretary has said: ‘Last year, concerns were being raised by our members who worked in, or who had previously worked in the ED. Staff talked to us about feeling bullied and intimidated, being frightened to speak up, concerns about the delivery of safe patient care, high staff turnover and other issues.’ Read full story (paywalled). Source: Nursing Standard, 12 July 2021
  6. Content Article
    This article discusses endometriosis and how the common treatment of performing laparoscopic surgery to remove damaged tissue may not be as effective as once thought. Lucia Osborne-Crowley writes about how experts have found that women who have the surgery don't always get better and if they do, it only lasts a short while. The article also describes what endometriosis is and how it is important not to continue encouraging women to undergo repeat surgeries as it may not improve the condition.
  7. Content Article
    This article discusses a new consultation that has been launched by Robert Francis QC regarding the terms of reference for an independent study into the infected blood scandal. The article covers the suggested scope, the approach and the rationale behind the research and what it won't do, such as run through evidence already heard by the Inquiry.
  8. Content Article
    This article focuses on common general surgical Never Events (NEs). The researchers analysed data from the National Health Service (NHS) in England and found a total of 797 general surgical NEs identified under three main categories: wrong-site surgery, retained items post-procedure and wrong implant/prosthesis. With this research, the authors aimed to raise awareness of these common themes with the hope it may help create better safety standards and safeguards and reduce the incidence of NEs.
  9. Content Article
    The Hierarchy of Controls is a system that is used to put in place effective controls within an organisation or wider community that identifies the most effective ways to control a hazard. In this diagram created by Doreen Geoghegan from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology the inverted cone shows the most effective controls at the top and the least effective at the bottom in relation to Covid-19.
  10. News Article
    The RCN council has agreed to support the principles behind a petition, started by RCN Professional Nursing Committee member Alison Leary, calling for the title of 'nurse' to be protected and reserved for those who are registered. Whilst the term 'registered nurse' is protected in law, the term 'nurse' is not, meaning anyone can call themselves a nurse, regardless of whether they have the appropriate qualifications or not. The RCN believes the title should be protected in order to help protect the public and ensure accountability. Read full story. Source: RCN, 12 July 2021
  11. News Article
    Spire Health Care in Bristol and the Mercy Hospital in Missouri have been awarded contacts by the Scottish government to perform surgical mesh removal for Scottish women, with costs for travel and surgery covered by the hospitals, the BBC reports. Each procedure has been estimated to cost between £16,000 and £23,000, with contracts to remove the mesh outside of Scotland expected to start later in the summer. Marian Kenny, 62, from Glasgow has said, "It has given me and lots of other women hope - and that's not something I've had in my life for quite some time." Read full story. Source: BBC News, 12 July 2021
  12. News Article
    Health secretary Sajid Javid has warned NHS waiting lists will soar amid the incoming third wave of coronavirus. Thousands of patients are on hold for at least 2 minutes before their 999 calls are answered, The Independent has revealed. Mr Javid has also been told by officials the situation will get worse in the coming weeks. Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Javid has said "Hearing that figure of 13 million, it has absolutely focused my mind, and it’s going to be one of my top priorities to deal with because we can’t have that." Read full story. Source: The Independent, 11 July 2021
  13. News Article
    NHS staff have faced abuse by members of the public after demanding their second dose of the jab earlier than 8 weeks so they can go on holiday. A doctors has said covid-19 vaccinators are experiencing aggression and threats from people and after one incident, police had to be called over fears for safety. Chair of the Royal College of GPs, Professor Martin Marshall has said: “It is understandable that people want to be fully vaccinated as soon as possible. But it is entirely unacceptable for anybody working on the Covid vaccination programme, be it in GP-led sites, mass vaccination centres or hospital centres, to be at the receiving end of verbal abuse and intimidation. Read full story. Source: The Guardian, 10 July 2021
  14. News Article
    The Care Quality Commission has downgraded another maternity unit over 'blame culture' and concerns over safety. After an inspection was carried out, Salisbury Foundation Trust , which was downgraded from 'good' to 'inadequate' has been told it must make improvements after concerns were raised about safety and leadership of the maternity unit. Head of hospital inspection at the Care Quality Commission, Amanda Williams has said: “Following our recent inspection of Salisbury District Hospital’s maternity services, we found that women and babies using the service received effective care and treatment which met their needs most of the time. But most of the time is not good enough. Read full story. Source: The Independent, 10 July 2021
  15. Content Article
    This article describes how Never Events (NE) are serious clinical incidents that cause harm to patients. The authors analysed data from NHS England to categorise themes and identify common NE. Their results revealed 51 common NE themes in four main categories out of a total of 3247 between 2012 and 2020, identifying wrong-site surgery as the most common category. The authors conclude that with this research, awareness may help to reduce the amount of incidences in the future.
  16. Content Article
    This article discusses patient safety clinical incidents in relation to bariatric surgery with an aim to identify bariatric surgery-related learning points from the incidents. After analysing reports from the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) database in England and Wales, the authors found 541 bariatric surgery-related clinical incidents with 58 themes, including failure of thromboprophylaxis and medication errors. The authors hope that their research can raise awareness of these clinical incidents and propose a safety checklist and specific recommendations to help improve patient safety.
  17. Content Article
    This article describes how healthcare workers contracted Covid-19 through occupational exposure. The authors discuss how taking appropriate precautions, following primary and secondary prevention protocols and implementing proper control measures is needed to help contain the rate of infections. The authors also express how lessons need to be learned from previous outbreaks and that vigilance, protection and preventative measures need to remain in place in preparation for any future variants.
  18. News Article
    A year on from the vaginal mesh scandal and ministers have failed to take action. The new health secretary Sajid Javid has been called on to intervene by families, lawyers and campaigners and has been asked to implement recommendations made by the Cumberlege Inquiry. Emma Hardy, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Surgical Mesh Implants has said “Women deserve better than the government’s refusal to implement the Baroness Cumberlege recommendations. The recommendations will not only make life better for those living with mesh complications, but they will also improve patient safety for everyone in the future.” Read full story. Source: The Independent, 08 July 2021
  19. News Article
    A pattern in rouge antibodies has been found by Imperial College London scientists which may lead to a blood test for the condition within 6 to 18 months. Leading the team at Imperial College London, Professor Danny Altmann has said the 'work will lead to a test which could be done in a doctor's surgery'. However, he is concerned with the lifting of lockdown restrictions on 19th July. Long Covid is not yet fully understood with no current diagnostic test yet available for the illness. However, a range of symptoms have been listed which include fatigue, breathlessness, muscle pain and headaches. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 12 July 2021
  20. News Article
    A frontline respiratory consultant has said, “Healthcare professionals are deeply anxious about the impact of relaxing restrictions further given the current surge in Covid cases. To do away with risk-mitigating measures like social distancing and wearing of masks is incomprehensible to many of us. I feel anxious and frustrated". Hospitals in Yorkshire and North of England may also be experiencing a fourth wave. Dr Nick Scriven has told The Guardian, “Us up north are experiencing a fourth wave in community cases, with an uptick in hospital cases. Although numbers are not massive it’s both frightening and upsetting for staff as ICU cases are rising with unvaccinated people, either as they are young or by choice or both. There is to me a growing feeling that vaccination makes this almost preventable.” Read full story. Source. The Guardian, 9 July 2021
  21. News Article
    Newly released documents have revealed Sage modelling from two weeks ago has underestimated hospital admissions by more than a third. Estimations were made by government modelling, predicting there would be about 275 daily hospital cases in England by 6 July, however, on 7 July figures have shown it was around 461. Dr Stephen Griffin, from the University of Leeds has said "“While we can’t say for sure that hospitalisations might follow this precise trajectory, it seems likely that they will track the exponential growth in cases we are seeing. Thus, as many are predicting, the dropping of restrictions on July 19 represents an unacceptable and unnecessary risk,”. Read full story. Source: The Times, 10 July 2021
  22. News Article
    999 calls soar as patients experience record waiting times in the back of ambulances. The Independent has seen a leaked brief from the West Midlands Ambulance Service and has found patients have been waiting for hours outside hospitals, meaning ambulances could not respond to any emergency 999 calls. Ambulance staff have also faced hours of delays resulting in at least four hours or more at the end of their 12 hour shift. The briefing in June said "“This current situation is unacceptable and leads to fatigue, poor morale, has impacts on patient safety and potentially non-compliance with the Working Time Directive.” Read full story. Source: The Independent, 9 July 2021
  23. Content Article
    A new series of podcasts by the Royal College of Midwives (RCN). Each month for 2021, there will be podcasts by the RCN that will focus on new developments and work being done by the College with it's midwife and and maternity support worker members.
  24. Content Article
    This article describes the "July effect" and why July is considered a concerning time for patient safety in hospitals due to the new influx of medical students graduating and starting their internships. The authors discuss how it may be avoided, effects from the pandemic on resources and educating new doctors.
  25. Content Article
    Macmillan Cancer Support have created a guide to help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity into the cancer care pathway. The guide is also intended to be read together with Physical activity and cancer: the underrated wonderdrug.
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