Promotion of hand hygiene strengthening initiative in a Nigerian teaching hospital: implication for improved patient safety in low-income health facilities

BackgroundHealth care-associated infection remains a significant hazard for hospitalized patients. Hand hygiene is a fundamental action for ensuring patient safety.ObjectiveTo promote adoption of World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Guidelines to enhance compliance among doctors and nurses and improve patient safety.MethodsThe study design was a cross sectional intervention in a Federal Teaching Hospital South-eastern Nigeria. Interventions involved training/education; introduction of hand rub; and hand hygiene reminders. The impact of interventions and hand hygiene compliance were evaluated using World Health Organization direct observation technique.ResultsThe post-intervention hand hygiene compliance rate was 65.3%. Hand hygiene indications showed highest compliance rate ‘after body fluid exposure’ (75.3%) and ‘after touching a patient’ (73.6%) while the least compliance rate was recorded ‘before touching a patient’ (58.0%). Hand hygiene compliance rate was significantly higher among nurses (72.9%) compared to doctors (59.7%) (χ² = 23.8, p < 0.05). Hand hygiene indication with significantly higher compliance rate was “before clean/aseptic procedure” (84.4%) (χ² = 80.74, p < 0.05). Out of the 815 hand hygiene practices recorded 550 (67.5%) were hand rub action.Conclusionshand hygiene campaigns using the World Health Organization tools and methodology can be successfully executed in a tertiary health facility of a low-income setting with far reaching improvements in compliance.     

Unheard voices: complaint patterns of older persons in the health care system

To examine the patterns and prevalence of complaints about health services among older clients of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), explore demographic correlates, and compare results with the patterns in the younger population. Primary data were collected from the responses of subjects who participated in two national phone surveys, conducted in Israel over a period of 2 years. The final sample included 372 participants aged 65 and older, and 796 younger persons, who believed they had reasons to complain about their HMO. Of the 372 participants with cause to complain, only 23% had actually complained. Subjects who were 75-years-old and above, with below-average income, had 2.5 times higher probability for not complaining than people under 65. No statistically significant differences were found between the older participants and younger participants regarding the reasons for complaints or the procedures for making them. Recommendations are made for the recognition of older persons as a unique group within the health care system and for developing organizational mechanisms for capturing their unheard voices by HMOs.     

Factors affecting patient safety culture in a university hospital under the universal health insurance system: A cross-sectional study from Japan

We conducted a cross-sectional study of patient safety culture aimed at examining the factors that influence patient safety culture in university hospitals under a universal health insurance system. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used. The survey was distributed to 1066 hospital employees, and 864 responded. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the results to the 12-composites model. The highest positive response rates were for “(1) Teamwork within units” (81%) and “(2) Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety” (80%), and the lowest was for “(10) Staffing” (36%). Hayashi’s quantification theory type 2 revealed that working hours per week had the greatest negative impact on patient safety culture. Under a universal health insurance system, workload and human resources might have a significant impact on the patient safety culture.     

流程管理与患者分层对提高急诊冠脉介入术护理质量的效果

目的 探讨流程管理与患者分层对提高急诊冠脉介入术护理质量的效果.方法 运用流程管理理论对急诊冠脉介入手术（PCI）患者护理服务中可能存在的问题进行调查分析并加以改进,在急诊PCI已有的工作流程基础上制订出更加科学、规范的管理程序,并引导护理人员根据PCI患者病情进行分层次管理,统计分析流程管理实施前后1年PCI患者护理质量评分、抢救成功率、护理人员接诊时间、手术等候时间、手术时间、医患矛盾发生率、护理风险事件发生率、患者满意率及护理人员满意率.结果 实施后PCI患者急诊基础护理、特级护理、急诊秩序管理、文书管理、重点环节管理、急救药品管理及总护理质量评分分别为（30.96±4.23）分、（18.45±4.02）分、（19.98±4.11）分、（19.08±4.78）分、（15.96±4.25）分、（11.08±2.85）分和（112.45±24.15）分,显著高于实施前的（20.12±3.78）分、（12.98±3.12）分、（12.38±3.69）分、（11.36±4.25）分、（10.45±3.86）分、（7.12±1.52）分和（75.12±15.23）分,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.实施后护理人员接诊时间、PCI等候时间、手术时间分别为（10.12±2.78）min、（12.45±2.89）min和（30.25±3.02）min,显著低于实施前的（15.25±3.12）min、（22.25±3.89）min和（35.12±3.58）min,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.实施后医患矛盾发生率、护理风险事件发生率分别为33.33％和1.67％,低于实施前的17.24％和13.79％,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;而患者抢救成功率、满意率及护理人员满意率分别为100.00％、100.00％和96.67％,高于实施前的91.38％、72.41％和65.52％,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.结论 流程管理与患者分层能有效改善急诊PCI患者护理质量,优化护理服务,提高患者满意度.     

Changes in blood product utilization in a seven-hospital system after the implementation of a patient blood management program: A 9-year follow-up

Objectives: To analyze changes in red blood cell (RBC), platelet (PLT), and plasma transfusion volumes 9 years after the implementation of a multifaceted patient blood management (PBM) program across multiple hospitals.

Methods: Between fiscal years 2007 and 2015, the annual transfusion volumes for seven hospitals in a regional healthcare system were analyzed by hospital, and between 2014 and 2015, by four service lines including emergency department, intensive care unit (ICU), medical/surgical ward, and operating room at each hospital. The number of units of RBCs administered to transfused recipients on the wards and in ICUs was also enumerated.

Results: For these seven hospitals combined, there was a 29.9% reduction in the number of RBCs transfused between 2007 and 2015, a 24.8% reduction in plasma units, and a 25.7% reduction in PLT units. The two largest hospitals saw some of the largest reductions in RBC transfusions (40.1, 25.1%), and plasma transfusions (26.1, 33.8%), and one of those hospitals had a 49.5% reduction in PLT transfusions. Smaller-sized hospitals also had reductions in transfusion volumes, while some volumes increased at hospitals when new or expanded clinical services were introduced. The number of RBC units per transfused recipient was generally between 1.5 and 2 units on the wards and slightly higher in the ICUs.

Discussion: Although the overall volume of transfusions has generally decreased at each hospital site over time, the appropriateness of the administered transfusions cannot be evaluated by these data.

Conclusion: The system-wide implementation of a PBM program has reduced transfusion volumes.     

Current practices and future preferences of type 2 diabetes care in Ethiopia: A qualitative study on the perspectives of patients,health professionals,and policymakers

Background and aimsThis study aimed to examine perspectives of patients, health professionals, and policymakers on current practices and their future preferences for type 2 diabetes care in a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative study was undertaken through interviews and focus groups with patients, health professionals, and policymakers. The participants were purposively sampled. Thematic analysis was undertaken.ResultsFifty-nine participants were involved in the study. Participants' perspectives on current practices and future preferences comprised three themes: organisation of type 2 diabetes care delivery and infrastructure; continuity of care; and structured diabetes education. The current organisation comprised physicians, such as endocrinologists and endocrinology fellows, and nurses. Some nurses received training on diabetes foot and diabetic eye, which enabled patients to receive diabetes foot and diabetic eye care, respectively. The hospital lacked essential resources, such as medications, laboratory and diagnostic services, and diabetes educators, which hindered patient-centred care. Patients complained that the physical set-up at the hospital was not conducive to their privacy during consultations. Participants reported infrequent patient follow-up and monitoring, which contributed to uncontrolled diabetes. Future preferences involved access to essential resources and comprehensive diabetes care, such as structured diabetes education for improved patient outcomes. Participants sought out the development of tailored and context-specific diabetes management approaches that could meet specific patient needs and preferences.ConclusionsThe findings have implications for designing patient-centred diabetes care tailored to the hospital's context and key stakeholders' preferences. This tailoring requires strong leadership to ensure availability of essential resources.     

Infection prevention strategies in a stem cell transplant unit: impact of change of care in isolation practice and routine use of high dose intravenous immunoglobulins on infectious complications and transplant related mortality

Objective: Nursing in ‘live islands’ and routine high dose intravenous immunoglobulins after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were abandoned by many teams in view of limited evidence and high costs. Methods: This retrospective single‐center study examines the impact of change from nursing in ‘live islands’ to care in single rooms (SR) and from high dose to targeted intravenous immunoglobulins ( IVIG) on mortality and infection rate of adult patients receiving an allogeneic stem cell or bone marrow transplantation in two steps and three time cohorts (1993–1997, 1997–2000, 2000–2003). Results: Two hundred forty‐eight allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantations were performed in 227 patients. Patient characteristics were comparable in the three cohorts for gender, median age, underlying disease, and disease stage, prophylaxis for graft versus host disease ( GvHD) and cytomegalovirus constellation. The incidence of infections (78.4%) and infection rates remained stable (rates/1000 days of neutropenia for sepsis 17.61, for pneumonia 6.76). Cumulative incidence of GvHD and transplant‐related mortality did not change over time. Conclusions: Change from nursing in ‘live islands’ to SR and reduction of high dose to targeted IVIG did not result in increased infection rates or mortality despite an increase in patient age. These results support the current practice.