Patient safety training for ward clerks of an Occupational Mutual Insurance Company collaborating with the Social Security, immediate impact and after six months

Abstract

Ward Clerks are an essential part of the healthcare team, as they provide administrative and organizational support in healthcare institutions. The aim of this study is to determine the training impact of a basic one-hour online course on patient safety for this staff. A quasi-experimental before/after study carried out on a population of 170 administrative staff working in the centers of an Occupational Mutual Insurance Company (MC Mutual) who took the patient safety course. A convenience sample of 22 administrative professionals, who agreed to participate, was chosen from this population, which made it possible to reconstruct their knowledge before and after the course, by examination and interview, immediately after the course and at 6 months. Of the 170 professionals participating in the course, 167 (98.2%) completed the initial test and the post-test, with mean scores increasing from 5.7 (P1) to 7.3 (P2) (p<0.05). A total of 22 out of a sample of 42 (52.4%) agreed to participate in the interviews and all three interviews were achieved by 21 (E1), 22 (E2) and 19 (E3) professionals, whose mean scores increased from 5.9 (E1) to 7.2 (E2) and 7.5 (E3) (p<0.05). The results suggest that the training course was effective. The evaluation by interview 6 months after the course indicates a likely medium to long term effect. The involvement of administrative professionals in the the Company´s patients care is key. Evaluating the impact of an intervention is essential to inform its effectiveness and guide its planning.