Healthcare Staff Experiences Research Articles

Universal SARS preventive measures in an obstetrics unit: Experience of health care staff

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemics have affected populations in many countries, including Hong Kong. This disease is infectious, especially in hospital settings. Health care workers have expressed great concern, including those working in obstetrics wards, defined as high-risk areas.MethodFour weeks after implementation of universal precautionary measures at a teaching hospital in Hong Kong, a survey of the health care staff was conducted to identify their feelings and opinions.ResultsIn spite of general knowledge about SARS epidemics and related mortality, most respondents stated that universal precautionary measures were not very necessary, especially in the obstetrics ward. In addition, respondents were generally dissatisfied with the measures, as most items imposed extra work, inconvenience, and burdens on the staff.ConclusionOur findings reported the views and satisfaction levels of the front-line staff of an obstetric unit concerning precautionary measures against SARS. The importance of individualized design and implementation of infection control measures is highlighted and discussed.

Practitioners’ Views about Equity within Prenatal Services

The British National Health Service (NHS) is based on principles of equal access, treatment and outcomes.This article reviews health professionals’ aims to provide equitable prenatal services and their views on whether women could be equal in their access to services, understanding during choice-making, and satisfaction about their care. Inequalities which compromise equity, conflicting meanings of equity, and the contribution of in-hospital ethics seminars to ethical health services are considered. Qualitative research, combining sociological and philosophical methods, investigated the experiences of health care staff attempting to provide equitable services and their practical and ethical problems. A total of 70 staff at a teaching hospital and a district general hospital took part in semi-structured interviews, followed by 11 innovative in-hospital ethics seminars based on themes derived from the interviews.The 56 seminar participants usually began with clear statements of their equitable aims, but, encouraged by the health care ethicist, they went on to discuss their many concerns about obstacles which complicated the achievement of these aims. The sociological-ethics seminars provided unique opportunities for multi-disciplinary discussion of these inequalities and their impact on equitable intentions in health care. Analysis of the contradictions revealed during the seminars is guided by sociological theories that seek to explain the persistence of inequalities in health, and how NHS policies appear to perpetuate and increase them, despite practitioners’ stated intentions to promote equality.

Care – caring society

Care – caring society

Vold på psykiatriske afdelinger—Det psykosociale arbejdsmiljø som determinant for arbejdsrelateret vold?

Andersen, L.P. (2003): Violence in psychiatric wards—The psychosocial work environment as deteminant for work related violencei Nordisk Psykologi, 55, 293–308. An increasing number of reports suggest that mental health care staff experience patient induced violence and aggressions at work either directly or indirectly. The consequences might be serious including reduced morale and productivity, psychological stress and psychosomatic symptoms. A few researchers even report Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as one of the consequences. Therefore, the management and prevention of work-related violence is a major challenge for occupational health psychologists. Work related violence must be regarded as a very complex problem and occurs on the basis of an interaction between several factors. Therefore, it is important to give attention to the workplace context in which work related violence occurs because a full understanding of violent and aggressive behaviour requires knowledge of the social situations and facto...

Anknytningsproblem mellan foraldrar och barn: Intervjuer med halso- och sjukvardspersonal samt socialarbetare

The purpose of the study was to illustrate the experiences of health care staff and social workers in the social welfare services of working with families whose relationships are sub optimal. Thirteen health care staff and four social workers were interviewed concerning their experiences of attachment related problems between parents and their children. Content analysis was chosen for the analysis of the narratives. Courage to detect and support families with attachment related problems were found to be a theme. The results of the analyses pointed out four categories; Walking a slack tightrope, Willingness and knowledge, The child in focus and Fragmented time. The informants considered that it was very important to find a balance in their relation with the parents. The staff had to be honest and at the same time careful not to scare off the parents. One of the personal qualities they deemed to be essential was a genuine interest in the topic as well as both theoretical knowledge and capability. The informants' opinion was that in most cases the perspective was focused on the children. The pace of work had increased and they experienced a shortage of time and lack of control in their work. The findings indicate the importance for health care staff and social workers in the social welfare services of receiving training and support in the area of attachment related problems.

Learning from incidents of violence in health care. An investigation of ‘Case Reports’ as a basis for staff development and organisational change

How can health care staff be helped by learning about aggression and violence in health care settings. This is a report of how ‘Case Reports’ were used as a basis for staff development through educational intervention and organisational change. The project was carried out in two stages. Firstly, ‘Case Reports’ were collected to document and illuminate the experiences of health care staff, and these reports were used as a basis for teaching and learning. Secondly, opportunities were provided for health care staff to review existing policies and guidelines relevant to aggression and violence in health care settings. The views of 253 health care staff from five Health Authorities were explored. Health care staff reported 1) experiencing verbal abuse, hostility, actual contact violence, fears and anxieties during work; 2) that although they were exposed to aggression and/or actual contact violence, training was sparse or non-existent; 3) that policies and guidelines where they existed were out of date and were not relevant to the variety of health care settings in which they worked; and 4) that their skills in this area could be improved through training, with particular attention to listening skills, facilitation skills, verbal and non-verbal communication and assertion skills.