Medical Staff Perceptions Research Articles

Medical staff perceptions of risk communication needs for the public and comparison with the needs expressed by the public

Risk communication programs about radiation exposure should be conducted continuously and rigorously by healthcare workers in the Tohoku region in order to reduce the stress caused by radiation exposure. This study aimed to compare the perception by medical staff of the public need to the public need as defined in a previous study, as well as examine the level of perception among healthcare workers of the two concepts “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA), and Regulatory Sciences. These two concepts were expected to be the ones to impart information regarding the effect of radiation on the human body during risk communication. The results showed differences between the public perception of risks and belief of what the public risk perception was by the medical staff. In addition, only 23.5% and 16.5% medical doctors had accurate perception of ALARA and Regulatory Sciences in Japan, respectively, even after the great East Japan Earthquake., ALARA and Regulatory Sciences should be added to healthcare workers’ education curriculums to enhance their knowledge level of these concepts. From the viewpoint of laypersons, public health awareness programs conducted by the local and central governments ranked fourth and fifth respectively as sources of information. One of the reasons was that, to some extent, the attitude of the central government seemed apt to be overbearing to laypersons. Therefore, we also believe that medical doctors are expected to be intermediaries between central/local governments and laypersons.

Nursing and medical staff perceptions of on-call respiratory physiotherapy: a service evaluation

Nursing and medical staff perceptions of on-call respiratory physiotherapy: a service evaluation

Medical staff perceptions of medication-assisted treatment in a federally qualified health center

ObjectivesTo describe medical staff attitudes and perceived behaviors toward medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in a federally qualified health center (FQHC). The secondary objective was to identify the staff’s perceptions of using pharmacists during MAT. DesignA cross-sectional, descriptive study using a 26-item Web-based survey was developed using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and consisted of Likert scale and multiple-select options. Setting and participantsMedical staff located at an FQHC in northwest Indiana were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older. Corporate and administrative staff were not eligible to participate. Outcome measuresPerceptions were measured using the 4 constructs of the TPB: attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, and intent. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ResultsOf the 240 eligible respondents, 104 employees completed the survey, yielding a 43.3% response rate. The providers generally believed they had the knowledge (83.9% agree or strongly agree) to diagnose patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). From the perceived behavioral control construct, staff were confident of their ability to identify patients for MAT (65.2%); however, most believed they needed additional training on MAT (75%) from the attitude construct. From the subjective norm construct, more than half of the respondents believed that their employer wanted them to be involved in the treatment of a patient with OUD (60.7%). Commonly, from the intent construct, the staff favored adding pharmacists to the care team when managing patients with MAT (57.7%). ConclusionThe staff expressed the need for additional training to provide MAT services and believed this would enable them to become an important part of the MAT team. Adding a trained pharmacist to the care team when managing patients with MAT was favored by the staff. The study showed that health professionals would be more comfortable if a pharmacist were available for MAT consultation.

THE READING PERCEPTION OF MEDICAL STAFF ABOUT THE USE OF PREHOSPITAL ULTRASOUND

This study was a focus on the use of pre-hospital ultrasound in Saudi Arabia. Generally, ultrasound is used in a high frequency by health care providers in different countries within hospitals or pre-hospital. The main point of using the ultrasound was to reduce the time of diagnosis at the hospital and decrease the rate of mortality and morbidity. The study was a cross-sectional study and was used to assess the perception of medical staff about the use of pre-hospital ultrasound. This survey study had 130 participants, and 80 of them were agreed to involve in this study. It was conducted in King Abdulaziz Hospital of National Guards, Al Ahsa and College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, Al Ahsa Campus, Saudi Arabia. ATLAST ti 8 was used for systematic literature review and SPSS v23 obviously for data analysis. This was a new and novel study as the Pre-hospital ultrasound was not used before in the pre-hospital. On the other hand, the findings showed that the participants displayed a high level of interest in improving their knowledge and skills of using ultrasound during its application in the pre-hospital setting. It was also recommended to have more research in future on the subject. Article visualizations:

The multifaceted role of the Epilepsy Specialist Nurse: Literature review and survey study on patient and medical Staff Perceptions.

Epilepsy is frequently accompanied by learning, behavioural and psychological difficulties, therefore the management of this pathology extends far beyond the use of antiepileptic drugs. The specialist-nurse-service provides a multifaceted management. This study adds new points of view on how epilepsy-specialist-nurses work, the benefits they produce and their feedback. The study was conducted to analyse the role of the epilepsy-specialist-nurse, its competencies, its impact on patients and healthcare system and its relevance in patient and medical-staff perceptions, to give new suggestions on how it can be useful in epilepsy teams. Literature review to analyse epilepsy-specialist-nurse role; a quantitative research with descriptive approach to examine patients' (11) perceptions using a novel-questionnaire; applied qualitative analysis of medical staff (4) perceptions through semi-structured interviews. The epilepsy-specialist-nurse has the competences to manage the epilepsy-related issues that extend beyond medications. Patients value the ability of specialist-nurses to answer their multifaceted needs, to dedicate them enough time to discuss the impact of epilepsy on everyday-life and their feelings, giving suggestions. Doctors collaborating with specialist-nurses recognize their valuable contribute. Doctors give more information on epilepsy and medication-issues: patients prefer to consult a doctor for these issues. The holistic way adopted by specialist-nurses in addressing patients' needs is fundamental to improve patients' health and well-being. Medical and nursing ability to address epilepsy-related issues in a very similar way - in the items analysed - may reveal that specialist-nurses can provide high-quality assistance while achieving cost-savings. It is needed to develop a structured pathway that allows the progression of specialist-nursing, to define a clear job description, and to obtain government recognition.

Pediatric physiotherapists' role in the neonatal intensive care unit: Parent and health-care providers' perspectives

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a specialized unit created for sick and premature newborns. Parents of admitted newborns came in stress when they came to know that their child is admitted to the NICU. In developing countries such as India, people having very less knowledge regarding physiotherapy interventions adopted in the NICU. Previously available literature from inception to 2017, searched with the keywords: “Parents perceptions,” “NICU Physiotherapy,” and “Medical staff perceptions” highlight the experiences of parents or stress levels in parents of hospitalized newborns in the NICU and perceptions of health-care providers' (HCP) toward patients' safety or the NICU research procedures adopted. Until now, there is no documentation on perceptions of both parents and HCP toward physiotherapy interventions adopted in the NICU.

A Study on Perception of Medical-Staff about Airborne Infection Risk in Emergency District

A Study on Perception of Medical-Staff about Airborne Infection Risk in Emergency District

A Study on Perception of Medical-Staff about Airborne Infection Risk in Emergency District

A Study on Perception of Medical-Staff about Airborne Infection Risk in Emergency District

Underlying influence of perception of management leadership on patient safety climate in healthcare organizations – A mediation analysis approach

We aim to draw insights on how medical staff's perception of management leadership affects safety climate with key safety related dimensions-teamwork climate, job satisfaction and working conditions. A cross-sectional survey using Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was performed in a medical center in Taichung City, Taiwan. The relationships among the dimensions in SAQ were then analyzed by structural equation modeling with a mediation analysis. 2205 physicians and nurses of the medical center participated in the survey. Because not all questions in the survey are suitable for entire hospital staff, only the valid responses (n = 1596, response rate of 72%) were extracted for analysis. Key measures are the direct and indirect effects of teamwork climate, job satisfaction, perception of management leadership, and working conditions on safety climate. Outcomes show that effect of perception of management leadership on safety climate is significant (standardized indirect effect of 0.892 with P-value 0.002) and fully mediated by other dimensions, where 66.9% is mediated through teamwork climate, 24.1% through working conditions and 9.0% through job satisfaction. Our findings point to the importance of management leadership and the mechanism of its influence on safety climate. To improve safety climate, the implication is that commitment by management on leading safety improvement needs to be demonstrated when it implements daily supportive actions for other safety dimensions. For future improvement, development of a management system that can facilitate two-way trust between management and staff over the long term is recommended.

Reaching women in the Peruvian Andes through cervical cancer screening campaigns: assessing attitudes of stakeholders and patients.

BackgroundPeru is characterized by high cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates. The country also experiences significant gaps in quality cervical cancer screening coverage for the population.ObjectiveThis descriptive mixed methods study conducted in Cusco, Peru, aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of medical staff, health care workers, and patients toward a cervical cancer screening program that included both clinic-based and community outreach services conducted by a nongovernmental organization clinic (CerviCusco). The study also explored patient knowledge and attitudes around cervical cancer and about the human papillomavirus (HPV) to inform patient education efforts.MethodsThe study employed structured interviews with key informants (n=16) primarily from CerviCusco, which provides cervical cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment services, and surveys with a sample of patients (n=30) receiving services at the clinic and at screening campaigns.ResultsThe majority of key informant medical staff participants felt that the general public had a very negative view of government health services. One theme running throughout the interviews was the perception that the general population lacked a culture of preventive health care and would wait until symptoms were severe before seeking treatment. Regarding services that were received by patients at CerviCusco, the participants responded that the prices were reasonable and more affordable than some private clinics. Patients attending the rural health campaigns liked that the services were free and of good quality.ConclusionCerviCusco has demonstrated its capacity to provide screening outreach campaigns to populations who had not previously had access to liquid-based cytology services. The finding that patients had generally low levels of knowledge about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine prompted the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate educational and promotional materials to improve the educational component of the periodic campaigns conducted primarily in rural areas of Andean Peru.

Factors influencing the perception of medical staff and outpatients of dual practice in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

ObjectiveDual practice is defined as a physician’s performance of medical activities in different health care institutions (two or more) simultaneously. This study aimed to examine the perception and acceptance of medical staff and outpatients of dual practice and explore the possible factors affecting people’s perception.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 public hospitals in Shanghai. Participants included medical staff and outpatients. We distributed 1,000 questionnaires to each participant group, and the response rates were 66.7% and 69.4%, respectively. Statistical differences in variables were tested, and multinomial logistic regression methods were employed for statistical analysis.ResultsThe study included two parts: medical staff survey and outpatient survey. The results of medical staff survey showed that 63.0% of the respondents supported dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the publicity activities of dual practice and hospitals’ human resource management system were important factors affecting the willingness of the medical staff. The results of outpatient survey showed that 44.5% of respondents believed that dual practice could reduce difficulty in consulting a doctor. Regarding the perceived benefits of dual practice, the proportion of outpatients who believed that dual practice could meet the demand for health convenience, minor illness, and chronic disease were 45.4%, 42.4%, and 53.7%, respectively. Additionally, demographic characteristics significantly influenced the perception of outpatients.ConclusionThis study confirmed that both medical staff and outpatients generally held positive attitudes toward dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the existence of publicity activities and more flexible management system of hospitals’ human resource would promote physicians’ willingness to participate in dual practice. In addition, perception of outpatients of dual practice was affected by demographic characteristics.

Nursing and Medical Perceptions of a Hospital Rapid Response System: New Process But Same Old Game?

Perhaps no other patient safety intervention depends so acutely on effective interprofessional teamwork for patient survival than the hospital rapid response system. Yet, little is known about nurse-physician relationships when rescuing at-risk patients. This study compared nursing and medical staff perceptions of a mature rapid response system at a large tertiary hospital. Findings indicate that the rapid response system may be failing to address a hierarchical culture and systems-level barriers to early recognition and response to patient deterioration.

Staff perceptions of live classical music in an urban medical clinic: A qualitative investigation

Despite a lack of well-controlled empirical studies to support its implementation, recorded music is often utilized in medical waiting areas. More specifically, there is a dearth of data concerning how live classical music in a medical waiting area might affect the overall environment as well as the perceptions of staff who provide medical treatment. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand medical staff perceptions of live classical music in a primary care clinic waiting area. The authors implemented a live music program consisting of live classical piano and guitar music in the waiting area of a small urban clinic. The researchers conducted individual semi-structured interviews with eight medical personnel who worked at the clinic. Data analysis was based upon Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis. Emerging themes included: (a) the clinic is a unique arts-filled healthcare provider; (b) live music is different than recorded music; (c) live music blends without overpowering the environment; (d) live music facilitates non-medical interaction; and (e) beneficial affective results of the live music. Overall, medical staff perceived the presence of live classical music in the clinic waiting area positively and all interviewees requested increases in the frequency of the live music. Based upon a mutually advantageous collaborative partnership between a university music therapy program and a university medical clinic, the authors suggest implementing similar programs for the benefit of the patients, staff, and students. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research concerning live music in medical waiting areas are provided.

A Longitudinal Study of Clinical Peer Reviewʼs Impact on Quality and Safety in U.S. Hospitals

Clinical peer review is the dominant method of event analysis in U.S. hospitals. It is pivotal to medical staff efforts to improve quality and safety, yet the quality assurance process model that has prevailed for the past 30 years evokes fear and is fundamentally antithetical to a culture of safety. Two prior national studies characterized a quality improvement model that corrects this dysfunction but failed to demonstrate progress toward its adoption despite a high rate of program change between 2007 and 2009. This study's online survey of 470 organizations participating in either of the prior studies further assessed relationships between clinical peer review program factors, including the degree of conformance to the quality improvement model (the QI model score), and subjectively measured program impact variables. Among the 300 hospitals (64%) that responded, the median QI model score was only 60 on a 100-point scale. Scores increased somewhat for the 2007 cohort (mean pair-wise difference of 5.9 [2-10]), but not for the 2009 cohort. The QI model is expanded as the result of the finding that self-reporting of adverse events, near misses, and hazardous conditions--an essential practice in high-reliability organizations--is no longer rare in hospitals. Self-reporting and the quality of case review are additional multivariate predictors of the perceived ongoing impact of clinical peer review on quality and safety, medical staff perceptions of the program, and medical staff engagement in quality and safety initiatives. Hospital leaders and trustees who seek to improve patient outcomes should facilitate the adoption of this best practice model for clinical peer review.

Measured and perceived indoor environmental quality: Padua Hospital case study

This paper presents the results of a field monitoring study of three medical wards at Padua General Hospital (Orthopaedics, Internal Medicine and Paediatrics), based on measurements of indoor conditions and on a survey of patient and medical staff perceptions. Microclimatic conditions were measured over an extended period using data loggers with a time step of 5 min. Maximum in-patient room temperatures exceeded 29 °C while mean values were around 26–27 °C. Generally, microclimatic conditions differed between in-patient and staff rooms. Spot and long-term monitoring was used to calculate PMV profiles which were compared to thermal comfort showing non uniform correspondence among wards and their occupants. Innovative statistical nonparametric methods were applied to analyse the survey, comparing the wards from both patient and staff points of view. Staff complained mostly about lack of privacy, room size, amount of common areas, poor air quality and acoustic discomfort, with significant differences between wards in relation to levels of satisfaction with building-related aspects. Patients, on the other hand, were more satisfied with both building-related aspects and indoor conditions than medical staff. Such a global assessment could easily be used, for example, to rank the necessity or the priority of changes or improvements to buildings as well as determine the most important features, both individually and globally, to be taken into consideration.

Impact of the “July Effect” on Patient Outcomes

Letters17 January 2012Impact of the “July Effect” on Patient OutcomesLouella Vaughan, DPhil, Derek Bell, MD, and Graeme McAlisterLouella Vaughan, DPhilFrom Imperial College London, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom, and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH2 1JQ, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Derek Bell, MDFrom Imperial College London, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom, and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH2 1JQ, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, and Graeme McAlisterFrom Imperial College London, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom, and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH2 1JQ, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-2-201201170-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest Young and colleagues' article (1) and the accompanying editorial (2) on the “July effect,” with a view to our own recent trans-Atlantic experience. Just as July is regarded with trepidation in the United States, so is the first Wednesday in August in the United Kingdom—the traditional changeover day for an estimated 50 000 junior doctors.Following the recent work of one of our authors (3), which demonstrated a significant increase in mortality on the first Wednesday in August compared with the last Wednesday in July, we took a survey of perceptions of medical staff ...

It's About Time: Use of Nonpharmacological Interventions in the Nursing Home

To provide a stronger evidence base for cultural change in the nursing home, this study elicited nursing, recreational therapy, and medical staff perceptions of barriers to the implementation of nonpharmacological interventions for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Thirty-five staff members (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurses' aides, recreational therapists, activity personnel, and medical directors) from six nursing homes located in Pennsylvania and North Carolina participated in the qualitative study. A focus group methodology was used to capture discussions that were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using standard methods of content and thematic analysis. Four broad themes were identified: the changing landscape; resident behaviors; reaching out to the person with dementia; and the educational needs of staff. The concept of time emerged as a key barrier to the use of nonpharmacological interventions for BPSD. Successful use of nonpharmacological interventions requires the right staff with the right education at the right time. The Vulnerability Framework is a model that helped organize these findings into a meaningful perspective. To effect change in the nursing home, the findings indicate a need for: implementation of staffing patterns that allow staff the time to make a difference in the care of residents with BPSD; development of educational programs that promote staff understanding versus control; and design of research studies that answer questions about the influence of time on the selection of interventions for BPSD.

‘Bringing them back on the right track’: Perceptions of medical staff on the rehabilitation of individuals with violently acquired spinal cord injuries

Purpose. To explore the perceptions of medical staff on the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured individuals, who became disabled from street violence.Method. A total of 16 medical staff members from two rehabilitation hospitals were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview. The interview recorded demographic information about the staff and probed at differences in clinical goals and practices with violently and non-violently injured individuals with spinal cord injuries. In all, 34 interviews were conducted from staff. Responses were tabulated and interpreted using a grounded theory approach.Results. Staff set goals of ‘increasing independence’ that are informed by their professional backgrounds. The ‘differences’ in persons with violently acquired disabilities were noted, both in terms of needs, resources and attitudes. Depending on the professional and racial background of the staff, there was an indication of different degrees of tolerance toward patients' non-compliance with rehabilitation goals. Staff members are largely welcoming of the perceived impact of peer mentoring as it increases the cultural competence of the hospital in dealing with individuals who were violently disabled.Conclusions. Findings, although exploratory, emphasise the dynamics of perception development, through the tensions in the goal of independent functioning and perceived differences in persons who became disabled from street violence.

Political Terrains of Emergency Contraception: Medical Staff Perceptions of Sexual Assault Victim Credibility

Political Terrains of Emergency Contraception: Medical Staff Perceptions of Sexual Assault Victim Credibility

Staff experiences of an early warning indicator for unstable patients in Australia

The objective of this study is to explore nursing and medical staff's perceptions of a clinical marker referral tool implemented to assist in the early identification of unstable patients in the general surgical and medical ward environment. A descriptive, exploratory survey design was undertaken 6 months after the implementation of a clinical marker referral tool. The target population for the survey was all ward nursing, junior medical staff and intensive care unit (ICU) registrars in a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital in Australia. The survey consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions, as well as statements asking participants to explore their perceptions, attitudes and perceived understanding of the clinical marker referral tool. The surveys were sent to all targeted staff in a personally addressed envelope via the internal mail system. Overall, nursing and medical staff (n = 178) responses were positive to the clinical marker project/tool, offering clear guidelines for staff to respond to the patient's clinical condition and contact the medical staff and the ICU liaison team as appropriate. Furthermore, comments were made in relation to the ICU liaison team acting as a 'support' and 'prompt back-up' for nursing staff when needed. However, ward medical staff had reservations with the clinical markers chosen and with ward nurses being able to contact the ICU registrar after hours. Additionally, the ICU registrars commented on an increase to their workload in having to review unstable patients after hours. These results suggest that the ward nurses required additional support and guidance in caring for the unstable patient in the ward which may improve patient outcomes. Further research investigating the less-favourable responses of the ward medical staff and ICU medical staff is warranted.