The Effect of Barcode Technology Use on Pathology Specimen Labeling Errors

Exploring the Usage Effectiveness of a Nursing Charge System

The nursing charge system for inpatient accounting has been utilized in healthcare institutions for years. However, the level of its effectiveness in meeting the needs of nursing services, including further development, has not been systematically evaluated. A cross-sectional study based in Delone and McLean's information system success model was applied to explore the level of effective nursing charge system usage across the five dimensions of system quality, information quality, service quality, user satisfaction, and net benefits. We conducted a survey of the inpatient units of a medical center in Taiwan from June 23, 2021, to July 23, 2021. A total of 214 valid questionnaires were collected. Using a 5-point Likert scale, the dimension with the highest score was information quality (3.71), followed by service quality (3.37), user satisfaction (3.36), net benefits (3.31), and system quality (3.23). Older nurses ( r = -0.176) and those with more clinical experience ( r = -0.151) viewed the nursing charge system as having less information quality. The comfort level with using the computer was positively associated with system quality ( r = 0.396), information quality ( r = 0.378), service quality ( r = 0.275), user satisfaction ( r = 0.417), and net benefits ( r = 0.355). The opinions of nurses are vital. User feedback and advice should be investigated regularly to achieve system optimization.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Nurses' Usage of a Wound-Photography System

As a result of rapid advancements in health information technology, uploading health-related information and records onto an electronic health record system has become a common practice. Photographs of patients' wounds have been uploaded electronically, but widespread acceptance by nurses has been prevented owing to issues such as file size and equipment. This research explores the attitude and satisfaction toward using an electronic health record for uploading wound photos. Through the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model, Information System Success Model, and other study results, this research aims to explore the impact of the following variables: system quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, user attitude, user satisfaction, and net benefits. We also tested nurses' understanding regarding the process of taking photographs and explored the photograph quality and the photography uploading rates. The results revealed that users were satisfied with the wound-photography system, but some believed that the system stability, processing time, and image resolution should be improved. In addition, more than 80% of the nurses correctly answered photo-taking questions, the study photos reached 70% of the quality standards, and the average uploading rate was 74%. The results could serve as guidelines for system design in the future.

Technological innovation for workload allocation in nursing care management: an integrative review

Background

Technology reduces the nursing workload, improve the quality care processes, patient's safety, and avoid staff burnout. Innovative technologies are disrupting healthcare systems by improving the efficiency of processes and management. There is a discussion on the benefits, challenges, and barriers of these technologies and considering human factors of nursing management. The aim was to analyze the influence of technologies on the distribution of workload for nursing care management.

Methods

An integrative literature review was performed. Four databases were searched: Scopus, Scielo, PUBMED, and CINALH following PRISMA guidelines. Articles published from January 2016 to December 2020, published in English, Spanish and Portuguese were included. Studies were excluded when they were not original research, did not met the quality criteria or they did not answer the research questions. Quality appraisal was performed using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool version 1.4 (CCAT). Two reviewers independently examined the title and abstract for eligibility according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results

2818 potentially relevant articles were found, but once the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the abstracts were analyzed, 177 remained for evaluation. After following the PRISMA Guidelines, 35 studies were included in the review. Three categories were identified: Nursing workload; Information technologies and technological means for management; Technology acceptance.

Conclusions

Technology has the potential to improve care management by estimating nurse workload in ICUs and non-critical units, but scientific evidence is more detailed in the former type of services. The literature provides insights about the factors that factors and the barriers that promote the technology acceptance and usability. We did not find studies comparing technologies and no scientific evidence proving improvements in care.

Barcode and radio frequency identification utilization varied across Korean hospitals

Barcodes and radio frequency identification (RFID) are increasingly used in health care to improve patient safety. However, studies on their utilization in clinical settings are limited. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the utilization status of barcodes and RFID in Korean hospitals, recognize the effects and obstacles associated with utilization, and explore the measures to expand the applications of barcodes and RFID. A self-reported online survey was conducted in tertiary hospitals, general hospitals, hospitals, and nursing hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The survey questionnaire comprised questions on barcodes and RFID utilization status, the effect of barcodes and RFID utilization, measures to expand the utilization of barcodes and RFID, and information on respondents' demographics and hospitals. A representative from each of 23 tertiary hospitals, 101 general hospitals, 232 hospitals, and 214 nursing hospitals completed the survey (total response rate 17%). The data were analysed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test to determine the differences in responses based on the type and characteristics of hospitals. The tertiary hospitals had the highest utilizations of both RFID and barcodes (n = 10, 43.5%), whereas the nursing hospitals had the lowest (n = 96, 55.1%). Barcodes and RFID were most commonly used in the visits and security management domains. However, the use of barcodes and RFID in medication dispensing and administration safety was low, despite its value in improving patient safety. The hospitals recognized the positive effect of utilization of barcodes and RFID, reporting the highest frequency for the prevention of patient safety incidents (n = 79, 85.9%). Nevertheless, the cost of barcodes and RFID facility investments (n = 128, 90.3%) appeared to be the greatest obstacle to the introduction of barcodes and RFID. Hence, barcodes and RFID facility investment support (n = 133, 95.5%) were given the highest priority among the measures to expand barcode and RFID utilization in health care. The utilization of barcodes and RFID varied across the type and domain of hospitals in the Republic of Korea. Hospitals recognized the positive effects of barcode and RFID utilization. Nonetheless, all hospitals were concerned about the cost of investment and maintenance of barcode and RFID facilities as the main obstacles to utilization. Therefore, a support plan must be developed for the cost of barcodes and RFID facility investments to expand barcode and RFID utilization in health care.

Operating Room Nurses' Understanding of Their Roles and Responsibilities for Patient Care and Safety Measures in Intraoperative Practice

Introduction

Surgical care has been a vital part of healthcare services worldwide. Several patient safety measures have been adopted universally in the operating room (OR) before, during, and following surgical procedures. Despite this, errors or near misses still occur. Nurses in the OR have a pivotal role in the identification of factors that may impact patient safety and quality of care. Therefore, exploring the OR nurses' understanding of their roles and responsibilities for patient care and safety in the intraoperative practice, which could lead to optimal patient safety, is essential.

Objective

This study explored the understanding of OR nurses regarding their roles and responsibilities for patient care and safety measures in the intraoperative practice.

Methods

The study was conducted in one of the tertiary care hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. Qualitative, descriptive, exploratory research design was utilized. The data were collected using semi-structured face to face interviews. Purposive sampling included eight nurses. Data analysis was performed following Colaizzi's seven-step strategy.

Results

Seven emerging themes were identified. The main themes are: patient safety, preoperative preparation, standardization of practice, time management, staffing appropriateness, staff education and communication, and support to the patient in the OR.

Conclusion

OR nurse leaders may take into consideration the current findings as a reference for quality improvement projects in the hospital, considering the specific characteristics of each local setting. Although the participants consider that the environment is safe and the quality of care is high in the study setting, there is still room for improvement on workflows and processes. OR workflow should be improved especially by addressing the potential patient safety issues.

The Sample Error Pre-Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Its Influencing Factors from the Perspective of Hospital Management: A Cross-Sectional Study

The overuse of antibiotics remains serious and has led to a dramatic increase in antimicrobial resistance, which poses a significant threat to global public health, although much action has been taken by World Health Organization and countries. As the direct evidence to guide the prescribing of antibiotics, the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) results were biased by sample errors, which was urgent and poorly explored in quality management. This study aimed to analyze sample errors pre-AST and its influencing factors from the perspective of hospital management, to provide evidence for promoting rational antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship. A cross-sectional survey of 5963 clinical nurses involved in pathogenic sample collection was conducted in 118 public hospitals in Hubei province, China. Dependent variables were sample errors attributed to resources and technology-oriented, capability-oriented, and attitude-oriented errors, which were measured by times per week. Independent variables were sample management information such as guidelines, record after collection, performance appraisal, training, and publicity activities, in which guidelines, record time, and record method were dummy variables, with 1 indicating having and 0 not. Others were continuous variables ranging from 0 to 4 times per month. Ordinary Least Square regression models were performed to analyze influencing factors on sample error times. The averages of sample errors on resource and technology-oriented, capability-oriented, and attitude-oriented were 1.48, 1.35, and 1.36 times per week, and their proportion were 25.3%, 38.9%, and 35.8%, respectively. The results showed that recording timeliness (r = −0.354, p < 0.01), record using both paper and digital methods(r = −0.060, p < 0.01), performance appraisal(r = −0.188, p < 0.01), and publicity activities (r = −0.186, p < 0.01) significantly reduced times of resource and technology-oriented errors. Performance appraisals(r = −0.171, p < 0.01) and training activities (r = −0.208, p < 0.01) had a positive impact on the reduction of capability-oriented error times. The times of attitude-oriented error decreased significantly when recording timeliness (r = −0.299, p < 0.01), implementing performance appraisal (r = −0.164, p < 0.01), and training activities (r = −0.188, p < 0.01). This study found that there was a high frequency of sample errors in quality management, especially capability-oriented and attitude-oriented errors. Sample information management, performance appraisal, training, and publicity activities were associated with the quality of samples valuable for the rational use of antibiotics.

Exploring the Outcomes and Satisfaction of Automated Physiological Monitoring Systems Among Nurses

Vital signs are central to the assessment of physiologic functions of patients and must be included in the electronic health record. The purpose of this retrospective and cross-sectional design study was to evaluate use of-and satisfaction with-automated physiological monitoring systems. Usage data from a hospital database were analyzed 3, 6, and 12 months after implementation of the automated system (June 2018 to May 2019). In addition, questionnaires were completed by 168 nurses, and 20 nurses were interviewed between August/September 2020 and October/November 2020, respectively. Results revealed that usage frequency of automated physiological monitoring devices increased steadily with user familiarity. Although respondents indicated general satisfaction with the devices, system downtime, sufficiency of the battery charge, and data transmission speed were identified as needing correction to smooth workflow and boost work efficiency. Although most interviewees considered devices easy to use, some mentioned transmission speed of the gateway, scanner sensitivity, and accuracy of the ear thermometer as needing improvement. For nurses to use automated physiological monitoring devices fully, a user-friendly design in functions and features is vital, and in-service training and a streamlined workflow are recommended to facilitate technology adoption.