Nursing
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/24
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Item One Chance to Get it Right: Exploring Perspectives and Experiences in Care Home Discharge Decision-Making in the Acute Hospital(Wiley, 2025-09-05) Stevenson, Gemma; Burton, Jennifer Kirsty; Shenkin, Susan D.; MacArthur, Juliet; McCormack, Brendan; Clare Halpenny; Rhynas, SarahBackground Discharge from acute hospital to new care home is a complex and life changing process often involving several key stakeholders in decision-making such as the older person, their significant person and members of the multidisciplinary team. There is limited research exploring the perspectives of these stakeholders, including factors that influence decision-making and how this is communicated. Objective This study explored how decisions are made to discharge older people directly from hospital to care home, considering the perspectives and experiences of those involved. Methods A case study design was used to explore the experiences of six older people admitted to acute hospital from home for whom discharge to care home was planned. Six datasets were formed, each comprising semi-structured interviews with the person, their significant person(s) (if applicable), multi-disciplinary professionals and review of health and social-work records. Datasets were analysed using an inductive thematic approach before cross-dataset analysis. Results Findings emphasised the complex and personal nature of decision-making. The older person was often keen to talk about their decision. Significant people highlighted the complexity of balancing risk and care needs. However, the magnitude of the decision to older people and their significant persons appeared to go underacknowledged by professionals. The hospital context was significant as a location for decision-making. Communication was integral to the experiences of those involved; however, uncertainty and lack of role clarity impacted this. Conclusions This study offers new insights into the complexity of discharge to care home from hospital. This life-changing decision requires greater recognition by professionals. Improved understanding of the process and well-developed communication is central to enhancing the experience for those involved. Implications for Practice The significance of this oftentimes final decision should not be underestimated. The findings indicate a clear need for interdisciplinary education about care home discharge, and the importance of professionals' availability and approachability throughout decision-making. Professionals are encouraged to recognise a shared responsibility for the provision of information and guidance, and create opportunities for open and supportive conversations with older people and their families to explore the decision and discuss their feelings.Item Becoming a person-centred facilitator of learning in a hospital setting: Findings from a participatory action-oriented study with hospital-based educators(Elsevier, 2024-12-13) Robinson, Betty Ann; McCormack, Brendan; Dickson, CarolineAim Investigate the experience of hospital-based educators becoming person-centred facilitators of learning. Background Hospital-based educators working with staff are not well-prepared for their role. No person-centred pedagogical approaches exist specifically for use in hospital settings. Educators are positioned to advance person-centredness in clinical practice. To do so they need knowledge and skills in person-centred approaches. Little is known about how educators transform from teacher-centred approaches to person-centred facilitation. This study investigated how educators learn about and use person-centred principles to acquire educational theory and become person-centred facilitators. Design Participatory, action-oriented research Methods Guided by four person-centred principles blending relational inquiry and practice development, 10 educators participated in group and individual sessions over 18 months. Data were analyzed using relational inquiry and critical creative hermeneutics. Results Becoming person-centred facilitators was enabled through three principles: starting with self, developing community and belonging and bumping against culture and inviting transformation. Participants became person-centred facilitators through intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual transformations during moments of discovery, reconciliation and action. Competence developed by experiencing and using four methodological principles of taking a relational stance; using active learning to learn in and from practice; being collaborative, inclusive and participatory; and linking creativity with cognition. This model resulted in improved trust, strengthened relationships and more meaningful and robust learning outcomes. Conclusions Hospital-based educators can be enabled to become person-centred facilitators by providing them with person-centred learning opportunities. The four methodological principles, as a model for person-centred education, provided an effective preparation and orientation to educational and person-centred theory.Item Using Palliative Care Needs Rounds in the UK for care home staff and residents: an implementation science study(NIHR Journals Library, 2024-07) Forbat, Liz; Macgregor, Aisha; Spilsbury, Karen; McCormack, Brendan; Rutherford, Alasdair; Hanratty, Barbara; Hockley, Jo; Davison, Lisa; Ogden, Margaret; Soulsby, Irene; McKenzie, MaisieBackground Care home residents often lack access to end-of-life care from specialist palliative care providers. Palliative Care Needs Rounds, developed and tested in Australia, is a novel approach to addressing this. Objective To co-design and implement a scalable UK model of Needs Rounds. Design A pragmatic implementation study using the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework. Setting Implementation was conducted in six case study sites (England, n = 4, and Scotland, n = 2) encompassing specialist palliative care service working with three to six care homes each. Participants Phase 1: interviews (n = 28 care home staff, specialist palliative care staff, relatives, primary care, acute care and allied health practitioners) and four workshops (n = 43 care home staff, clinicians and managers from specialist palliative care teams and patient and public involvement and engagement representatives). Phase 2: interviews (n = 58 care home and specialist palliative care staff); family questionnaire (n = 13 relatives); staff questionnaire (n = 171 care home staff); quality of death/dying questionnaire (n = 81); patient and public involvement and engagement evaluation interviews (n = 11); fidelity assessment (n = 14 Needs Rounds recordings). Interventions (1) Monthly hour-long discussions of residents’ physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs, alongside case-based learning, (2) clinical work and (3) relative/multidisciplinary team meetings. Main outcome measures A programme theory describing what works for whom under what circumstances with UK Needs Rounds. Secondary outcomes focus on health service use and cost effectiveness, quality of death and dying, care home staff confidence and capability, and the use of patient and public involvement and engagement. Data sources Semistructured interviews and workshops with key stakeholders from the six sites; capability of adopting a palliative approach, quality of death and dying index, and Canadian Health Care Evaluation Project Lite questionnaires; recordings of Needs Rounds; care home data on resident demographics/health service use; assessments and interventions triggered by Needs Rounds; semistructured interviews with academic and patient and public involvement and engagement members. Results The programme theory: while care home staff experience workforce challenges such as high turnover, variable skills and confidence, Needs Rounds can provide care home and specialist palliative care staff the opportunity to collaborate during a protected time, to plan for residents’ last months of life. Needs Rounds build care home staff confidence and can strengthen relationships and trust, while harnessing services’ complementary expertise. Needs Rounds strengthen understandings of dying, symptom management, advance/anticipatory care planning and communication. This can improve resident care, enabling residents to be cared for and die in their preferred place, and may benefit relatives by increasing their confidence in care quality. Limitations COVID-19 restricted intervention and data collection. Due to an insufficient sample size, it was not possible to conduct a cost–benefit analysis of Needs Rounds or calculate the treatment effect or family perceptions of care. Conclusions Our work suggests that Needs Rounds can improve the quality of life and death for care home residents, by enhancing staff skills and confidence, including symptom management, communications with general practitioners and relatives, and strengthen relationships between care home and specialist palliative care staff.Item Listen to me, I really am sick! Patient and family narratives of clinical deterioration before and during rapid response system intervention(2024-05-31) Bucknall, Tracey K.; Guinane, Jessica; McCormack, Brendan; Jones, Daryl; Buist, Michael; Hutchinson, Alison M.Aim: To explore patient and family narratives about their recognition and response to clinical deterioration and their interactions with clinicians prior to and during Medical Emergency Team (MET) activations in hospital. Background: Research on clinical deterioration has mostly focused on clinicians' roles. Although patients and families can identify subtle cues of early deterioration, little research has focused on their experience of recognising, speaking up and communicating with clinicians during this period of instability. Design: A narrative inquiry. Methods: Using narrative interviewing techniques, 33 adult patients and 14 family members of patients, who had received a MET call, in one private and one public academic teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia were interviewed. Narrative analysis was conducted on the data. Results: The core story of help seeking for recognition and response by clinicians to patient deterioration yielded four subplots: (1) identifying deterioration, recognition that something was not right and different from earlier; (2) voicing concerns to their nurse or by family members on their behalf; (3) being heard, desiring a response acknowledging the legitimacy of their concerns; and (4) once concerns were expressed, there was an expectation of and trust in clinicians to act on the concerns and manage the situation. Conclusion: Clinical deterioration results in an additional burden for hospitalised patients and families to speak up, seek help and resolve their concerns. Educating patients and families on what to be concerned about and when to notify staff requires a close partnership with clinicians. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Clinicians must create an environment that enables patients and families to speak up. They must be alert to both subjective and objective information, to acknowledge and to act on the information accordingly. Reporting Method: The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines were used for reporting. Patient or Public Contribution: The consumer researcher was involved in design, data analysis and publication preparation.Item The development and structural validity testing of the Person-centred Practice Inventory–Care (PCPI-C)(Public Library of Science, 2024-05-10) McCormack, Brendan; Slater, Paul F.; Gilmour, Fiona; Edgar, Denise; Gschwenter, Stefan; McFadden, Sonyia; Hughes, Ciara; Wilson, Val; McCance, TanyaBackground: Person-centred healthcare focuses on placing the beliefs and values of service users at the centre of decision-making and creating the context for practitioners to do this effectively. Measuring the outcomes arising from person-centred practices is complex and challenging and often adopts multiple perspectives and approaches. Few measurement frameworks are grounded in an explicit person-centred theoretical framework. Aims: In the study reported in this paper, the aim was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the experience of person-centred care by service users (patients)–The Person-centred Practice Inventory-Care (PCPI-C). Methods: Based on the ‘person-centred processes’ construct of an established Person-centred Practice Framework (PCPF), a service user instrument was developed to complement existing instruments informed by the same theoretical framework–the PCPF. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used to construct and test the instrument, working with international partners and service users in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia and Austria. A three-phase approach was adopted to the development and testing of the PCPI-C: Phase 1 –Item Selection: following an iterative process a list of 20 items were agreed upon by the research team for use in phase 2 of the project; Phase 2 –Instrument Development and Refinement: Development of the PCPI-C was undertaken through two stages. Stage 1 involved three sequential rounds of data collection using focus groups in Scotland, Australia and Northern Ireland; Stage 2 involved distributing the instrument to members of a global community of practice for person-centred practice for review and feedback, as well as refinement and translation through one: one interviews in Austria. Phase 3: Testing Structural Validity of the PCPI-C: A sample of 452 participants participated in this phase of the study. Service users participating in existing cancer research in the UK, Malta, Poland and Portugal, as well as care homes research in Austria completed the draft PCPI-C. Data were collected over a 14month period (January 2021-March 2022). Descriptive and measures of dispersion statistics were generated for all items to help inform subsequent analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using maximum likelihood robust extraction testing of the 5-factor model of the PCPI-C. Results: The testing of the PCPI-C resulted in a final 18 item instrument. The results demonstrate that the PCPI-C is a psychometrically sound instrument, supporting a five-factor model that examines the service user’s perspective of what constitutes person-centred care. Conclusion and implications: This new instrument is generic in nature and so can be used to evaluate how person-centredness is perceived by service users in different healthcare contexts and at different levels of an organisation. Thus, it brings a service user perspective to an organisation-wide evaluation framework.Item Leadership practices that enable healthful cultures in clinical practice: A realist evaluation(2023-12-06) Dickson, Caroline; Merrell, Joy; Mcilfatrick, Sonja; Westcott, Liz; Gleeson, Nigel; McCormack, BrendanAim: To generate, test and refine programme theories that emerged from a rapid realist review investigating practising UK Nurses' and Midwives' experiences of effective leadership strategies during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background: The realist review of literature generated six tentative theories of healthful leadership practices reflecting, working with people's beliefs and values; being facilitative; multiple means of communication and; practical support. The review yielded little insight into the actual impact of the leadership approaches advocated. Methods: A realist study, informed by person‐centredness using mixed‐methods. Online survey (n = 328) and semi‐structured interviews (n = 14) of nurses and midwives across the UK in different career positions/specialities. Quantitative data analysed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. Framework analysis for qualitative data using context (C), mechanism (M), outcome (O) configurations of the tentative theories. Results: Three refined theories were identified concerning: Visibility and availability; embodying values and; knowing self. Healthful leadership practices are only achievable within organisational cultures that privilege well‐being. Conclusions: Leaders should intentionally adopt practices that promote well‐being. ‘Knowing self’ as a leader, coaching and mentoring practice development is important for leadership development. Implications for Clinical Practice: Nurses who feel valued, heard, cared for and safe are more likely to remain in clinical practice. Job satisfaction and being motivated to practice with confidence and competence will impact positively on patient outcomes. Impact: The study addresses the role of leadership in developing healthful workplace cultures. The main findings were six leadership practices that promote healthful cultures. The research will have an impact on strategic and clinical leaders, nurses and midwives. Reporting Method: This study used EQUATOR checklist, RAMASES II as reporting standards for realist evaluations. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.Item German translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the Person-Centred Practice Inventory—Staff (PCPI-S)(BioMed Central, 2023-05-09) von Dach, Christoph; Schlup, Nanja; Gschwenter, Stefan; McCormack, BrendanBackground: The person-centred practice framework represents the cornerstone of a middle-range theory. Internationally, person-centredness has become an increasingly common topic. The measurement of the existence of a person-centred culture is complex and subtle. The Person-Centred Practice Inventory—Staff (PCPI-S) measures clinicians’ experience of a person-centred culture in their practice. The PCPI-S was developed in English. Therefore, the aims of this study were (1) to translate the PCPI-S into German and to cross-culturally adapt and test in the acute care setting (PCPI-S aG Swiss) and (2) to investigate the psychometric properties of the PCPI-S aG Swiss. Methods: The two-phase investigation of this cross-sectional observational study followed the guidelines and principles of good practice for the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation of self-reporting measures. Phase 1 involved an eight-step translation and cultural adaptation of the PCPI-S testing in an acute care setting. In Phase 2, psychometric retesting and statistical analysis based on a quantitative cross-sectional survey were undertaken. To evaluate the construct validity, a confirmatory factor analysis was implemented. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the internal consistency. Results: A sample of 711 nurses working in a Swiss acute care setting participated in testing the PCPI-S aG Swiss. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good overall model fit, validating the strong theoretical framework, which underpins the PCPI-S aG Swiss. Cronbach’s alpha scores demonstrated excellent internal consistency. Conclusion: The chosen procedure ensured cultural adaptation to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The psychometric results were good to excellent and comparable with other translations of the instrument.Item Stakeholder’s experiences of living and caring in technology-rich supported living environments for tenants living with dementia(BioMed Central, 2023-02-01) Daly-Lynn, Jean; Ryan, Assumpta; McCormack, Brendan; Martin, SuzanneBackground: Technology innovation provides an opportunity to support the rising number of people living with dementia globally. The present study examines experiences of people who have dementia and live in technology enriched supported care models. Additionally, it explores caregiver’s attitudes towards technology use with the housing scheme. Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted, and eight housing schemes consented to take part in the study. A technology audit was undertaken in addition to participant interviews and caregiver survey. Seven peer researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 people living with dementia. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Informal and formal caregivers were invited to complete a survey to capture their attitudes towards technology use. A total of 20 informal and 31 formal caregiver surveys were returned. All surveys were input into Survey Monkey and downloaded into excel for analysis. Closed questions were analysed using descriptive statistics and open-ended questions were organised into themes and described descriptively. Results: The technology audit identified that technologies were in place from as early as 2002. Technology heterogeneity of, both passive and active devices, was found within the housing schemes. Technologies such as wearable devices were reportedly used according to need, and mobile phone use was widely adopted. The themes that developed out of the tenant interviews were: Attitudes and Engagement with Technology; Technology Enhancing Tenants Sense of Security; Seeking Support and Digital Literacy; and Technology Enabled Connection. A lack of awareness about living alongside technology was a major finding. Technologies enabled a sense of reassurance and facilitated connections with the wider community. The interaction with technology presented challenges, for example, remembering passwords, access to Wi-Fi and the identification of its use in an emergency. The caregiver survey reported a range of facilitators and barriers for the use of technology within care. Both types of caregivers held relatively similar views around the benefits of technology, however their views on issues such as privacy and consent varied. Safety was considered more important than right to privacy by family caregivers. Conclusions: The present study provides new insight into stakeholder’s experiences of living, working and caregiving alongside technology in supported living environments. As the generation of people living with dementia become more tech savvy, harnessing everyday technologies to support care could enable holistic care and support the transition through the care continuum. Advance care planning and technology assessments are at the very core of future technology provision. It is evident that a paternalistic attitudes towards technology use could impact the multitude of benefits technology can play in both health and leisure for people living with dementia and their caregivers.Item Elements of person-centred care of older people in primary healthcare: A systematic literature review with thematic analysis(De Gruyter, 2023-01-30) Kegl, Barbara; Fekonja, Zvonka; Kmetec, Sergej; McCormack, Brendan; Reljić, Nataša MlinarBackground: Higher life expectancy in the ageing population and, consequently, an increase in the older population bring additional challenges for healthcare providers, especially in primary healthcare. The person-centred care of older people is defined as an approach that puts older people at the centre of care and recognizes the importance of their needs. The chapter aims to identify the key elements of person-centred care for older people, in primary healthcare. Methods: A systematic review of relevant literature was carried out. Literature searches were conducted in international databases, with keywords and their synonyms with Boolean operators. The search was limited to articles published until December 2021. Results: The literature review identified two main themes: (1) personal and communication determinants like the interaction of all participants, the experience of illness and the needs of the older people, the attitude of the primary healthcare team, the wishes of the older people and (2) managerial characteristics that include qualification, leadership, organization, and operationalization. Conclusion: The person-centred care of older people should be caring, compassionate, empathetic, confident, supportive, autonomous, and respectful. All these identified elements need to be heard and respected by all primary healthcare teams. It is important to recognize the needs of older people and, at the same time, have a positive experience with professional healthcare. The person-centred care of older people should focus on the patient's needs, family, and the wider local community. ©2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter. All rights reserved.Item Triage of patients with acute coronary syndrome at the emergency department: A retrospective study(2023-01-30) Kmetec, Sergej; Fekonja, Zvonka; Markež, Urša; McCormack, Brendan; Fekonja, Urška; Strnad, Matej; Lorber, MatejaBackground: Acute coronary syndrome represents a considerable challenge worldwide as one of the causes of death; its diagnosis is often very complex. It includes acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, acute myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation, unstable angina pectoris, and sudden cardiac arrest. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 678 patients who were admitted to the emergency department between 2015 and 2019 with acute coronary syndrome. Triage data were reviewed for vital signs, baseline characteristics, chief complaints, demographic variables, mode and time of arrival, triage, diagnosis, and treatment. Regression was used to identify key symptoms and patient characteristics at triage encounter to predict acute coronary syndrome. Results: A total of 678 triage records were identified. The average age of the sample was 67 years old, 58.6% male, and 31.8% came by themselves to the emergency department. The most common diagnosis was acute myocardial infarctions without ST elevation (38.2%). Chest pain and difficulty in breathing were the two most common symptoms. Most patients were not assigned to the appropriate triage category, i.e., were diagnosed as less urgent. Discussion and conclusion: This study presents the triage of patients with acute coronary syndrome at the emergency department to provide a comprehensive insight into their care. By identifying patient symptoms at the emergency department, nurse triage recognizes patients with acute coronary syndrome on time, thus increasing the accuracy of determining the triage category, which will impact the treatment outcome of patients. ©2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter. All rights reserved.