Nurse staffing and adverse events in residential aged care: Retrospective multi-site analysis

Nhongo, Dorika; Holt, Annie; Flenady, Tracy; Rebar, Amanda L.; Bail, Kasia

doi:10.1016/j.colegn.2022.09.017

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When there are inadequate staff, the chance of medication errors occurring is high, a lack of adequate staffing can inadvertently lead to missed doses or the inability to deliver medication at the correct time. Missed care and occurrence of adverse events such as falls and pressure injuries within RACF as a result of nurse staffing were recently reported by Nhongo et al (2023). Similarly, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (2021) reported medication errors occur as a result of missed care in RACF due to a lack of care workers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…These were classified into three broad categories: busy shifts, interprofessional involvement and work interruptions, yet have various sub elements within and are described below. falls and pressure injuries within RACF as a result of nurse staffing were recently reported byNhongo et al (2023). Similarly, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (2021) reported medication errors occur as a result of missed care in RACF due to a lack of care workers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Nurses' perspectives on medication errors and prevention strategies in residential aged care facilities through a national survey

Kuppadakkath,

Bhowmik,

Olasoji

et al. 2023

Int J Older People Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMedication errors are common in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) due to several factors. Effective medication management is essential to prevent medication errors among older people particularly due to the complexity of co‐morbidities they can experience.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine and quantify the contributing factors of medication errors from nurses' perspectives and the prevention strategies to reduce medication errors among older adults living in RACFs.MethodsA survey with 140 completed responses from registered nurses (RNs) and endorsed enrolled nurses (EENs) working in RACFs across Australia were included in the study. The survey had 24 items, related to contributing factors of medication errors, and the prevention strategies. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were used in the data analysis process.ResultsThe study identified medication errors are caused by contributing factors such as use of agency staffing (70.4%) and delays in receipt of laboratory results (94.3%). However, it also identified suggestions to reduce medication errors in RACFs, for example use of electronic alerts (88.3%), and efficient laboratory communication (91.8%). Our results revealed three key factors for causes (workload, interprofessional involvement and interruptions) and suggestions (medication safety alerts, medication process improvement and effective reporting).ConclusionMedication errors in RACFs are a global problem being one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The knowledge and awareness of the factors associated with medication errors and the prevention strategies can guide potential quality improvement plans and contribute to minimisation of risk associated with medication safety in RACFs.Implications for practiceThe study recommends strategies for best practices in medication management such as interprofessional collaboration, implementing standardised policies and electronic alerts to reduce medication errors in RACFs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

mentioning

confidence: 94%

Nurses' perspectives on medication errors and prevention strategies in residential aged care facilities through a national survey

Kuppadakkath,

Bhowmik,

Olasoji

et al. 2023

Int J Older People Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Without accurate data, it is impossible to assess if the increasing popularity and inclusion of AAA in all its various forms has led to increased animal-related incidents in RACF. As Nhongo et al [ 39 ] demonstrate, the frequency of incidence is affected by staffing levels and the time of day, where weekends, public holidays, and out-of-hours had higher rates of adverse events (falls, medication errors, skin tears etc.). However, it is unclear if the presence of animals during these times has or would result in additional adverse incidents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fur, Fin, and Feather: Management of Animal Interactions in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities

Newton

Signal

Judd

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have been occurring in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) for more than 40 years and may relieve loneliness and improve quality of life. The presence of animals in RACF poses an inherent risk to residents and the animals involved. Little is known about the policies and guidelines for including animals in the Australian RACF. We anticipated that most RACFs would have some policies, but they may lack the detail necessary to keep humans and animals safe. Using an adapted survey, we surveyed and interviewed a small but representative sample of Australian RACF managers. The results demonstrated that RACF did have animal policies; however, the content regarding the need for hand washing, infection prevention, and animal welfare was lacking. Including unregulated family pets in RACF was an unexpected additional risk factor identified during data analysis. There is a need for national guidelines tied to the national aged care policy, which includes training and educational resources for RACF and AAI providers.

show abstract

“…A more recent study by Nantsupawat et al (2022) reported higher numbers of patients per nurse were associated with higher missed care and increased adverse events; however, there was no significant association between missed care and patient falls. Nhongo et al (2022) recommended that more research on staffing levels and falls is needed. Therefore, the association between staffing levels, missed care and falls requires further investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of safety culture, quality of care, missed care and nurse staffing on patient falls: A multisource association study

Alanazi

Lapkin

Molloy

et al. 2023

Journal of Clinical Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimsTo examine the association between nursing unit safety culture, quality of care, missed care and nurse staffing levels, and inpatient falls using two data sources: incidence of falls and nurses' perceptions of fall frequency in their units. The study explores the association between the two sources of patient falls and identifies if nurses' perceptions of patient fall frequency reflect the actual patient falls recorded in the incident management system.BackgroundInpatient falls are associated with severe complications that result in extended hospitalisation and increased financial consequences for patients and healthcare services.DesignA multi‐source cross‐sectional study guided by the STROBE guidelines.MethodsA purposive sample of 33 nursing units (619 nurses) from five hospitals completed an online survey from August to November 2021. The survey measured safety culture, quality of care, missed care, nurse staffing levels and nurses' perceptions of patient fall frequency. In addition, secondary data on falls from participating units between 2018 and 2021 were also collected. Generalised linear models were fitted to examine the association between study variables.ResultsNursing units with strong safety climate and working conditions and lower missed care were associated with lower rates of falls using both data sources. Nurses' perceptions of the frequency of falls in their units were reflective of the actual incidence rate of falls, but the association was not statistically significant.ConclusionNursing units with a strong safety climate and better collaborations between nurses and other professionals, including physicians and pharmacists, were associated with lower incidents of patient falls.Relevance to Clinical PracticeThis study provided evidence for healthcare services and hospital managers to minimise patient falls.Patient or Public ContributionPatients who had experienced a fall, which was reported in the incident management system, from the included units in the five hospitals were part of this study.

show abstract

Nurse staffing and adverse events in residential aged care: Retrospective multi-site analysis

Cited by 4 publications

References 31 publications

Nurses' perspectives on medication errors and prevention strategies in residential aged care facilities through a national survey

Nurses' perspectives on medication errors and prevention strategies in residential aged care facilities through a national survey

Fur, Fin, and Feather: Management of Animal Interactions in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities

The impact of safety culture, quality of care, missed care and nurse staffing on patient falls: A multisource association study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About