Browsing by Author "Baldwin A"

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    An exploration of frontline health professional's current understanding of non-fatal strangulation.
    (John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2024-07-07) Donaldson AE; Ravono A; Hurren E; Harvey C; Baldwin A; Solomon B
    Aim To explore frontline health professionals' current understanding of non-fatal strangulation and their need for and support for a comprehensive education and screening package to support health delivery. Design A descriptive mixed-method approach was chosen to analyse responses to an anonymous, online survey consisting of ten Likert scale, open-ended and five demographic questions. 103 frontline health professionals (nurses, doctors, paramedics, midwives) participated in this study. Methods Content analysis of the Likert scale and open-ended questions describing the subjective experiences and perceptions of the participants was undertaken along with percentage and frequency counts of the rated Likert responses. Results The findings identified that 51.1% of health professionals do not ask about strangulation routinely and that 59% of health professionals reported receiving no formal education or professional development on NFS to enhance their knowledge or inform clinical practice. No health professionals identified mild traumatic brain injury as a consequence or sign of strangulation, nor did they identify an understanding that 50% of people may have no visible injuries after being strangled. Health professionals also do not routinely document the different agencies referred to or involved in supporting the person who experienced NFS. Conclusion Findings suggest that frontline health professionals lack the confidence, skills and education needed to meet medical obligations to their patients and to fulfil their duty to ‘do no harm’. Frontline health professionals would welcome a comprehensive education and screening package to guide recognition and response to non-fatal strangulation in their clinical settings. Where and on Whom Will the Research Have an Impact? The purpose of the study was to understand and explore health professionals' knowledge about non-fatal strangulation so that improved education around better screening, and management of trauma-focused care to people who have been subjected to non-fatal strangulation could occur. No Patient or Public Contribution This review contains no patient or public contribution since it examines health professionals' knowledge of identifying non-fatal strangulation and the screening and assessment tools used in clinical practice.
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    Balancing the scales-Nurses' attempts at meeting family and employer needs in a work-intensified environment
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2020-11) Harvey C; Baldwin A; Thompson S; Willis E; Meyer A; Pearson M; Otis E
    Aims This paper describes findings from a survey conducted in New Zealand exploring nurses’ decision-making about when to delay care, delegate care, hand care over or leave care undone. Unanticipated findings identified processes that nurses go through when deciding to take planned/unplanned leave when wards are constrained through budget limitations. Background Missed/rationed care is increasingly the focus of attention in international studies, identifying a complex interplay of organisational, professional and personal factors affecting nurses’ decision-making when faced with limited organisational time, human and material resources to provide care. Methods The survey presented nurses with Likert-scale questions with option for free text comments. This paper reports on the commentaries about work–life balance. Results Nurses described workload pressures that lead to rationing care affected them, and the long-term effect on them as individuals. Nurses verbalized the difficulties and associated guilt about taking leaving and sick leave when wards were short staffed. Conclusions Nurses consider how their absence will affect the workspace and their home first, considering the impact on themselves last. Implications The findings may provide valuable insights for nurse managers in relation to workforce allocations and resources where acknowledgement of work–life balance is considered.
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    Evaluation of a nursing and midwifery exchange between rural and metropolitan hospitals: A mixed methods study
    (Public Library of Science, 2020) Byrne A-L; Harvey C; Chamberlain D; Baldwin A; Heritage B; Wood E
    Introduction This paper reports on the findings of the Nursing and Midwifery Exchange Program, initiated to promote rural and remote nursing and midwifery, and to facilitate clinical skills development and clinical collaboration between health services in Queensland, Australia. The project was undertaken over an 18-month period in one state of Australia, offering structured, temporary exchange of personnel between metropolitan and rural health services. Background Globally, there is an increasing awareness of nursing shortages, and with it, the need to ensure that nurses and midwives are prepared for specialist roles and practice. This is particularly important in rural and remote areas, where there are pre-existing barriers to access to services, and difficulties in attracting suitably qualified, permanent staff. Methods A mixed methods approach to the evaluation was undertaken with two cohorts. One cohort was the nurses and midwives who participated in the exchange (n = 24) and the other cohort were managers of the participating health services (n = 10). The nurses and midwives who participated in the exchange were asked to complete a questionnaire that included questions related to embeddedness and job satisfaction. The managers participated in a Delphi series of interviews. Results Those who participated in exchange reporting a higher score on the reported degree of understanding of rural client, which was accompanied with a moderate-to-large effect size estimate (d = 0.61). Nurses/midwives in the exchange group reported higher scores on their perceptions of aspects of their home community that would be lost if they had to leave, which was accompanied with a large effect size (d = 0.83). Overall, NMEP was reported by the participants to be a positive way to improve professional development opportunities for nurses and midwives. The findings also show the program supported practical collaboration and raised the profile of nursing and midwifery in rural areas. Conclusion Exchange programs support clinical and professional development, raising the awareness of different contexts of practice and related skills requirements, and thereby supporting a greater understanding of different nursing roles. In the light of increasingly complex care required by patients with chronic conditions being managed in community-based services, programs such as NMEP provide the opportunity to build collaborative networks between referring and referral centres as well as contribute to the ongoing skills development.
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    Exploring the role of nurses in after-hours telephone services in regional areas; A scoping review
    (PLOS, 2020-08-24) Baldwin A; Willis E; Harvey C; Lang M; Hegney D; Heard D; Heritage B; Claes J; Patterson D; Curnow V; Ashkenaz I
    INTRODUCTION: The management of patients who need chronic and complex care is a focus of attention internationally, brought about by an increase in chronic conditions, requiring significantly more care over longer periods of time. The increase in chronic conditions has placed pressure on health services, financially and physically, bringing about changes in the way care is delivered, with hospital avoidance and home-based care encouraged. In this environment, nurses play an important role in co-ordinating care across services. This review formed one part of a funded project that explored the nurse navigator role within a proposed 24-hour telephone-call service in one regional area that has a diverse population in terms of cultural identity and geographical location in relation to service access. AIM: The review reports on the extant literature on the nurse's role in the provision of afterhours telephone services for patients with chronic and complex conditions. The specific aim was to explore the effectiveness of services for patients in geographically isolated locations. METHODS: The methodological approach to the review followed the Preferred Reporting System for Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A thematic analysis was used to identify themes with chronic care models underpinning analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were identified; nurse-led decision making; consumer profile; and program outcomes. Each theme was divided into two sub-themes. The two sub-themes for decision making were: the experience of the staff who provided the service and the tool or protocol used. The two sub-themes for consumers profile were; the geographic/demographic identity of the consumers, and consumer satisfaction. The final theme of outcomes describes how the effectiveness of the service is measured, broken into two sub-themes: the economic/workforce outcomes and the consumer outcomes. DISCUSSION: The provision of an after-hours telephone service, in whatever model used should align with a Chronic Care Model. In this way, after-hours telephone services provided by experienced nurses, supported by ongoing professional development and relevant protocols, form part of the ongoing improvement for chronic and complex care management as a health priority.
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    Front-line health professionals' recognition and responses to nonfatal strangulation events: An integrative review.
    (2023-04) Donaldson AE; Hurren E; Harvey C; Baldwin A; Solomon B
    AIM: The aim of this study was to determine how front-line health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation events. DESIGN: Integrative review with narrative synthesis was conducted. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive database search was conducted in six electronic databases (CINAHL, Wed of Science, DISCOVER, SCOPUS, PubMed and Scholar) resulting in 49 potentially eligible full texts, reduced to 10 articles for inclusion after exclusion criteria were applied. REVIEW METHODS: An integrative review was undertaken in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines. Data were extracted, and a narrative synthesis using Whittemore and Knafl (2005) framework was undertaken to determine how front-line health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation events. RESULTS: The findings identified three main themes: an overall failure by health professionals to recognize nonfatal strangulation, a failure to report the event and a failure to follow up on victims after the event. Stigma and predetermined beliefs around nonfatal strangulation, along with a lack of knowledge about signs and symptoms, were the salient features in the literature. CONCLUSION: Lack of training and fear of not knowing what to do next are barriers to providing care to victims of strangulation. Failure to detect, manage and support victims will continue the cycle of harm through the long-term health effects of strangulation. Early detection and management of strangulation are essential to prevent health complications, particularly when the victims are exposed to such behaviours repeatedly. IMPACT: This review appears to be the first to explore how health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation. It identified the significant need for education and robust and consistent screening and discharge policies to assist health providers of services where victims of nonfatal strangulation attend. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This review contains no patient or public contribution since it was examining health professionals' knowledge of identifying nonfatal strangulation and the screening and assessment tools used in clinical practice.
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    Nurse Navigators – Champions of the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework: A solution
    (Wiley, 2024-03-20) Byrne A-L; Brown J; Willis E; Baldwin A; Harvey C
    Introduction Nurse Navigators were introduced in Queensland, Australia, in 2016. Nurse Navigators coordinate person-centred care, create partnerships, improve care coordination and outcomes and facilitate system improvement, independently of hospital or community models. They navigate across all aspects of hospital and social services, liaising, negotiating and connecting care as needed. People stay with Nurse Navigators for as long as required, though the intent is to transition them from high-care needs to self-management. Nurse Navigators are a working model in rural and remote areas of Queensland. Objective To describe where the rural and remote Nurse Navigator position fits within the Rural Remote Nursing Generalist Framework and to define the depth and breadth of the rural and remote Nurse Navigator's scope of practice. Design Using template analysis, data from focus groups and interviews were analysed against the domains of the recently released National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework. Navigators working in rural and remote areas across Queensland Health were invited to an interview (n = 4) or focus group (n = 9), conducted between October 2019 and August 2020. Findings Rural and remote Nurse Navigators are proficient in all domains of the framework and actively champion for their patients, carers and the communities where they live and work. Discussion This research demonstrates that rural and remote Nurse Navigators are a working model of advanced nursing practice, acting as ‘champions’ of The Framework. Conclusion The Nurse Navigator model of care introduced to Queensland exemplifies proficient registered nurse practice to the full extent of their knowledge and skill.
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    Promoting nurses' and midwives' ethical responsibilities towards vulnerable people: An alignment of research and clinical practice
    (John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, 2022-10) Baldwin A; Capper T; Harvey C; Willis E; Ferguson B; Browning N
    AIM: To stimulate discussion and debate about the inclusion of vulnerable populations in primary research to inform practice change and improve health outcomes. BACKGROUND: Current research practices to safeguard vulnerable people from potential harms related to power imbalances may in fact limit the generation of evidence-based practice. EVALUATION: The authors draw on their experience working and researching with a recognized group of vulnerable people, incarcerated pregnant women, to provide insight into the application of ethics in both research and clinical practice. In a novel approach, the ethical principles are presented in both contexts, articulating the synergies between them. Suggestions are presented for how individuals, managers and organizations may improve research opportunities for clinical practitioners and enhance the engagement of vulnerable people to contribute to meaningful practice and policy change. KEY ISSUES: Ethical practice guidelines may limit the ability to create meaningful change for vulnerable populations, who need authentic system change to achieve good health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Inclusive research and practice are essential to ensuring a strengths-based approach to healthcare and addressing health needs of the whole population. Health systems and models of care recognizing the diverse lives and health needs of the broader population demand practical, sustainable support from clinical managers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Practical suggestions for clinical managers to support point of care research is provided, embedding vulnerable voices in policy, practice development and care provision.
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    The discourse of delivering person-centred nursing care before, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic: Care as collateral damage.
    (2023-08-15) Byrne A-L; Harvey C; Baldwin A
    The global COVID-19 pandemic challenged the world-how it functions, how people move in the social worlds and how government/government services and people interact. Health services, operating under the principles of new public management, have undertaken rapid changes to service delivery and models of care. What has become apparent is the mechanisms within which contemporary health services operate and how services are not prioritising the person at the centre of care. Person-centred care (PCC) is the philosophical premise upon which models of health care are developed and implemented. Given the strain that COVID-19 has placed on the health services and the people who deliver the care, it is essential to explore the tensions that exist in this space. This article suggests that before the pandemic, PCC was largely rhetoric, and rendered invisible during the pandemic. The paper presents an investigation into the role of PCC in these challenging times, adopting a Foucauldian lens, specifically governmentality and biopolitics, to examine the policies, priorities and practical implications as health services pivoted and adapted to changing and acute demands. Specifically, this paper draws on the Australian experience, including shifting nursing workforce priorities and additional challenges resulting from public health directives such as lockdowns and limitations. The findings from this exploration open a space for discussion around the rhetoric of PCC, the status of nurses and that which has been lost to the pandemic.
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    The grounded theory of Coalescence of Perceptions, Practice and Power: An understanding of governance in midwifery practice
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2022-11) Ferguson B; Baldwin A; Henderson A; Harvey C
    Aims This study aimed to understand midwifery care during labour, particularly decision-making processes, within Australian health systems. Background Midwifery, founded on a wellness model of motherhood, is at risk of being medicalized. Whilst medical intervention is lifesaving, it requires judicious use. Governance provides oversight to care. Exploring decision-making contributes to understanding governance of practices. Method Straussian grounded theory using semi-structured interviews. Eighteen Australian registered midwives were interviewed about their practice when caring for women during labour. Results Midwives were caught between divergent positions; birth as natural versus birth as risk. Experienced midwives discussed focussing on the woman, yet less experienced were preoccupied with mandatory protocols like early warning tools. Practice was governed by midwives approach within context of labour. The final theory: The Coalescence of Perceptions, Practice and Power, comprising three categories: perceptions and behaviour, shifting practice and power within practice, emerged. Conclusions Coalescence Theory elucidates how professional decision making by midwives during care provision is subject to power within practice, thereby governed by tensions, competing priorities and organizational mandates. Implications for Midwifery Managers Midwifery managers are well positioned to negotiate the nuanced space that envelopes birthing processes, namely, expert knowledge, policy mandates and staffing capability and resources, for effective collaborative governance. In this way, managers sustain good governance.
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    The use of telephone communication between nurse navigators and their patients
    (Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2020) Heritage B; Harvey C; Brown J; Hegney D; Willis E; Baldwin A; Heard D; Mclellan S; Clayton V; Claes J; Lang M; Curnow V
    Background Hospitals and other health care providers frequently experience difficulties contacting patients and their carers who live remotely from the town where the health service is located. In 2016 Nurse Navigator positions were introduced into the health services by Queensland Health, to support and navigate the care of people with chronic and complex conditions. One hospital in Far North Queensland initiated an additional free telephone service to provide another means of communication for patients and carers with the NNs and for off-campus health professionals to obtain details about a patient utilising the service. Calls made between 7am and 10pm, seven days per week are answered by a nurse navigator. Aim To report utilisation of the service by navigated clients and remotely located clinicians compared to use of navigators’ individual work numbers and direct health service numbers. We report the reason for calls to the free number and examine features of these calls. Methods Statistical analysis examined the call reason, duration of calls, setting from where calls originated and stream of calls. Interactions between the reasons for calls and the features of calls, such as contact method, were examined. Results The major reason for calls was clinical issues and the source of calls was primarily patients and carers. Clinical calls were longer in duration. Shorter calls were mainly non-clinical, made by a health professional. Setting for calls was not related to the reason. The most frequent number used was the individual mobile number of the NN, followed by the hospital landline. Although the free number was utilised by patients and carers, it was not the preferred option. Conclusion As patients and carers preferred to access their NN directly than via the 1800 number, further research should explore options best suited to this group of patients outside normal business hours.
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    Understanding the impact and causes of 'failure to attend' on continuity of care for patients with chronic conditions
    (PLOS, 2021-03-02) Byrne A-L; Baldwin A; Harvey C; Brown J; Willis E; Hegney D; Ferguson B; Judd J; Kynaston D; Forrest R; Heritage B; Heard D; Mclellan S; Thompson S; Palmer J; Vaingankar JA
    AIM: To understand the impact and causes of 'Failure to Attend' (FTA) labelling, of patients with chronic conditions. BACKGROUND: Nurse navigators are registered nurses employed by public hospitals in Queensland, Australia, to coordinate the care of patients with multiple chronic conditions, who frequently miss hospital appointments. The role of the nurse navigator is to improve care management of these patients. Evidence for this is measured through improvement in patient self-management of their conditions, a reduction in preventable hospital admissions and compliance with attendance at outpatient clinics. Failure to attend (FTA) is one measure of hospital utilisation, identifying outpatient appointments that are cancelled or not attended. METHOD: The cohort for this study was patients with multiple chronic conditions, and nurse navigators coordinating their care. Data describing the concept of FTA were thematically analysed twelve months into this three year evaluation. RESULTS: Although the patient is blamed for failing to attend appointments, the reasons appear to be a mixture of systems error/miscommunication between the patient and the health services or social reasons impacting on patient's capacity to attend. Themes emerging from the data were: access barriers; failure to recognise personal stigma of FTA; and bridging the gap. CONCLUSION: The nurse navigators demonstrate their pivotal role in engaging with outpatient services to reduce FTAs whilst helping patients to become confident in dealing with multiple appointments. There are many reasons why a patient is unable to attend a scheduled appointment. The phrase 'Failure to Attend' has distinctly negative connotations and can lead to a sense of blame and shame for those with complex chronic needs. We propose the use of the neutral phrase "appointment did not proceed" to replace FTA. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This article advocates for further consideration of collaborative models that engage the patient in their care journey and for consideration of the language used within the outpatient acute hospital setting, proposing the term 'appointment did not proceed.'
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    Whose centre is it anyway? Defining person-centred care in nursing: An integrative review
    (Public Library of Science, 2020) Byrne A-L; Baldwin A; Harvey C
    Aim The aims of this literature review were to better understand the current literature about person-centred care (PCC) and identify a clear definition of the term PCC relevant to nursing practice. Method/Data sources An integrative literature review was undertaken using The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Scopus and Pubmed databases. The limitations were English language, full text articles published between 1998 and 2018 within Australian, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Europe, Ireland and UK were included. The international context off PCC is then specifically related to the Australian context. Review methods The review adopted a thematic analysis to categorise and summarise themes with reference to the concept of PCC. The review process also adhered to the Preferred Reporting System for Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and applied the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools to ensure the quality of the papers included for deeper analysis. Results While definitions of PCC do exist, there is no universally used definition within the nursing profession. This review has found three core themes which contribute to how PCC is understood and practiced, these are People, Practice and Power. This review uncovered a malalignment between the concept of PCC and the operationalisation of the term; this misalignment was discovered at both the practice level, and at the micro, meso and micro levels of the healthcare service. Conclusion The concept of PCC is well known to nurses, yet ill-defined and operationalised into practice. PCC is potentially hindered by its apparent rhetorical nature, and further investigation of how PCC is valued and operationalised through its measurement and reported outcomes is needed. Investigation of the literature found many definitions of PCC, but no one universally accepted and used definition. Subsequently, PCC remains conceptional in nature, leading to disparity between how it is interpreted and operationalised within the healthcare system and within nursing services.