Critical Care Clinicians’ Experiences of Patient Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic (original) (raw)

Exploring the Impacts of the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Critical Care Physicians and the Delivery of Patient Care in Eight Countries: A Qualitative Interview-Based Study

Purpose: To understand critical care physician experiences across multiple countries with the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future pandemic preparedness planning. Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, 16 critical care physicians (from eight countries) identified in HPJ • Fall 2022 • 2(2) | Page 20 convenience and purposive sampling took part in individual semi-structured interviews from April 7, 2020 to August 27, 2020 that captured the first wave of the pandemic. Open coding was conducted by two researchers who facilitated inductive thematic analysis. Results: Key themes identified following thematic analysis included the following: (a) sourcing and implementation of trusted information; (b) health systems-level preparedness with accessible supports; (c) institutional adaptations, including changes to patient care; (d) professional safety and occupational well-being; (e) triage and restricted visitation policies; and (f) managing personal familial responsibilities. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the ways in which critical care physicians cared for their patients and personally coped with challenges. Perspectives of critical care physicians are important for ongoing pandemic planning and should be included in future pandemic policy development.

Exploring the Impacts of the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Critical Care Physicians and the Delivery of Patient Care in Seven Countries: A Qualitative Interview-Based Study

2022

Purpose To understand critical care physician experiences across multiple countries with the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future pandemic preparedness planning. Methods In this qualitative study, 16 critical care physicians (from seven countries) identified in convenience, purposive sampling took part in individual semi-structured interviews from April 7, 2020 to August 27, 2020 that captured the first wave of the pandemic. Open coding was conducted by two researchers who facilitated inductive thematic analysis. Results Key themes identified following thematic analysis included: 1) sourcing and implementation of trusted information; 2) health systems-level preparedness with accessible supports; 3) institutional adaptations including changes to patient care; 4) professional safety and occupational wellbeing; 5) triage and restricted visitation policies; and 6) managing personal familial responsibilities. Conclusion Perspectives of critical care physicians are important for ongoing pan...

Patient Voices in Hospital Safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Clinical Nursing Research

Hospitalized patients and their families may be reluctant to express safety concerns. We aimed to describe safety and quality concerns experienced by hospitalized patients and families and factors and outcomes surrounding decisions about voicing concerns, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 discharged inpatients or family members in a qualitative descriptive design. Some participants reported concern about staff competency or knowledge, communication and coordination, potential treatment errors, or care environment. Factors influencing feeling safe included healthcare team member characteristics, communication and coordination, and safe care expectations. Reasoning for voicing concerns often included personal characteristics. Reasons for not voicing concerns included feeling no action was needed or the concern was low priority. Outcomes for voicing a concern were categorized as resolved, disregarded, and unknown. These fi...

Literature review: Improvement patient safety during the pandemic covid-19

World Journal Of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023

Patient safety has been a major challenge for patient safety and healthcare systems over the past 20 years. In 1999 To Err Is Human by the Institute of Medicines raised public awareness about patient safety and described the potential for significant harm to patients. Evidence shows that despite concerted efforts to make health care safer unintentional harm by health care providers that seriously harms patients is still common. A 2016 study estimated that 140.400 deaths were caused by medical error in the United States making medical error the third leading cause of death in the United States and further emphasizing the need for improved patient safety. Healthcare systems around the world continue to take a treatable toll on patients. It is a preventable complication of care that accounts for 3.6% of acute hospital deaths in England. There are financial implications of poor care and negative outcomes. For example the UK Health Foundation says: Careful care is expensive. Unstable production systems; And costs can be reduced by providing reliable care. This review examines the goals of health reform and national efforts to create a culture of quality improvement and patient safety principles. And show how these principles can be applied to patient care and health care practice.

Impact of the Organizational Model Adopted during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Perceived Safety of Intensive Care Unit Staff

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a devastating health, social, and economic effect on the population. Organizational, technical and structural operations aimed at protecting staff, outpatients and inpatients were implemented in an Italian hospital with a COVID-19 dedicated intensive care unit. The impact of the organizational model adopted on the perceived safety among staff was evaluated. Methods: Descriptive, structured and voluntary, anonymous, non-funded, self-administered cross-sectional surveys on the impact of the organizational model adopted during COVID-19 on the perceived safety among staff. Results: Response rate to the survey was 67.4% (153 completed surveys). A total of 91 (59%) of respondents had more than three years of ICU experience, while 16 (10%) were employed for less than one year. Group stratification according to profession: 74 nurses (48%); 12 medical-doctors (7%); 11 physiotherapists (7%); 35 nurses-aides (22%); 5 radiology-technicians (3%); 3 houseke...

A Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess the Preparedness of Healthcare Workers of Isolation Intensive Care Units for Anticipated Another Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Center

Curēus, 2024

Background: Our fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not ended yet. Another wave, possibly due to another variant, can put the healthcare system on its toes again. The outcome of the intensive care unit (ICU) depends on the teamwork of doctors, nursing staff, and care assistants (CAs). Aim: This survey was conducted to assess the level of preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs) in isolation ICUs by recording and calculating the score of their responses, using a validated pre-formed questionnaire. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 200 HCWs in isolation ICUs by using a pre-validated questionnaire form as an assessment tool. HCWs in isolation ICUs included doctors, nurses, and CAs who have worked in ICUs dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The response was documented and scores as per the response were assessed by analog scale. Results: Most of the HCWs were anxious (53%) and 96.5% were either bothered or scared. HCWs with adequate knowledge have higher generalized anxiety disorder scores (χ2 = 15.287, p = 0.015). Despite having adequate/average knowledge, most of the HCWs have insufficient knowledge of the correct steps of donning and doffing. Conclusion: HCWs were aware of the COVID-19 pandemic but were not prepared for the anticipated second wave.

Protective reactions of ICU nurses providing care for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

BMC Nursing, 2021

Background The exponential spread of COVID-19 has caused a huge threat to public health worldwide. Providing care for patients with COVID-19 is a stressful experience for ICU nurses, which can affect their protective reactions. The present study was conducted to explore the protective reactions of ICU nurses providing care for patients with COVID-19 . Methods This qualitative descriptive study was conducted to discover the protective reactions of nurses providing care for patients with COVID-19. A total of 14 ICU nurses were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using individual semi-structured face-to-face interviews. All interviews were recorded, and then codes and themes were extracted using content analysis method. Finding Seventeen subcategories, six categories and two themes were extracted from the analysis of data. These themes include “Unbalanced self-protective reactions” and “Responsible self-protective reactions”. Conclusion During the COVID-19 epidemic and ...

Caring for COVID‐19 patients through a pandemic in the intensive care setting: A narrative review

WIREs Mechanisms of Disease

Since the declaration of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic, health systems/ health-care-workers globally have been overwhelmed by a vast number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. During the early stages of the pandemic, the lack of formalized evidence-based guidelines in all aspects of patient management was a significant challenge. Coupled with a lack of effective pharmacotherapies resulted in unsatisfactory outcomes in ICU patients. The anticipated increment in ICU surge capacity was staggering, with almost every ICU worldwide being advised to increase their capacity to allow adequate care provision in response to multiple waves of the pandemic. This increase in surge capacity required advanced planning and reassessments at every stage, taking advantage of experienced gained in combination with emerging evidence. In University Hospital Southampton General Intensive Care Unit (GICU), despite the initial lack of national and international guidance, we enhanced our ICU capacity and developed local guidance on all aspects of care to address the rapid demand from the increasing COVID-19 admissions. The main element of this success was a multidisciplinary team approach intertwined with equipment and infrastructural reorganization. This narrative review provides an insight into the approach adopted by our center to manage patients with COVID-19 critical illness, exploring the initial planning process, including contingency preparations to accommodate (360% capacity increment) and adaptation of our management pathways as more evidence emerged throughout the pandemic to provide the most appropriate levels of care to our patients. We hope our experience will benefit other intensive care units worldwide.

Being a health care professional in the ICU serving patients with covid-19: A qualitative study

Heart & Lung, 2023

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a great deal of strain on healthcare providers across the world. There has been no research into the experiences of health care providers in Turkey caring for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the ICU. Objectives: To explain the experiences of health care providers who provide services to patients with Covid-19 in an intensive care unit. Methods: This study used a phenomenological approach to recruit 15 participants (10 nurses and 5 physicians). The data was gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face. Results: The four primary themes that came up in the results were COVID-19: the unidentified enemy, frontline struggle, psychological struggle, and invasion of social life. Conclusion: During the epidemic, health care providers encountered several psychological, physical, social, and professional difficulties. All health care personnel must receive information and skills training on what to do in crisis and risk circumstances such as infectious disease, decision-making, anxiety management, and problem-solving during pandemics.