Authors (including presenting author) :
Tsai MK (1)(3), Wei CY (1)(3), Ng SK (1)(3), Tsoi SCT (2)(3), Ho HS (1)(3), Lo, YT (1)(3), Ko YM (1)(3), Lam YF (1)(3), Lo BY (1)(3)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Medicine
(2) Nursing Services Division
(3) Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
To counter the risk of Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) from surging COVID-19 and Multidrug Resistant Organisms (MDROs), which might lead to outbreaks in serious situations, various infection control enhancement programs were implemented in 2021 in Department of Medicine, PYNEH. STEM was introduced to enhance competence and compliance of nursing staff in such clinical situations.
Objectives :
1. To consolidate knowledge and skills with updated clinical practice in selected clinical conditions
2. To enhance the capability of handling complex medical emergencies
3. To increase the awareness of environmental contamination and self-contamination in caring patient with infectious precautions
4. To acquire better communication and interaction with team members in the patient care management
Methodology :
5 identical simulation classes targeting nurses with at least 2-year experience were conducted in April to July 2021. A 3 hours’ specifically designed scenario-based training was organized including 1) Suspected COVID-19 with FTOCC screening; 2) respiratory care and assertion on compliance to MDROs infectious precautions, and 3) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in COVID-19 era with correlated infection control measures. Elements of Crew Resources Management (CRM) were introduced to enhance collaboration and compliance with infection control in daily practices. Debriefing sessions were conducted to review the participants’ capability in handling of complex medical emergencies and awareness in caring patient with infectious diseases. Pre and post-workshop evaluation with Likert-type scale (0-6) was assessed by the participants. Participants with a 4-question qualitative interview were conducted 3 months after training to evaluate the effectiveness of simulation training in participants’ knowledge and clinical practice.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 49 nurses attended STEM training and completed the pre and post-workshop evaluation.
A significant improvement was noticed (31.25% increment) indicating nursing staff were more confident to handle infective cases and establish correlated infection control measures. The overall satisfaction score was 5.59 / 6. A total 44 staff were interviewed for post-training evaluation. They could implement measures in prevention of infectious diseases especially environmental preparation, teamwork and assertion in emergencies situations.
In conclusion, simulation training was effective in enhancing nursing staff’s competency in managing a complex medical emergency with infectious diseases. It filled up the gap between knowledge and clinical practice. Also, patient safety was assured.
