scholarly journals Engagement of hospital pharmacists and technicians to optimize staffing schedules

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Wright ◽  
Richard Arndt ◽  
Jason Christensen ◽  
Kirstin Kooda ◽  
Julie Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Pharmacy ◽  
Hospital Pharmacist ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Staff Satisfaction ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Hospital Pharmacists ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Care Requirements

AbstractChallenges exist in developing work schedules for hospital pharmacy staff due to the need to meet around the clock patient care requirements. Work–life integration and reduced burnout are increasingly important considerations in staff schedules. However, information regarding methods to systematically improve scheduling satisfaction is currently lacking. Hospital pharmacist scheduling surveys were reviewed for solutions in a retreat setting to address growing concerns at our institution. All hospital pharmacists and technicians were surveyed to understand opportunities to improve their schedules. Subsequently, pharmacists participated in a retreat to identify opportunities to share work, prioritize for scheduling improvements, and develop a staffing restructure proposal. Out of 172 pharmacists, 84% completed surveys, whereas 55% of 196 technicians responded. The highest ranked scheduling improvement was a more consistent schedule for both pharmacists and technicians. Several solutions identified during the pharmacist retreat were incorporated into a proposal including decreased weekend staffing frequency (every 3rd to a mix of every 3rd and every 4th), improved scheduling consistency and reduced evenings. Negotiation was among the methods used to identify scheduling solutions. Engagement of frontline staff to lead staffing restructure is expected to ensure success of scheduling changes. Future directions include measuring pharmacist burnout and staff satisfaction before and after change implementation. If successful, the retreat and technician-developed proposal can be used for implementing technician schedule improvements.

scholarly journals Twelve Years of the Italian Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 439
Author(s):  
Lidia Borghi ◽  
Elaine C. Meyer ◽  
Elena Vegni ◽  
Roberta Oteri ◽  
Paolo Almagioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Difficult Conversations ◽  
Booster Sessions ◽  
Before And After

To describe the experience of the Italian Program to Enhance Relations and Communication Skills (PERCS-Italy) for difficult healthcare conversations. PERCS-Italy has been offered in two different hospitals in Milan since 2008. Each workshop lasts 5 h, enrolls 10–15 interdisciplinary participants, and is organized around simulations and debriefing of two difficult conversations. Before and after the workshops, participants rate their preparation, communication, relational skills, confidence, and anxiety on 5-point Likert scales. Usefulness, quality, and recommendation of the program are also assessed. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, repeated-measures ANOVA, and Chi-square were performed. A total of 72 workshops have been offered, involving 830 interdisciplinary participants. Participants reported improvements in all the dimensions (p < 0.001) without differences across the two hospitals. Nurses and other professionals reported a greater improvement in preparation, communication skills, and confidence, compared to physicians and psychosocial professionals. Usefulness, quality, and recommendation of PERCS programs were highly rated, without differences by discipline. PERCS-Italy proved to be adaptable to different hospital settings, public and private. After the workshops, clinicians reported improvements in self-reported competencies when facing difficult conversations. PERCS-Italy’s sustainability is based on the flexible format combined with a solid learner-centered approach. Future directions include implementation of booster sessions to maintain learning and the assessment of behavioral changes.

Ostomy Patient Care Program

1972 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 374-379
Author(s):  
Margaret C. Gebhardt ◽  
Stephen M. Caiola ◽  
Fred M. Eckel
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Hospital Pharmacy ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Hospital Pharmacist ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Memorial Hospital ◽  
Continuing Care ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Patient Profile ◽  
Care Information

The ostomate is often a forgotten patient with regards to proper psychological and emotional preparation for his surgery and proper continuing care of his ostomy. The pharmacist can play an important role in aiding the ostomy patient, especially in providing him adequate appliances and ostomy-care information. The development and implementation of the ostomy program of the N. C. Memorial Hospital Pharmacy is presented in detail. A brief explanation of why ostomy surgery is necessary, of the various types of ostomies and of the various appliances utilized is also presented. The following services of the program are described: Use of a patient profile card in order to have on record the patient's specific appliance and replacement parts; Fitting the new ostomate with the proper appliance and instructing him on its proper use; Interviewing patient on return clinic visits to determine if the patient is having ostomy-related problems or needs any replacement parts for his appliance; Providing patient's appliance needs through the mail or through communication with the patient's local community or hospital pharmacist, and Conducting a presurgical consultation with the future ostomate to briefly explain appliances and how their use will affect his life, plus answer questions which may be making him apprehensive.

A Critical Assessment and Review of Artificial Intelligence in Facial Paralysis Analysis: Uncovering the Truth

FACE ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 273250162110228
Author(s):  
David T. Mitchell ◽  
David Z. Allen ◽  
Matthew R. Greives ◽  
Phuong D. Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Facial Paralysis ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Data Systems ◽  
Computer Algorithms ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Facial Reanimation

Machine learning is a rapidly growing subset of artificial intelligence (AI) which involves computer algorithms that automatically build mathematical models based on sample data. Systems can be taught to learn from patterns in existing data in order to make similar conclusions from new data. The use of AI in facial emotion recognition (FER) has become an area of increasing interest for providers who wish to quantify facial emotion before and after interventions such as facial reanimation surgery. While FER deep learning algorithms are less subjective when compared to layperson assessments, the databases used to train them can greatly alter their outputs. There are currently many well-established modalities for assessing facial paralysis, but there is also increasing interest in a more objective and universal measurement system to allow for consistent assessments between practitioners. The purpose of this article is to review the development of AI, examine its existing uses in facial paralysis assessment, and discuss the future directions of its implications.

Abstract 199: Hardwiring Institutional Learning Through Team-Based Problem-Solving in a Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A Williams ◽  
Lauren Ladwig ◽  
De Ann Nikolai ◽  
Gay Matthews ◽  
Jeanine M Graf
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Task Force ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Pareto Chart ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Before And After

Introduction: Our purpose was to develop a high reliability system (The SWARM) to empower frontline staff to share information regarding communication and process inefficiencies to rapidly develop solutions. Hypothesis: A systematic process for recognition, evaluation, and transparent feedback would increase the use of problem-solving. Methods: A multidisciplinary team, led by a physician and nurse, developed an email strategy to let frontline staff identify problems in real-time and solve and spread this knowledge throughout the CVICU and Heart Center. Problems submitted were outside the scope of institutional patient safety reporting. Unless immediate attention was required, the SWARM team evaluated entries weekly. Entries were categorized as: 1) Useful information to share with ICU staff; 2) More information needed to be obtained and personnel consulted; or 3) A multidisciplinary task force needed to generate consensus and evidence-based guidelines. Solutions were shared with ICU staff via direct email and a monthly newsletter. After 6 months ICU staff were surveyed with 5 questions regarding awareness, utility, and ease of use of the SWARM process. Staff were resurveyed after re-education and institution of leadership walk-rounds. Rates of SWARM entries before and after re-education were compared using Fisher’s Exact Test for proportions.*p<.05 Results: Of the total 65 SWARM entries, 9% were level 1, 86% were level 2 and 5% were level 3. Entries were categorized into problem types and are shown in the Pareto Chart as percent of total(See Chart). Pre- and post- survey results indicated that staff awareness increased from 70% to 91% and staff understanding of utility increased from 57% to 75%. After re-education, use in CVICU increased by 417% (0.7/week to 2.9/week)*. The increased rate of use of the SWARM system has been sustained for 8 weeks post education. The current rate is 1.8/week. The top two Solutions by category were Re-Education (62%) and Practice Change (17%). Conclusions: A system was developed to better manage quality through real-time awareness of our performance. The formal creation of a standardized context for information sharing has resulted in a significant increase in the performance of problem-solving. This multidisciplinary effort allows for minimizing unnecessary variation in how quality improvement efforts are identified and performed.

Risk sharing agreements: What lessons from Italy?

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livio Garattini ◽  
Gianluigi Casadei
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Pharmacy ◽  
Risk Sharing ◽  
Hospital Pharmacist ◽  
Pharmaceutical Expenditure ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Reliable Assessment ◽  
Drug Agency ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Public Time

Italy is one of the few countries that have matured substantial experience of risk-sharing agreements so far. The first performance-based arrangement was agreed in July 2006, and as of October 2010, eighteen contracts have been in force.The complex management of discount schemes is entirely based on Web registries run by AIFA, the Italian drug agency. The system validates each prescription and automatically requests the hospital pharmacy by e-mail to release the drug. If a patient meets nonresponder criteria, the hospital pharmacist should apply for pay-back to the manufacturer.There are still some important question marks to address. First of all, nonresponders have to be documented by health authorities, otherwise any undocumented nonresponder will be paid as a success. Another question concerns pre-set timing. Although the scientific rationale of the nonresponder criteria for each drug has not been made public, time frames appear too short to allow a reliable assessment. Another question is whether regions, which are financially accountable in Italy for pharmaceutical expenditure, are really able to claw back refunds from manufacturers. Unfortunately here again there are no official figures, and regions do not seem yet able to quantify the amount of pay-back matured in the 4 previous years. The delayed and incomplete availability of pay-back procedures may be one explanation.

Attitudes and Behaviours of Hospital Pharmacy Staff toward Near Misses

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette Raymond ◽  
Donna M. Woloschuk ◽  
Nick Honcharik
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Pharmacy ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Near Misses
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