A review of the clinical assistant workforce at a district general hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Future Healthc J
; 8(3): e638-e643, 2021 Nov.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1566800
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
In April 2020, a new workforce of clinical assistants (CAs), comprising predominantly of medical students, began work at Northampton General Hospital. Clinical-years students had a role similar to final-year student assistants; pre-clinical students were offered a healthcare assistant role. This research aimed to evaluate both CAs' and clinicians' perceptions of this programme.METHODS:
Separate questionnaires were developed for CAs and clinicians, assessing the scheme's successes and failures. Data analysis was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS. RESULTS ANDDISCUSSION:
Forty-nine CAs and 60 clinicians responded. CAs of all years were completing the higher-level role. They were perceived to improve continuity of care (74% CA agreement; 88% clinician agreement), reduce clinician workload (90% clinician agreement) and felt significantly more confident with practical and administrative tasks. Sixty-eight per cent of CAs and 72% of clinicians believed the role should be available to students before their final year.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Future Healthc J
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Fhj.2021-0056
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