Exploring barriers to care home research recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The influence of social media recruitment posts and public sentiment.

INTRODUCTION: Recruitment of care home staff to research studies is recognised as challenging. This was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated negative media portrayal of care home workers. Social media use has surged since the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, offering a plausible approach to understanding the barriers to care home research recruitment and gaining insight into public perceptions of care home workers. AIM: To utilise comments from two Facebook recruitment posts to: 1) gain an understanding of potential barriers to recruitment of healthcare workers (HCWs) in UK care homes, and 2) explore public sentiment towards care home research and care homes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analysed comments from two Facebook posts (available June-October 2021) advertising a separate study on psychological support for care staff during the pandemic. This study was situated within a larger investigation into the mental health and wellbeing of care home staff and employed both qualitative analysis and quantitative methods (word count and correlations between words used and between posts). RESULTS: Three themes were identified from the qualitative analysis: support, mistrust and blame. There was a greater use of words associated with support and negative emotive words in post 2. Post 2 comments featured significantly more choice words and first-person singular pronouns than post 1 which indicated a resentful sentiment from those who advocate freedom of choice and control. Discussion of mistrust towards researchers was most prominent in post 1 indicating the importance of relationship building between researchers and HCWs in UK care homes. With attribution to blame, there was a larger range of negative emotion words than positive emotion words. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Taken together our findings offer novel insights into why recruitment to care home research during the pandemic including the use of social media might be problematic. Social media is a useful tool for recruitment but should not be considered as a one-time input. Researchers should pro-actively engage with the study population from the start using co-design with resident and public groups to support recruitment and ensure these populations are accurately represented within research.

Experience-based Modifications of the Bed Band ReAlised through Co-dEsign (EMBRACE).

BACKGROUND: Upper body limitations are a common disability in neurological conditions including stroke and multiple sclerosis. Care of patients with upper body limitations while in bed involves positioning techniques to maximise comfort and independence. The Bed Band is a nurse-led innovation to support people with limited mobility to maintain a comfortable position in bed, thereby promoting comfort and independence with activities of daily living. AIM: To co-design and implement adaptations to the Bed Band prototype with recommendations for user instructions towards enhanced product design and future development. METHODS: A co-design approach involving collaboration between academic and industry partners. Expert stakeholders provided feedback on the Bed Band via an online focus group before healthy volunteers tested the product in a healthcare simulation suite. Data were thematically analysed and findings sense checked by expert stakeholders who then prioritised adaptations to the Bed Band using a modified Delphi technique. RESULTS: Three themes resulted from the analysis: (1) reaction to the Bed Band; (2) potential risks and mitigation; and (3) product adaptations. Simplicity was a strength of the innovation which easily enabled positional support. Adaptations to the Bed Band informed the development of an enhanced prototype for testing in future studies. CONCLUSION: Co-design of the Bed Band prototype involving experts and healthy volunteers enabled early identification of potential risks with recommendations to mitigate them and priority adaptations. Further studies are required in hospital patients and community populations with upper mobility issues to determine the efficacy of the Bed Band and optimal duration of use.

Care home workers experiences of stress and coping during COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to explore the stress and coping experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) in care home settings in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A cross-sectional mixed methods study was conducted using an online survey and interviews. METHODS: Mean scores were calculated for both stress and coping and t-tests used to explore possible links to demographics. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's method. RESULTS: For 52 survey participants, the mean score for the PSS was M = 39.75 and CSE-M = 150.6 indicating high stress and medium coping skills. From the t-test, only absence of health issues was associated with higher levels of coping. Thirteen HCWs participated in one-to-one interviews. Qualitative data analysis generated four themes contributing to stress: 1. personal factors, 2. changed care environment, 3. amplified scrutiny and 4. psychological responses. Coping was represented as three main themes: 1. personal factors, 2. organizational culture and 3. safety and security. There is a critical need for a strategic approach to provide psychological support to care home staff both during and beyond the context of the pandemic.

Mobile apps to self-manage chronic low back pain: A realist synthesis exploring what works, for whom and in what circumstances.

Objective: Chronic low back pain places a significant burden on healthcare services and sufferers. Clinical guidelines state that it is a condition that requires self-management. This realist synthesis explores how a mobile app could help people to self-manage chronic low back pain. Method: Six databases and several non-academic sources were searched. In addition, nineteen realist interviews were conducted with stakeholders. Sources were selected and appraised for relevancy, richness, and rigour. Data was coded with analytical memos making retroductive inferences. Causal explanations were presented in context-mechanism-outcome configurations to form three programme theories. Results: Data from 57 sources was synthesised to create 16 context-mechanism-outcome configurations and presented as three refined programme theories. The findings suggest people need to feel believed before they will engage with a self-management app. For those who feel abandoned by the healthcare service, a self-management app for chronic low back pain can be a valuable source of ongoing support and reduce feelings of social isolation. Conclusion: A self-management app, if introduced appropriately and as adjunct to care, can be an empowering tool to self-manage chronic low back pain. Innovation: Using input from key stakeholders enhances our understanding of the hidden generative mechanisms underpinning a programme's success or failure.

Uptake and effects of psychological first aid training for healthcare workers' wellbeing in nursing homes: A UK national survey.

AIMS: Psychological First Aid is a brief intervention based on international guidance from the World Health Organisation. Free to access online training in the intervention was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in UK. We aimed to determine the uptake of Psychological First Aid training among healthcare workers in care homes in the UK and to assess its effects on their wellbeing. DESIGN: This was a sequential mixed methods design. METHODS: Healthcare workers (nurses and carers) working in care homes in the UK were surveyed about their uptake of Psychological First Aid, their stress, coping efficacy and the key concepts of Psychological First Aid (safety, calmness, hopefulness, connectedness, and accomplishment). Those that completed the Psychological First Aid training were asked to share their experiences via qualitative survey. Data collection was conducted between June and October 2021. Analyses included descriptive statistics and regression analysis. A six step thematic analysis was used to interpret the qualitative data. RESULTS: 388 participants responded to the survey. The uptake of Psychological First Aid training was 37 (9.5%). Psychological first aid was a significant predictor for coping efficacy (ß = 17.54, p = .001). Participants with a physical or mental health condition experienced higher stress and lower coping regardless of PFA training. Four themes were identified from the qualitative analysis: self-awareness and growth, relationships with others, overcoming stress and accessibility. CONCLUSION: While this study suggests some benefits to healthcare workers in care home settings undergoing PFA the poor uptake of the training warrants further investigation. IMPACT: Care home staff need psychological support. This gap remains as few completed PFA training. This is the first study in UK and worldwide to look at the effects of psychological first aid on stress and coping in this population and it warrants further investigation.

Psychological first aid for workers in care and nursing homes: systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Covid-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented challenges across all aspects of health and social care sectors globally. Nurses and healthcare workers in care homes have been particularly impacted due to rapid and dramatic changes to their job roles, workloads, and working environments, and residents' multimorbidity. Developed by the World Health Organisation, Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a brief training course delivering social, emotional, supportive, and pragmatic support that can reduce the initial distress after disaster and foster future adaptive functioning. OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to synthesise findings from studies exploring the usefulness of PFA for the well-being of nursing and residential care home staff. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across 15 databases (Social Care Online, Kings Fund Library, Prospero, Dynamed, BMJ Best Practice, SIGN, NICE, Ovid, Proquest, Campbell Library, Clinical Trials, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Ebsco CINAHL, and Cochrane Library), identifying peer-reviewed articles published in English language from database inception to 20th June 2021. RESULTS: Of the 1,159 articles screened, 1,146 were excluded at title and abstract; the remaining 13 articles were screened at full text, all of which were then excluded. CONCLUSION: This review highlights that empirical evidence of the impact of PFA on the well-being of nursing and residential care home staff is absent. PFA has likely been recommended to healthcare staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. The lack of evidence found here reinforces the urgent need to conduct studies which evaluates the outcomes of PFA particularly in the care home staff population.

What influences nurses' decisions to work in rural and remote settings? A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research.

INTRODUCTION: Due to global nursing shortages, recruitment and retention of nurses is a major international concern, exacerbated in rural and remote areas. Existing research reveals that individual factors influence healthcare professionals' decision making to work in rural and remote settings. However, existing evidence does not fully consider the multiple influences that may impact nurses' decisions to remain or leave rural and remote areas. This limits the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies. The objectives of this study were to explore the influences on nurses' decisions to work in rural and remote healthcare settings, using a systematic review and thematic meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. METHODS: Databases Medline, Journals@OVID Full text, PsycInfo and specialist journals were searched from January 1990 to January 2020. Inclusion criteria were applied to all records by two independent reviewers. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative studies was used for independent quality critique by two reviewers. Thematic synthesis was conducted using a three step process: (1) the results sections of each article were extracted and inductively coded line by line; (2) master themes and subthemes were organised into tables; (3) relationships between the themes were identified and examined to develop an overarching analytical framework. RESULTS: A total of 121 articles were screened and 40 were included for data extraction and thematic synthesis. Thematic analysis identified three interrelated dimensions that influenced nurses' retention and migration decision-making, namely 'person/al', 'profession/al' and 'place' with 18 inter-related domains. The 'person/al' dimension contained five domains: a sense of belonging/connectedness, knowledge of rural culture, blurring of personal and professional lives, anonymity and job satisfaction/stress. The 'profession/al' dimension contained eight domains: expert generalist, advanced nurse practitioner, professional isolation, mentorship, education, autonomy and empowerment, role conflict, and recruitment and retention. The 'place' dimension identified five domains: terrain and weather, fewer resources, geographical isolation, safety and rural culture. The data informed the development of the MacKay's 3P (person/al, profession/al and place) model to capture the complex phenomenon of the influences on nurses' decision making to work in rural and remote settings. CONCLUSION: Multiple dimensions and domains influence nurses' decision making to work in rural and remote settings. MacKay's 3P model provides a theoretical framework to explore the complex interplay between the person/al, profession/al and place-related dimensions of rural nursing. These findings can inform the development of future recruitment and retention initiatives.

Testing and implementing video consulting for outpatient appointments: using quality improvement system thinking and codesign principles.

Increasing demand for outpatient appointments (OPA) is a global challenge for healthcare providers. Non-attendance rates are high, not least because of the challenges of attending hospital OPAs due to transport difficulties, cost, poor health, caring and work responsibilities. Digital solutions may help ameliorate these challenges. This project aimed to implement codesigned outpatient video consultations across National Health Service (NHS) Highland using system-wide quality improvement approaches to implementation, involving patients, carers, clinical and non-clinical staff, national and local strategic leads. System mapping; an intensive codesign process involving extensive stakeholder engagement and real-time testing; Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles; and collection of clinician and patient feedback were used to optimise the service. Standardised processes were developed and implemented, which made video consulting easy to use for patients, embedded video into routine health service systems for clinicians and non-clinical staff, and automated much of the administrative burden. All clinicians and staff are using the system and both groups identified benefits in terms of travel time and costs saved. Transferable lessons for other services are identified, providing a practical blueprint for others to adapt and use in their own contexts to help implement and sustain video consultation services now and in the future.

Measuring women's experiences of maternity care: A systematic review of self-report survey instruments.

BACKGROUND: Recognition of the measurement of women's experiences of their maternity care as a critical component of care quality evaluation has led to a proliferation of instruments to measure this concept. However, the suboptimal methodological and psychometric quality of these instruments, or the lack of reporting of same, hinders the credibility and efficient use of the arising results, which often serve as an indicator for the direction of limited resources within maternity services. AIM: To review systematically and critically appraise self-report survey instruments measuring women's experiences of their maternity care. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using comprehensive searches of the CINAHL, OVID MEDLINE and EMBASE citation databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and a stepped approach employed to facilitate evaluation of the methodological and psychometric quality of included instruments. FINDINGS: 4905 records were obtained from database searches. Additional records were obtained via reference checking and by expert suggestion. Following stepped screening, 40 papers related to 20 instruments are included in this review. Findings indicate that evidence of the methodological and psychometric quality have not been reported for many included instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Published evidence of the methodological and psychometric quality of self-report survey instruments to evaluate women's experiences of their maternity care is lacking. The conduct and reporting of future development processes of such instruments can be improved. Systematic review PROSPERO registration: CRD42018105325.

Reducing wait time for administration of systemic anticancer treatment (SACT) in a hospital outpatient facility.

The demand for systemic anticancer treatment continues to rise due to the increasing numbers being diagnosed with cancer and developments in treatment options. The net result is greater pressure on services and subsequent patient delays. Delays in treatment could decrease the benefit of the therapy and be detrimental to patient experience. Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER 2) positive breast cancer within Raigmore Hospital waited an average of 41 min from the scheduled appointment time despite the administration of subcutaneous (SC) trastuzumab being scheduled for a 15 min treatment window. Given the frequency of these injections, this was having an adverse impact on patients and services. The aim of this project was for patients with breast cancer to receive treatment within the 15 min window. Lean principles were applied to reduce waste and increase value. Exploration of the problem led to the solution of relocating the administration of SC trastuzumab from the Macmillan Day Bed Unit (MDBU) to the Highland Breast Centre (HBC). Multiple improvement tools and techniques were used to implement the change. Data were collected on the median number of treatment episodes of SC trastuzumab per week at baseline and patient wait from appointment time to treatment completion was calculated at baseline and as an ongoing measure. Patient experience feedback was gathered following relocation of the treatment. Following relocation, the average time from scheduled appointment to discharge was 14 min (66% reduction). Patient experience feedback was positive and identified an unanticipated outcome; the regular Friday afternoon clinic, identified as most efficient for the service, was found by patients to be particularly convenient for their own planning. Through the application of Lean principles, the service was redesigned in a cost neutral way and resulted in a reduction in the wait time for treatment.

Near Me at Home: codesigning the use of video consultations for outpatient appointments in patients' homes.

Reforming the delivery of outpatient appointments (OPA) was high on the healthcare policy agenda prior to COVID-19. The current pandemic exacerbates the financial and associated resource limitations of OPA. Videoconsulting provides a safe method of real-time contact for some remotely residing patients with hospital-based clinicians. One factor in failing to move from introduction of service change to its general adoption may be lack of patient and public involvement. This project, based in the largest Island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, aimed to codesign the use of the NHS Near Me video consulting platform for OPA to take place in the patient's home. A codesign model was used as a framework. This included: step 1-presenting a process flow map of the current system of using Near Me to public participants and establishing their ideas on various steps in the process, step 2-conducting numerous Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) tests and creating a current process flow diagram based on learning and step 3-conducting telephone interviews and thematic analysis of transcripts (n=7) to explore participants' perceptions of being involved in the codesign process. Twenty-five adaptations were made to the Near Me at Home video appointment process from participants' PDSA testing. Four themes were identified from thematic analysis of participants' feedback of the codesign process, namely: altruistic motivation, valuing community voices, the usefulness of the PDSA cycles and the power of 'word of mouth'. By codesigning the use of Near Me with people living in a remote area of Scotland, multiple adaptations were made to the processes to suit the context in which Near Me at Home will be used. Learning from testing and adapting with the public will likely be useful for others embarking on codesign approaches to improve spread and sustainability of quality improvement projects.

Assessment of causal link between psychological factors and symptom exacerbation in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review utilising Bradford Hill criteria and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Psychological stress is a prevalent factor in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with detrimental effects on patients' quality of life and possibly disease course. Although the aetiology of symptom exacerbation in IBD has been explored, determining any causation between psychological stress and symptom worsening remains challenging and requires a methodologically rigorous approach. AIM: The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to determine a causal relationship between psychological stress and symptom exacerbation in IBD, subsequently utilising Bradford Hill's criteria (approach never used in this topic area before) to evaluate the likelihood of causal associations. METHODS: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycInfo were searched for relevant studies up to July 20, 2019. Data extraction and quality appraisal were performed by two independent reviewers. Results of all retained papers were presented as a narrative synthesis. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted on studies meeting the criteria for meta-analysis. Bradford Hill criteria were applied to assess the causality of the relationship between all psychological factors and symptom exacerbation. RESULTS: The searches yielded 2472 potential articles. Nineteen clinical prospective cohort studies were eligible for the narrative review with five suitable for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed depression, anxiety and perceived stress did not have a statistically significant association with an increased risk of symptom exacerbation. Four of the Bradford Hill criteria were met which indicates that there is weak to moderate evidence of a causal association between all the psychological factors and disease activity. Inconsistent results and a dearth of studies using the same tools for measuring psychological factors suggest the need for more research to be done to facilitate more conclusive findings. CONCLUSIONS: This original review utilising Bradford Hill criteria in addition to meta-analysis to evaluate the causality of relationship between psychological factors and symptom exacerbation in IBD provides evidence that psychological factors have a weak to moderate causal involvement in IBD symptom exacerbation. However, when combining this finding with the outcomes of the meta-analysis, we can say that the results were inconclusive. Interventions to reduce the associated psychological impact should be part of the treatment plan for patients with IBD. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42012003143.

Measuring women's experiences of maternity care: protocol for a systematic review of self-report survey instruments.

BACKGROUND: The use of survey instruments to measure women's experiences of their maternity care is regarded internationally as an indicator of the quality of care received. To ensure the credibility of the data arising from these instruments, the methodological quality of development must be high. This paper reports the protocol for a systematic review of self-report instruments used to measure women's experiences of their maternity care. METHODS: Citation databases CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE will be searched from 2002 to 2018 using keywords including women, experience, maternity care, questionnaires, surveys, and self-report. Citations will be screened by two reviewers, in two rounds, for inclusion as per predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction forms will be populated with data, extracted from each study, to evaluate the methodological quality of each survey instrument and the criteria for good measurement properties using quality criteria. Data will also be extracted to categorise the items included in each survey instrument. A combination of a structured narrative synthesis and quantitate summaries in tabular format will allow for recommendations to be made on the use, adaptation and development of future survey instruments. DISCUSSION: The value of survey instruments that evaluate women's experiences of their maternity care, as a marker of quality care, has been recognised internationally with many countries employing the use of such instruments to inform policy and practice. The development of these instruments must be methodologically sound and the instrument itself fit for the purpose and context in which it is used. This protocol describes the methods that will be used to complete a systematic review that will serve as a guide for choosing the most appropriate existing instruments to use or adapt so that they are fit for purpose, in addition to informing the development of new instruments. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018105325.

Transition into remote and rural nurse education and careers: a qualitative study of student nurses.

BACKGROUND: Global nurse shortages present a threat to the sustainability of remote and rural healthcare. Interventions have been developed to support recruitment and retention of nurses that focus on providing pre-nursing experience for school pupils who intend to pursue nursing careers. However, there is a lack of evidence around how pre-nursing experience supports transition into nurse education. AIMS: This study aims to explore the impact of a pre-nursing scholarship for school pupils in remote and rural areas of Scotland on experiences of transition into nurse education. METHODS: This was a qualitative study involving semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews with pre-nursing scholarship participants. RESULTS: An authentic pre-nursing experience supported school pupils' transition to nurse education. First, it increased students' self-efficacy, both in their decision to choose nursing as a career and their ability to nurse. Second, it helped students to realise that the opportunity to study closer to home was available to them. Third, it supported students' educational and social integration, helping them feel prepared for university teaching and learning approaches and the social experience of being a student. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-nursing experience can support transition into nurse education and contribute to career pathways that support recruitment and retention of nurses in remote and rural areas.

An exploration of how domains of quality of care relate to overall care experience.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to determine the relative influence of the different domains of healthcare quality from the Care Experience Feedback Improvement Tool (CEFIT) and identify key predictors of healthcare quality from the patients' perspective. Measurement is necessary to determine whether the quality of healthcare is improving. The CEFIT was developed as a brief measure of patient experience. It is important to determine the relative influence of the different domains of healthcare quality to further clarify how the CEFIT can be used and identify key predictors of healthcare quality from the patients' perspective. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In sum, 802 people with a healthcare experience during the previous 12 months were telephoned to complete the CEFIT questions and an additional 11-point global rating of patient experience. To estimate the influence of different domains of healthcare quality on patient overall ratings of quality of healthcare experience, the authors regressed the overall rating of patient experience with each component of quality (safety, effectiveness, timely, caring, enables system navigation and person-centred). FINDINGS: The authors found that all of the domains of the CEFIT influenced patient experience ratings of healthcare quality. Specifically, results show the degree of influence, the impact of demographics and how high scores for overall rating of patient experience can be predicted. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The findings suggest that all of the CEFIT domains are important in terms of capturing the wholeness of the patient experience of healthcare quality to direct local quality improvement.

Using the Model for Improvement to implement the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool in an adult intensive care unit.

Managing pain is challenging in the intensive care unit (ICU) as often patients are unable to self-report due to the effects of sedation required for mechanical ventilation. Minimal sedative use and the utilisation of analgesia-first approaches are advocated as best practice to reduce unwanted effects of oversedation and poorly managed pain. Despite evidence-based recommendations, behavioural pain assessment tools are not readily implemented in many critical care units. A local telephone audit conducted in April 2017 found that only 30% of Scottish ICUs are using these validated pain instruments. The intensive care unit (ICU) at Raigmore Hospital, NHS Highland, initiated a quality improvement (QI) project using the Model for Improvement (MFI) to implement an analgesia-first approach utilising a validated and reliable behavioural pain assessment tool, namely the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT). Over a six-month period, the project deployed QI tools and techniques to test and implement the CPOT. The process measures related to (i) the nursing staff's reliability to assess and document pain scores at least every four hours and (ii) to treat behavioural signs of pain or CPOT scores ≥ 3 with a rescue bolus of opioid analgesia. The findings from this project confirm that the observed trends in both process measures had reduced over time. Four hourly assessments of pain had increased to 89% and the treatment of CPOT scores ≥3 had increased to 100%.

Implementing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs communication bundle in remote and rural pharmacies and dispensing practices.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with more emergency hospital admissions due to adverse drug reactions than any other class of medicine. One way to tackle this is to ensure that patients understand how to take their NSAIDs in the safest way possible. The aim of this project was to ensure that key safety information is given to every patient, every time an NSAID is sold or dispensed. The project started as part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme's Pharmacy in Primary Care Collaborative. An NSAIDs bundle was developed, tested and implemented using the Model for Improvement as a framework, including multiple Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles. The bundle, and associated improvement package, was developed during phase I of the project and tested by seven teams (five pharmacies and two dispensing practices). Phase II tested the spread of the defined improvement package across an additional five community pharmacies and eight dispensing general practitioner practices. The project has resulted in the development of a simple package to improve communication with patients about NSAIDs, which should enable patients to take NSAIDs safely. Three key safety messages were developed, typical for a care bundle approach, and simple tools were employed to ensure every patient received these three key messages every time. The project aim of 95% compliance with the NSAIDs bundle within the seven initial sites by December 2015 was achieved (when an exclusion was applied). The spread of the defined improvement package to a further 13 sites was achieved by December 2016. By December 2017, all 81 community pharmacies in National Health Service (NHS) Highland had agreed to implement the NSAIDs bundle. In June 2018, a national NSAIDs bundle, based on the NHS Highland work, was introduced in community pharmacies across Scotland. We also believe that the approach could be replicated for other high-risk medicines.

Improving wait time from referral to opiate replacement therapy in a drug recovery service.

While the reported incidence of heroin use in the UK has reduced, related hospital admissions and associated mortality have continued to increase. Prompt access to treatment (opiate replacement therapy (ORT) and counselling support) have been shown to reduce risk and offer clients the optimal route to recovery. The Specialist Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service (Osprey House) within National Health Service Highland had lengthy delays from referral to commencing ORT (median wait 56 days), which this project aimed to reduce. A rapid process improvement workshop (RPIW) was undertaken to redesign the patient pathway from referral to recovery. The RPIW consisted of three phases: phase I, planning and preparation (12 weeks before the workshop week); phase II, the workshop week; and phase III, the follow-up. Metrics included the lead time from referral to initiating ORT and other process measures at baseline, and then repeated at 30, 60, 90 and 180 days, respectively. Additionally, data were routinely collected on the percentage of clients treated within 3 weeks, as was weekly data on the new process of screening clients within 1 day of referral. Multiple lean tools and techniques, including Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles, were used to test and implement new ways of working. Results at 180 days found the median time from referral to initiating ORT improved from a baseline of 56 to 21 days (63% improvement), room usage improved from 49% to 65% (32% increase) and standard work improved from level 1 to level 3. Increases in the number of clients treated within 3 weeks were demonstrated. Other metrics remained static or reported fluctuations too inconsistent to claim improvement at this point. By applying the Lean principles of removing waste and increasing value, we have redesigned our service, reducing the length of time clients with drug problems wait from referral to commencing ORT.

Time, fear and transformation: Student nurses' experiences of doing a practicum (quality improvement project) in practice.

BACKGROUND: Improving and sustaining quality in healthcare continues to be a global challenge, resulting in the necessity of developing quality improvement (QI) skills and knowledge to use in practice. This paper reports student nurses' experiences of conducting a quality improvement project (Practicum) as a compulsory assessment whilst on clinical placement areas across Scotland. METHODS: Telephone and face-to-face interviews (n = 18) were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed thematically. Data were extracted from Practicum assignments (n = 50). RESULTS: Three key themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Time; students highlighted the necessity of time in practice areas to acclimatise, socialise and conduct the Practicum. Timing of the Practicum within the curriculum was also important. 2) Fear; was experienced by many students at the perceived enormity of the assignment, the bravery needed to attempt to change practice and the adjustment to a unique type of assignment. 3) Transformation; students shared their shifted perceptions on completing a Practicum, including a sense of achievement and acknowledgement of key improvement skills for the future. CONCLUSIONS: Student nurses need to be stretched beyond their comfort zones to rise to the challenge of the Practicum, whilst ensuring adequate support mechanisms are in place from a range of sources.