A systematic review of workplace triggers of emotions in the healthcare environment, the emotions experienced, and the impact on patient safety.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare staff deliver patient care in emotionally charged settings and experience a wide range of emotions as part of their work. These emotions and emotional contexts can impact the quality and safety of care. Despite the growing acknowledgement of the important role of emotion, we know very little about what triggers emotion within healthcare environments or the impact this has on patient safety. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review studies to explore the workplace triggers of emotions within the healthcare environment, the emotions experienced in response to these triggers, and the impact of triggers and emotions on patient safety. METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, four electronic databases were searched (MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Scopus, and CINAHL) to identify relevant literature. Studies were then selected and data synthesized in two stages. A quality assessment of the included studies at stage 2 was undertaken. RESULTS: In stage 1, 90 studies were included from which seven categories of triggers of emotions in the healthcare work environment were identified, namely: patient and family factors, patient safety events and their repercussions, workplace toxicity, traumatic events, work overload, team working and lack of supervisory support. Specific emotions experienced in response to these triggers (e.g., frustration, guilt, anxiety) were then categorised into four types: immediate, feeling states, reflective, and longer-term emotional sequelae. In stage 2, 13 studies that explored the impact of triggers or emotions on patient safety processes/outcomes were included. CONCLUSION: The various triggers of emotion and the types of emotion experienced that have been identified in this review can be used as a framework for further work examining the role of emotion in patient safety. The findings from this review suggest that certain types of emotions (including fear, anger, and guilt) were more frequently experienced in response to particular categories of triggers and that healthcare staff's experiences of negative emotions can have negative effects on patient care, and ultimately, patient safety. This provides a basis for developing and tailoring strategies, interventions, and support mechanisms for dealing with and regulating emotions in the healthcare work environment.

Caring in a crisis: Understanding the stressors and uplifts for National Health Service frontline staff through the lens of clinical psychologists.

The unprecedented public health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a significant challenge to the delivery of healthcare that has rarely been experienced before. The stress already faced by healthcare staff working in the National Health Service (NHS) has been further exacerbated during Covid-19, putting them at risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Through the lens of clinical psychologists who had provided support to frontline healthcare staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, this study aimed to better understand the stressors and uplifts healthcare staff experienced during Covid-19, the impact of these on the wellbeing of staff and patient care, and to examine the support needed to deal with the impact of a crisis. A qualitative study design using a combination of diaries followed by semi-structured interviews was utilised. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The following five themes represented the stressors and uplifts experienced by NHS frontline healthcare staff during Covid-19, the impact on staff wellbeing and patient care: facing change; risks of working in the NHS environment; transcending the negatives; challenging professional values and haunted by patient deaths. The findings also highlight the importance of providing psychological support and suggest the need to continue to provide this support service to help NHS staff manage through subsequent waves of the pandemic. These findings can contribute towards both the management of the current Covid-19 pandemic and other similar crises in the future.

The Shared Safety Net Action Plan (SSNAP): a co-designed intervention to reduce delays in cancer diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Safety netting in primary care may help diagnose cancer earlier, but it is unclear what the format and content of an acceptable safety-netting intervention would be. This project aimed to co-design a safety-netting intervention with and for primary care patients and staff. AIM: This work sought to address how a safety-netting intervention would be implemented in practice; and, if and how a safety-netting intervention would be acceptable to all stakeholders. DESIGN AND SETTING: Patient representatives, GPs, and nurse practitioners were invited to a series of co-design workshops. Patients who had and had not received a diagnosis of cancer and primary care practices took part in separate focus groups. METHOD: Three workshops using creative co-design processes developed the format and content of the intervention prototype. The COM-B Framework underpinned five focus groups to establish views on capability, opportunity, and motivation to use the intervention to assist with prototype refinement. RESULTS: Workshops and focus groups suggested the intervention format and content should incorporate visual and written communication specifying clear timelines for monitoring symptoms and when to present back; be available in paper and electronic forms linked to existing computer systems; and be able to be delivered within a 10-minute consultation. Intervention use themes included 'building confidence through partnership', 'using familiar and current procedures and systems', and 'seeing value'. CONCLUSION: The Shared Safety Net Action Plan (SSNAP) - a safety-netting intervention to assist the timely diagnosis of cancer in primary care, was successfully co-designed with and for patients and primary care staff.

Exploring the Impact of Primary Care Physician Burnout and Well-Being on Patient Care: A Focus Group Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were (1) to explore whether primary care physicians (general practitioners [GPs]) perceive burnout and well-being to impact on the quality and safety of patient care and (2) to determine potential mechanisms behind these associations. METHOD: Five focus groups with 25 practicing GPs were conducted in England, either in the participants' practice or in a private meeting room outside of their workplace.An interview schedule with prompts was followed with questions asking how participants perceive GP burnout and poor well-being could impact on patient care delivery. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: General practitioners believed that poor well-being and burnout affect the quality of care patients receive through reducing doctors' abilities to empathize, to display positive attitudes and listening skills, and by increasing the number of inappropriate referrals made. Participants also voiced that burnout and poor well-being can have negative consequences for patient safety, through a variety of mechanisms including reduced cognitive functioning and decision-making abilities, a lack of headspace, and fatigue. Furthermore, it was suggested that the relationship between well-being/burnout and mistakes is likely to be circular. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to ascertain the validity of these perceptions. If found, physicians, healthcare organizations, and policy makers should examine how they can improve physician well-being and prevent burnout, because this may be a route to ensure high-quality and safe patient care.

The early diagnosis of cancer in primary care: A qualitative exploration of the patient's role and acceptable safety-netting strategies.

OBJECTIVES: The study had two aims-to assess the components considered important for patient involvement in diagnosing cancer earlier in primary care and to assess the acceptability, feasibility, cost and burden of three safety-netting interventions in terms of their potential to become a sustainable component of standard care and improve diagnostic outcomes for cancer in a primary care setting. METHOD: Fifteen interviews were conducted with patients and GPs/Nurse Practitioners. Findings were fed back at a workshop with 18 stakeholders who helped to conceptualise an intervention. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Stakeholder discussions were captured through group feedback sessions. RESULTS: Three key themes around stakeholders' views on patient involvement emerged from the interviews. These were keeping the door open, roles and responsibilities and fear of cancer. Interview findings and workshop feedback identified the intervention should include a verbal discussion and plan, written information and a patient prompt option. CONCLUSION: Patient involvement in diagnosing cancer in primary care is considered acceptable to patients and HCPs. Factors that facilitate or hinder involvement have been identified. Components deemed important in a safety-netting intervention, and potential costs and benefits were established. This knowledge can direct future research and the development of safety-netting interventions.

Validation of revised patient measures of safety: PMOS-30 and PMOS-10.

OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence that patients can provide feedback on the safety of their care. The 44-item Patient Measure of Safety (PMOS) was developed for this purpose. While valid and reliable, the length of this questionnaire makes it potentially challenging for routine use. Our study aimed to produce revised, shortened versions of PMOS (PMOS-30 and PMOS-10), which retained the psychometric properties of the longer version. PARTICIPANTS: To produce a shortened diagnostic measure, we analysed data from 2002 patients who completed PMOS-44, and examined the reliability of the revised measure (PMOS-30) in a sample of 751 patients. To produce a brief standalone measure, we again analysed data from 2002 patients who completed PMOS-44, and tested the reliability and validity of the brief standalone measure (PMOS-10) in a sample of 165 patients. METHODS: The process of shortening the questionnaire involved a combination of secondary data analysis (eg, Standard Deviation and inter-item correlations) and a consensus group exercise to produce PMOS-30 and examine face validity. Analysis of PMOS-30 data examined reliability (eg, Cronbach's alpha). Further secondary data analysis (ie, corrected item-total correlations) produced PMOS-10, and primary data collection assessed its reliability and validity (eg, Cronbach's alpha, analysis of variance). RESULTS: Fourteen items were removed to produce PMOS-30 and the percentage of negatively worded items was reduced from 57% to 33%. PMOS-30 demonstrated good internal reliability (α=0.89). The 10 items with the highest corrected item-total correlations across both PMOS-44 and PMOS-30 composed PMOS-10. PMOS-10 had good internal reliability (α=0.79), demonstrated convergent validity; however, discriminant validity was not established. CONCLUSIONS: Two revised, shortened versions of the original PMOS-44 (PMOS-30 and PMOS-10) were produced to capture patient feedback about safety in hospital. The measures demonstrated good reliability and validity, and preserved the psychometric properties of the original measure.

Parent Experiences and Preferences When Dysmelia Is Identified During the Prenatal and Perinatal Periods: A Qualitative Study Into Family Nursing Care for Rare Diseases.

Several rare diseases are regularly identified during the prenatal and perinatal periods, including dysmelia. How these are communicated to parents has a marked emotional impact, but minimal research has investigated this. The purpose of this study was to explore parent experiences and preferences when their baby was diagnosed with dysmelia. Mothers and fathers were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The overriding emotion parents experienced was shock, but the extent of this was influenced by several factors including their previous experience of disability. Four key needs of parents were identified, including the need for signposting to peer support organizations, for information, for sensitive communication, and for a plan regarding their child's care. Parents wanted immediate information provision and signposting to peer support, and for discussions regarding possible causes of the dysmelia or termination (in the case of prenatal identification) to be delayed until they had processed the news.

Patient involvement in diagnosing cancer in primary care: a systematic review of current interventions.

BACKGROUND: Patients can play a role in achieving an earlier diagnosis of cancer by monitoring and re-appraising symptoms after initially presenting to primary care. It is not clear what interventions exist, or what the components of an intervention to engage patients at this diagnostic stage are. AIM: The review had two aims: 1) to identify interventions that involve patients, and 2) to establish key components for engaging patients in the diagnosis of cancer in primary care at the post-presentation stage. DESIGN AND SETTING: Empirical studies and non-empirical articles were identified searching Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase databases, relevant journals, and available key author publication lists. METHOD: Abstracts and titles were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Qualitative synthesis of empirical research and current opinion from across all articles was used to select, organise, and interpret findings. RESULTS: No interventions were found. Sixteen articles provided suggestions for potential interventions and components important at the post-presentation stage. Factors contributing to patients not always being engaged in assisting with diagnosis, strategies to foster patient involvement, and moderators and benefits to patients and health services (proximal and distal outcomes) were captured in a logic model. CONCLUSION: There is an absence of interventions involving patients during the post-presentation stage of the diagnostic process. Limited literature was drawn upon to identify potential barriers and facilitators for engaging patients at this diagnostic stage, and to establish possible mechanisms of change and measurable outcomes. Findings can direct future research and the development of interventions.

Strategies to improve general practitioner well-being: findings from a focus group study.

Background: Primary care physicians are particularly prone to high levels of burnout and poor well-being. Despite this, no qualitative studies have specifically investigated the best ways to improve well-being and prevent burnout in primary care physicians. Previous interventions within primary care have been person-oriented and mainly focused on mindfulness, but there has been no prior research on whether general practitioners (GPs) deem this to be the best approach. Objectives: To explore strategies that could improve GP well-being and reduce or prevent burnout, based on GP perceptions of the workplace factors that affect their levels of well-being and burnout. Methods: Five focus groups were conducted, with 25 GPs (locums, salaried, trainees, and partners) in the UK, between September 2015 and February 2016. Focus groups took place in GP practices and private meeting rooms. Discussions were centered on the workplace factors that they perceived to influence their well-being, along with strategies that they use either personally, or as a practice, to try and prevent burnout. Furthermore, strategies that could feasibly be implemented by individuals and practices to improve well-being, as well as changes that are needed by groups or organizations that are external to their practice (e.g., the government) to improve the working conditions, were explored. Thematic analysis was conducted on the transcripts. Results: Based on the contributors to burnout and workplace well-being that the participants identified, the following feasible strategies were suggested: compulsory daily coffee breaks, increasing self- and organizational awareness of the risks of burnout and mentoring or buddy systems. System-level organizational changes were voiced as vital, however, to improve the well-being of all primary care physicians. Increasing resources seemed to be the ideal solution, to allow for more administrative staff and GPs. Conclusion: These strategies merit further consideration by researchers, physicians, healthcare organizations and policy makers both in the UK and beyond. Failure to do so may result in healthcare staff becoming even more burntout, potentially leading to a loss of doctors from the workforce.

Partners at Care Transitions (PACT) -e xploring older peoples' experiences of transitioning from hospital to home in the UK: protocol for an observation and interview study of older people and their families to understand patient experience and involvement in care at transitions.

INTRODUCTION: Length of hospital inpatient stays have reduced. This benefits patients, who prefer to be at home, and hospitals, which can treat more people when stays are shorter. Patients may, however, leave hospital sicker, with ongoing care needs. The transition period from hospital to home can be risky, particularly for older patients with complex health and social needs. Improving patient experience, especially through greater patient involvement, may improve outcomes for patients and is a key indicator of care quality and safety. In this research, we aim to: capture the experiences of older patients and their families during the transition from hospital to home, and identify opportunities for greater patient involvement in care, particularly where this contributes to greater individual-level and organisational-level resilience. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A 'focused ethnography' comprising observations, 'Go-Along' and semistructured interviews will be used to capture patient and carer experiences during different points in the care transition from admission to 90 days after discharge. We will recruit 30 patients and their carers from six hospital departments across two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts. Analysis of observations and interviews will use a framework approach to identify themes to understand the experience of transitions and generate ideas about how patients could be more actively involved in their care. This will include exploring what 'good' care at transitions looks like and seeking out examples of success, as well as recommendations for improvement. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was received from the NHS Research Ethics Committee in Wales. The research findings will add to a growing body of knowledge about patient experience of transitions, in particular providing insight into the experiences of patients and carers throughout the transitions process, in 'real time'. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the development of a patient-centred intervention to improve the quality and safety of transitions.

Developing a patient-led electronic feedback system for quality and safety within Renal PatientView.

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly acknowledged that patients can provide direct feedback about the quality and safety of their care through patient reporting systems. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of patients, healthcare professionals and researchers working in partnership to develop a patient-led quality and safety feedback system within an existing electronic health record (EHR), known as Renal PatientView (RPV). METHODS: Phase 1 (inception) involved focus groups (n = 9) and phase 2 (requirements) involved cognitive walkthroughs (n = 34) and 1:1 qualitative interviews (n = 34) with patients and healthcare professionals. A Joint Services Expert Panel (JSP) was convened to review the findings from phase 1 and agree the core principles and components of the system prototype. Phase 1 data were analysed using a thematic approach. Data from phase 1 were used to inform the design of the initial system prototype. Phase 2 data were analysed using the components of heuristic evaluation, resulting in a list of core principles and components for the final system prototype. RESULTS: Phase 1 identified four main barriers and facilitators to patients feeding back on quality and safety concerns. In phase 2, the JSP agreed that the system should be based on seven core principles and components. DISCUSSION: Stakeholders were able to work together to identify core principles and components for an electronic patient quality and safety feedback system in renal services. Tensions arose due to competing priorities, particularly around anonymity and feedback. Careful consideration should be given to the feasibility of integrating a novel element with differing priorities into an established system with existing functions and objectives.

Using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to understand adherence to multiple evidence-based indicators in primary care: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There are recognised gaps between evidence and practice in general practice, a setting posing particular implementation challenges. We earlier screened clinical guideline recommendations to derive a set of 'high-impact' indicators based upon criteria including potential for significant patient benefit, scope for improved practice and amenability to measurement using routinely collected data. Here, we explore health professionals' perceived determinants of adherence to these indicators, examining the degree to which determinants were indicator-specific or potentially generalisable across indicators. METHODS: We interviewed 60 general practitioners, practice nurses and practice managers in West Yorkshire, the UK, about adherence to four indicators: avoidance of risky prescribing; treatment targets in type 2 diabetes; blood pressure targets in treated hypertension; and anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation. Interview questions drew upon the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Data were analysed using framework analysis. RESULTS: Professional role and identity and environmental context and resources featured prominently across all indicators whilst the importance of other domains, for example, beliefs about consequences, social influences and knowledge varied across indicators. We identified five meta-themes representing more general organisational and contextual factors common to all indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The TDF helped elicit a wide range of reported determinants of adherence to 'high-impact' indicators in primary care. It was more difficult to pinpoint which determinants, if targeted by an implementation strategy, would maximise change. The meta-themes broadly underline the need to align the design of interventions targeting general practices with higher level supports and broader contextual considerations. However, our findings suggest that it is feasible to develop interventions to promote the uptake of different evidence-based indicators which share common features whilst also including content-specific adaptations.

Providing family-centred care for rare diseases in maternity services: Parent satisfaction and preferences when dysmelia is identified.

PROBLEM AND BACKGROUND: Dysmelia is usually detected prenatally or postnatally in maternity services. The provision of family-centred care for parents at the time of initial diagnosis is crucial to facilitate decision making, access to appropriate services, and the provision of parental care-giving, but no research has investigated parent experiences or preferences in this population. AIMS: The current research aimed to address this by investigating satisfaction with service, occurrence of signposting and preferences in this group. METHODS: Two online surveys were conducted. In the first survey (n=417), parents reported whether they were offered signposting information and their level of satisfaction with the service they received when initially diagnosed. In the second survey (n=130), a subgroup of participants who completed the first survey reported their preferences for signposting and health service access after diagnosis. FINDINGS: On average, participants were less than satisfied with the service they received and only 27% were offered signposting information. Satisfaction was higher amongst parents who had been offered signposting information. 91% of parents said they would have wanted signposting information and 67% would have wanted access to a support group. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to improve the family-centeredness of care when dysmelia is identified. Offering signposting information to relevant third-sector organisations may increase parent satisfaction and address parent preferences. These findings could have implications for parents of children with other rare diseases identified in maternity services.

The role of emotion in patient safety: Are we brave enough to scratch beneath the surface?

Healthcare professionals work in emotionally charged settings; yet, little is known about the role of emotion in ensuring safe patient care. This article presents current knowledge in this field, drawing upon psychological approaches and evidence from clinical settings. We explore the emotions that health professionals experience in relation to making a medical error and describe the impact on healthcare professionals and on their professional and patient relationships. We also explore how positive and negative emotions can contribute to clinical decision making and affect responses to clinical situations. Evidence to date suggests that emotion plays an integral role in patient safety. Implications for training, practice and research are discussed in addition to strategies to facilitate health services to understand and respond to the influence of emotion in clinical practice.

Understanding diagnostic error: looking beyond diagnostic accuracy.

Whether a diagnosis is correct or incorrect is often used to determine diagnostic performance despite there being no valid measure of diagnostic accuracy. In this paper we draw on our experience of conducting research on diagnostic error and discuss some of the challenges that a focus on accuracy brings to this field of research. In particular, we discuss whether diagnostic accuracy can be captured and what diagnostic accuracy does and does not tell us about diagnostic judgement. We draw on these points to argue that a focus on diagnostic accuracy may limit progress in this field and suggest that research which tries to understand more about the factors that influence decision making during the diagnostic process may be more useful in helping to improve diagnostic performance.

Distress in patients with interstitial cystitis: Do illness representations have a role to play?

This study investigated the illness perceptions of patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) and their experience of psychological distress using the Revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (IPQ-R). The extent to which this measure adequately captures the illness representations of this group was also evaluated through semi-structured interviews. Forty-four patients with IC attending an out-patient clinic at a large UK hospital completed a questionnaire booklet comprising of the IPQ-R and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Fifteen patients also took part in a follow-up interview. Pearson's correlation revealed that illness identity, consequences, illness coherence, emotional representations and psychological, risk factor and accident and injury attributions were associated with psychological distress. MANOVA analyses indicated that illness perceptions differed between severely and non-severely distressed patients, but not between patients with more or less severe symptoms. Moreover, the content analysis of patient interviews suggested that some aspects of the emotional experience of IC may not yet be adequately captured in the IPQ-R. Findings indicated that illness perceptions of patients' with IC are associated with psychological distress and the implications of this for further research and possible interventions are discussed.