Implementing a Rapid Response Team: A Quality Improvement Project in a Low- to Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of rapid response teams (RRTs) have been controversial with few studies conducted in low- to middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of implementing an RRT on 4 patient outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a quality improvement pre-and-post design using the Plan-Do-Study-Act model in a tertiary hospital in a low- to middle-income country. We collected data before and after implementing the RRT in 4 phases and over 4 years. RESULTS: Survival to discharge after cardiac arrest was 25.0% per 1000 discharges in 2016 and increased to 50% in 2019, a 50% increase. The rate of activations per 1000 discharges was 20.45% for the code team in 2016 and 33.6% for the RRT team in 2019. Thirty-one patients who arrested were transferred to a critical care unit before implementing the RRT, and 33% of such patients were transferred after. The time it took the code team to arrive at the bedside was 3.1 minutes in 2016 and decreased to 1.7 minutes for the RRT team to arrive in 2019, a 46% decrease. DISCUSSION AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Implementing an RTT led by nurses in a low- to middle-income country increased the survival rate of patients who had a cardiac arrest by 50%. The role of nurses in improving patient outcomes and saving lives is substantial and empowers nurses to call for assistance to save patient lives who show early signs of a cardiac arrest. Hospital administrators should continue to use strategies to improve nurses' timely response to the clinical deterioration of patients and to continue to collect data to assess the effect of the RRT over time.

Moral and Professional Values of Nurses in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Moral and professional values vary among cultures. The purpose of this study was to explore the moral and professional values of registered nurses at a university medical center in a Middle Eastern country and determine the relationship among formal ethics education, background variables (age, gender, nursing degree, regular daily prayer), and nurses' professional and moral values. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey method with 123 nurses was used. Data on background variables, moral and professional values, and confidence in ethical decision-making were assessed. RESULTS: Professional values were significantly higher among older nurses and nurses with master's degrees compared with younger nurses and nurses with bachelor's degrees. Daily prayer was related to higher mean scores for moral values. Nurses were confident in their ethical decision-making; however, formal education in ethics did not influence professional or moral values. CONCLUSION: Although formal education in ethics did not influence the professional or moral values of nurses in Lebanon, this finding does not negate the need for future studies to investigate the content and duration of ethics education that is likely to affect professional or moral values. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(9):429-437.].

Achieving a Zero Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Rate in 4 Critical Care Units in Lebanon.

Every health care facility aims to achieve and maintain a zero central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate. Infections can be costly for institutions of any size and are often not covered by health insurance. The interventions put in place in this quality improvement project were implemented in 4 phases: (1) develop a new standard of care for central lines and give nurses full responsibility for the care and handling of these lines (including blood sampling); (2) revise policy and provide educational sessions to support nurses; (3) document compliance with the new policy; and (4) document CLABSI rates. The project took place during a 15-month period between January 1, 2016 and March 30, 2017, in 4 critical care units in a university medical center in Lebanon. The results revealed a reduction in CLABSI rates from a maximum rate of more than 17 per 1000 catheter days to zero per 1000 catheter days, which was sustained for 10 months. Nurse compliance with the new policy after 3 months ranged from 95% to 99%.

Evidence on Nurse Staffing Ratios and Patient Outcomes in a Low-Income Country: Implications for Future Research and Practice.

BACKGROUND: Conclusive evidence on the effect of nurse staffing ratios on nurse-sensitive outcomes (NSOs) has not yet been achieved worldwide. AIMS: To describe the relationship between nurse staffing and NSOs at a Magnet designated, university hospital a low-income country. METHODS: A 48-month prospective study assessed the relationship between nurse staffing and six patient outcomes or NSOs in medical-surgical units and critical care units (CCUs). Nurse staffing was measured by nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) and skill mix, whereas NSOs were total falls and injury falls per 1,000 patient days, percent of surveyed patients with hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) per 1,000 central line days. RESULTS: The odds for total falls, injury falls, HAPI, and CLABSI in the medical-surgical units were higher with lower NHPPD ratios, OR = 4.67, p = .000; OR = 4.33, p = .001; OR = 3.77, p = .004 and OR = 2.61, p = .006, respectively. For the CCUs, lower rates of NHPPD increased the odds for total falls, OR = 6.25, p = .0007, HAPIs OR = 3.91, p = .001 and CLABSI, OR = 4.78, p = .000. Skill mix was associated with total falls, OR = 2.40, p = .005 and HAPIs OR = 2.07, p = .03 in the medical-surgical units but had no effect in any NSOs in the CCUs. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Higher rates of nurses per patient were effective in improving some NSOs but not others. Skill mix had no effect on any of the six NSOs in the CCUs. As such, the results remain inconclusive as the benefits of the higher nurse to patient ratios in this low-income country warranting further multisite studies in different settings and countries.

Psychometric Testing of a Comprehensive Patient Satisfaction Survey in Arabic.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although patient satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of care received in hospitals, no reliable and valid Arabic comprehensive inpatient satisfaction survey has been published. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of an Arabic patient satisfaction survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used where 1,339 randomly selected patients were interviewed by phone. The questionnaire was adopted and from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, refined and tested over a 4-year period. RESULTS: Item-item correlations for the 22 items on the survey ranged from .52 to .92, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .87. Construct and predictive validity were also adequate. CONCLUSION: The survey is recommended for use in hospitals in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries to facilitate benchmarking and quality improvement.