[Exploration of the Association Between Workplace Bullying and Attitudes Toward Patient Safety in Female Nurses].

BACKGROUND: Workplace bullying is known to have a significant and detrimental effect on the physical and psychological outcomes of its victims. The reactions of victims to bullying may decrease clinical care outcomes and patient safety. PURPOSE: To explore the relationship between workplace bullying and the attitudes of female nurses toward the safety of their patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey study used convenience sampling. Participants included female nurses from a regional teaching hospital. The research tool was a three-part, structured questionnaire that included a basic personal information datasheet, negative behavior scale, and patient safety attitude scale. The researcher distributed 420 questionnaires and collected 329 valid samples (valid return rate: 78.3%). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.0. RESULTS: The analysis found that 29.8% of the participants had suffered from various degrees of workplace bullying. The mean score for patient safety attitudes was 3.58 (standard deviation = 0.55). Workplace bullying and patient safety attitudes were negatively correlated (p < .1), and being a recipient of workplace bullying was identified as a significant predictor of attitudes toward patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, we suggest that supervisors should take the initiative to care for their nursing staffs and to provide them with training in conflict-oriented skills. Organization managers should set up relevant committee-notification mechanisms that construct the safe working environment necessary to reduce workplace bullying and to enhance the patient safety attitudes of nurses, which will indirectly improve the quality of patient care.

Effectiveness of executive function training on mental set shifting, working memory and inhibition in healthy older adults: A double-blind randomized controlled trials.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of executive function training on mental set shifting, working memory and inhibition for healthy older adults. BACKGROUND: Executive functions control and guide individuals' behaviours through a top-down cognitive model and have been regarded as the exhibition and integration of various high-level cognitive functions. However, prior studies have rarely focused on the subcomponent indicators of executive function, such as mental set shifting, working memory and inhibition in healthy older adults. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: A total of 62 participants were recruited between January 2015 - March 2017, with both groups attending a 30-min training session three times per week for 8 weeks. Executive function training group received the training content that focused on the mental set shifting, working memory and inhibition. Active control group engaged in passive information activities. The primary outcome was mental set shifting, measured by the Wisconsin card sort test. The secondary outcomes were working memory measured by digit span and inhibition measured by the Stroop color word test. RESULTS: The executive function training group had statistically significant higher scores of mental set shifting and working memory at immediate follow-up and that its effect on mental set shifting could be maintained for 3-6 months. However, this training did not have any statistically significant results on inhibition. CONCLUSION: The executive function training may be an effective preventive intervention for healthy older adults. Future studies are recommended to include a broader range of participants with different levels of cognitive function.

Effectiveness of Light Therapy in Cognitively Impaired Persons: A Metaanalysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of light therapy on behavioral disturbances (BDs), sleep quality, and depression. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. SETTING: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and clinicaltrials.gov of selected randomized controlled trials and previous systematic reviews were searched. PARTICIPANTS: Cognitively impaired persons. MEASUREMENTS: Information was extracted on study characteristics, quality assessment, and outcomes. Outcome measures included BDs, sleep quality, and depression. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials were examined. The results showed that light therapy has a moderate effect on BD (g = -0.61) and depression (g = -0.58) and a small effect on total sleep time at night (g = 0.25). Subgroup analysis indicated that a light intensity of 2,500 lux or greater has a greater effect on depression than an intensity of less than 2,500 lux (P = .03), and the low risk of bias in blinding was superior to the RCTs deemed to be of high or unclear risk of bias in blinding in terms of BD (P = .02). CONCLUSION: Light therapy can relieve BD, improve sleep quality, and alleviate symptoms of depression for cognitively impaired persons.

[Project to improve operating room surgical apparatus management].

BACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Surgical apparatus represent a critical hospital asset. Improper management of such both affects the effective progress of surgical procedures and threatens patient safety. PURPOSE: This project aimed to improve the effectiveness of surgical apparatus management in order to improve surgical success rates, reduce surgical preparation times required of nurses, and increase the percentage of apparatus under management regimens. RESOLUTION: Analysis of data found that improper usage, maintenance, and management were principal factors leading to elevated failure rates, longer preparation times, and longer periods between maintenance. Therefore, strategies, including holding continuing education, implementing surgery categorization tailored to the inventory of each unit, and standardizing apparatus storage locations, were used to improve surgical apparatus management effectiveness. RESULTS: After implementation, surgical apparatus failures dropped from 8.3% to 3.8%, surgical preparation time shortened from 8.2 minutes to 3.5 minutes, the audited accuracy rate for apparatus cleaning rose from 30% to 98.6%, and the maintenance rate achieved 100%. CONCLUSIONS: This project enhanced surgical apparatus management effectiveness and improved surgical quality. Adoption of the proposed management system may benefit patient safety.