First and second cycle nursing students' perceptions of the clinical learning environment in acute care settings - A comparative crossectional study using the CLES+T scale.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that the clinical learning environment can both facilitate and hinder students' learning. Students' perceptions need to be evaluated, preferably using nationally and internationally validated instruments. In Sweden, there is a lack of research about students' evaluation in acute care settings and from the perspectives of different levels of students. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to explore and compare perceptions of the clinical learning environment of first- and second-cycle nursing students in an acute care setting using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale (CLES+T). DESIGN: The design involves cross-sectional data collection with comparisons between groups. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from a convenience sample of first- and second-cycle students at the end of their clinical placements in an acute care setting at a university hospital. METHODS: A paper version and a web version of the culturally adapted version of CLES+T was filled out by the students. An independent t-test was used to explore the differences between CLES+T scores and distribution methods and educational level. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Overall, the students (N = 179) were satisfied with the clinical learning environment. There was no significant difference in the total score (m = 4.31, SD = 0.63) between first- and second-cycle students except for the subscale of "Premises of nursing on the ward" and the individual items "The ward's nursing philosophy was clearly defined" and "Patients received individual nursing care", showing that the first-cycle students were more satisfied compared to the second-cycle students. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.97 vs. 0.96) for the paper survey and the web survey, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide initial support for the CLES+T as a useful instrument to evaluate the clinical learning environment at different levels of education and in different contexts regardless of distribution method.

Congruency Between Planned and Performed Procedures and Adherence to Recommended Perioperative Practices: A Chart Audit of High-Risk Surgical Patients.

Documentation in an electronic health record system helps ensure that perioperative personnel provide appropriate treatment and care to surgical patients. A retrospective chart review performed with an audit instrument sought to describe the extent to which the documented preoperative plan for a surgery corresponded to the procedure performed. The secondary aim was to describe to what extent perioperative nurses' and physicians' documented care was in accordance with national and international guidelines. Extracted data consisted of physicians' and nurses' documentation of 24 high-risk surgical patients who died within 30 days after a procedure at two hospitals within a single health system. Surgeons documented a planned surgical method for 23 of the 24 patients and the surgical team performed 20 surgeries as planned. Perioperative nurses' and anesthesia professionals' documentation showed a lack of adherence to recommended practices: compliance with guidelines concerning antibiotic prophylaxis and preoperative hygiene preparation were low.

Prerequisites for safe intraoperative nursing care and teamwork-Operating theatre nurses' perspectives: A qualitative interview study.

AIM: To describe operating theatre nurses' experience of preconditions for safe intraoperative nursing care and teamwork. BACKGROUND: Surgical interventions are often needed for patients' well-being and survival from health problems. Adequate information to professionals responsible within the surgical organisation is of importance for patient safety in connection to the surgery. The members in the surgical team need correct information about the patients' health and planned care. The information is mainly transferred by computerised systems that do not necessarily provide all information needed. METHOD: A qualitative descriptive design was chosen. Narrative interviews were carried out with 16 experienced operating theatre nurses in four different hospitals in rural and urban areas in Sweden. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study complied with criteria to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). RESULT: Operating theatre nurses strived to get adequate information about the patients' care, the surgical intervention and the equipment to be well prepared for intraoperative nursing care. The information from the computerised systems was described as fragmented and obliged the operating theatre nurses to demand a preoperative dialogue between the members of the surgical team. Professional collegial teamwork and committed leadership were considered to enhance patient safety. CONCLUSION: From the operating theatre nurses' perspective, prerequisites for intraoperative safe nursing care and teamwork depend upon a preoperative dialogue between the members in the surgical team for collegial teamwork, obtaining a reliable preoperative overall picture based on adequate information transfer, and the support of a committed first-line manager. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The operating theatre nurses need a reliable preoperative overall picture in advance, to be able to be well prepared for the patients' surgery. The overall picture should be based on adequate data about the patients' health status and needs, details about the surgical intervention and prescriptions.

Creating an environment for patient safety and teamwork training in the operating theatre: A quasi-experimental study.

INTRODUCTION: Positive safety and a teamwork climate in the training environment may be a precursor for successful teamwork training. This pilot project aimed to implement and test whether a new interdisciplinary and team-based approach would result in a positive training climate in the operating theatre. METHOD: A 3-day educational module for training the complete surgical team of specialist nursing students and residents in safe teamwork skills in an authentic operative theatre, named Co-Op, was implemented in a university hospital. Participants' (n=22) perceptions of the 'safety climate' and the 'teamwork climate', together with their 'readiness for inter-professional learning', were measured to examine if the Co-Op module produced a positive training environment compared with the perceptions of a control group (n=11) attending the conventional curriculum. RESULTS: The participants' perceptions of 'safety climate' and 'teamwork climate' and their 'readiness for inter-professional learning' scores were significantly higher following the Co-Op module compared with their perceptions following the conventional curriculum, and compared with the control group's perceptions following the conventional curriculum. CONCLUSION: The Co-Op module improved 'safety climate' and 'teamwork climate' in the operating theatre, which suggests that a deliberate and designed educational intervention can shape a learning environment as a model for the establishment of a safety culture.