276904
Investigating infection control behavior in nurses: Impact of computer charting
Shawn Gibbs, PhD, MBA, CIH,
College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
In a small mixed methods study, nursing behaviors related to infection control were evaluated as nurses participated in a video recorded patient care simulation. The scenario asked the nurse to care for a patient in both airborne and contact isolation precautions with small high definition cameras mounted in a real hospital room. The patient was simulated by a live actor with an artificial intravenous line. The simulation scenario asked the nurse to assess their patient and give them some pain medication. The simulation experience was followed by a Think Aloud session while participants watched their individual simulation performance. The session was audio recorded and then transcribed for qualitative analysis. In this facility computers are taken into the patient rooms on carts to support patient care processes like medication administration and clinical charting. It is expected that these carts be used to care for patients in isolation rooms. Nurses are responsible for wiping computer equipment down before and after use with antimicrobial wipes. Several patterns emerged regarding the use of computers in the care of isolation patients. Both personal safety for the nurse as well as the transmission of infectious diseases from patient to patient became major themes. Nursing behaviors noted in the video recordings and insights from the nurses in the Think Aloud sessions will be shared in this presentation.
Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related nursing
Learning Objectives:
Describe at least two clinical nursing behaviors related to the use of mobile computer workstations which are a threat to good infection control practice in an isolation room.
Differentiate nursing behaviors that are risks to patient safety from those that are risks to the safety of the nurse providing care.
Keyword(s): Infectious Diseases, Simulation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have coordinated a grant project at the UNMC College of Nursing in Omaha since 2005. In the role, I have taught emergency preparedness content to students and healthcare workers throughout the state of Nebraska. My scientific interests have led to research and/or publications on education, infection control, and biocontainment care.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
