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therapists , environmental services technicians , food services workers , they are still spending a lot of time with patients who may or may not be infected with SARS-CoV-2 . We ’ re still making errors related to PPE utilization and hand hygiene , and so I think the main take-away is that these groups play a very important role in the care of patients who are admitted to the hospital , and they spend significant time with patients and therefore , infection prevention is a system-wide issue . Making sure that people are trained on the infection precaution practices will keep them safe .”
The researchers say their findings indicate “ new directions for research that involve other job roles and mechanisms to improve work processes and systems to enhance elements of a positive safety climate in healthcare settings . Specifically , results indicate the need to broaden engagement in emergency preparedness and response training to include all personnel interacting with patients . Second , there is a need for system improvements via a review of job and task design to reduce employee burden , which was associated with errors .”
Studies have indicated that healthcare personnel who perform repetitive tasks can become complacent and pay less attention to detail , resulting in more medical errors . The researchers say that because COVID-19 was a novel epidemic , “ the relationship among repetitive tasks and constantly changing policies , procedures , and information , could have also impacted the errors experiences among respondents . Additionally , the higher risk of potential exposure could be attributed to higher workloads , fatigue , and stress levels , prompting the need to identify more systems-level approaches to support
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worker knowledge and engagement and to improve attitudes and adherence behaviors .”
The researchers advocate for a socio-technical systems ( STS ) approach to better address workplace processes and barriers to adherence in healthcare settings . They explain that an STS approach “ engages the interdependencies of organizational design and social processes to improve performance . In the example of hand hygiene adherence , one way that an STS approach would facilitate accurate mental models is by purposeful placement of dispensers that are convenient and noticeable for workers . Other research has shown that dispenser visibility and proximity to patient room entrances significantly increases adherence while standardization of their placement across an organization may not . In other words , examining the work processes for different jobs and strategically providing touchpoints – whether a dispenser , place to acquire PPE , or information about effective PPE doffing / donning – may be a useful consideration for the current study cohort rather than standardizing where these resources are placed on each floor or ward , for example . Previous research at [ blinded ] concluded that standardizing guidelines and workflows specific to the needs of each unit led to increased comprehension among department healthcare personnel , including staff that floated across units .”
The researchers emphasize that gaps in workplace processes that could be improved via an STS approach .
“ The great thing about an STS approach is that it ’ s not about maybe adding something or making something more difficult ,” Haas says . “ Instead , you are acknowledging
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and engaging with the interdependencies that are already present within the work environment . It ’ s about leveraging those interdependencies to improve the health and safety of patients and healthcare personnel . The STS approach represents an integrated approach , which takes practice to do well , but standardizing guidelines and workflows specific to the needs of individual units would improve infection precautions adherence and facilitate workflow . I think that many organizations to a degree are already trying to do this , but maybe not acknowledging it as a systematic process .”
The researchers say they hope their study results reinforce the need to provide systemic solutions to infection prevention and control standards , “ since ancillary staff are not isolated from COVID-19 patients , and they often play a key role in infection prevention for patients and staff . While the results support previous research within certain jobs , they also elucidate that all employees in healthcare settings face exposure risks , may require similar training , and must be considered when developing workflow processes that support IP adherence . An STS approach may support such activities . Relatedly , any knowledge-building trainings or activities should be complemented with systems-level support to include leadership , teamwork , and accessible policies .”
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Reference :
Haas EJ , Kelly-Reif K , et al . Infection precaution adherence varies by potential exposure risks to SARS-CoV-2 and job role : findings from a U . S . medical center . Am J Infect Control . Dec . 7 , 2023 . Accessible at : https :// doi . org / 10.1016 / j . ajic . 2023.10.010
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The great thing about an STS approach is that it ’ s not about maybe adding something or making something more difficult .
Instead , you are acknowledging and engaging with the interdependencies that are already present within the work environment . It ’ s about leveraging those interdependencies to improve the health and safety of patients and healthcare personnel .”
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