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Industrial considerations for nurses responding to disasters
S28 Industrial considerations for nurses responding to disasters Shane Lenson 1,∗ , Jamie Ranse 2 , Lynette Cusack 3 1
Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, PO Box 256, Dickson, ACT 2602, Australia 2 Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia 3 Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia Keywords: Disaster health; Nursing; Response; Arrangements E-mail addresses: [email protected] (S. Lenson), [email protected] (J. Ranse), lynette.cusack@flinders.edu.au (L. Cusack). By definition, disasters are events that reply on human and/or physical resources from other jurisdictions to assist in response and recovery. Within the Australian out-ofhospital environment, nurses have been deployed from various States and Territories to assist in the response to events such as the Victorian Bushfires [2009] and the Queensland floods [2011]. Similarly, nurses have been deployed overseas to assist in events such as the Christchurch earthquake [2011], Samona tsunami [2009] and Sumatra—Andaman earthquake and tsunami [2004], just to mention a few. It is reasonable to assume, nurses are likely to continue a role in the health response to a disaster. However, consideration needs to be given to the industrial agreements for nurses when released from their normal employment arrangements to assist in a disaster event. An evaluation of the various public hospital nursing employment agreements was undertaken in 2011, to discern the requirements, conditions, allowances and entitlements of nurses responding to disasters. This presentation will outline the findings from this evaluation. In particular the findings will highlight the major differences between States and Territories agreements in terms of disaster response provisions and entitlements. Findings will highlight the diverse range of information regarding disaster response in agreements; from an absence of any information, through to clear explanation regarding eligibility requirements, salary and leave entitlements. The diversity of conditions described within the agreements possesses a number of questions about the equity, suitability and workforce planning during times of disasters. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2011.09.070 The journey of emergent leaders in the process of cultural change Bronwyn Oakes ∗ , Daniel Brain, Karen Bloemer, Kristelle Day, Naomi Clark E-mail address: [email protected] (B. Oakes). Fourteen months into a project named ‘‘Taking the emergency out of a changing department’’ a practice development initiative aiming to explore different ways of working has enabled unsuspecting leaders to emerge within the emergency department (ED).
Practice development has planted the seeds for leadership among a group of nurses one hundred strong. Some leaders have emerged, grown and driven the project using collaboration, inclusion, and participation. Practice development has made us slow down, closely examine things in depth, rather than working at the fast pace we know and love. Becoming a leader is a personal journey with challenges, triumphs and cross roads. We began our journey with values clarification and encouraged the hearts of staff to realise what is important to our patients and us as nurses. We are now leading the project working with puzzles with a vision to solve our staff’s concerns and improve the working environment. While practice development is an established framework it is relatively young in our department and what has been evident is the growth of the next generation of nursing leaders. Personal accounts from those now in leadership positions will recall their journeys at crucial points of change and discuss their exploration and resolutions to those difficult issues across the department. We look forward to a future where practice development enables sustainable change among workplace culture and patient care with many more seeds to grow. This study was supported by Nursing Development and Research Unit. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2011.09.071 The use of audio-visual communication strategies in the emergency waiting room to improve patient and staff satisfaction Hannah Baulis 1,∗ , Adam Montagu 1 , Ellen Davies 1 , Megan O’Shaughnessy 2 , Kate Wake 1 , Kevin Deuter 2 , David 2 2 Gillham , Helen McCutcheon 1
The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Emergency Department, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia 2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia Keywords: Emergency Department; Emergency nursing; Triage; Patient perceptions; Patient satisfaction; Empathy; Communication; Audiovisual; Staff satisfaction E-mail addresses: [email protected] (H. Baulis), [email protected] (A. Montagu), [email protected] (E. Davies), [email protected] (M. Wake), kevin.o’[email protected] (K. O’Shaughnessy), [email protected] (K. Deuter), [email protected] (D. Gillham), [email protected] (H. McCutcheon).
Background: Emergency Department (ED) waiting rooms are notoriously frustrating. Patients and families may be dissatisfied and anxious due to the apparently illogical and unfair triage processes, long waits, and the uncertainty of the imminent clinical process. Patients may be familiar with quick and efficient retail and hospitality service industries. Although the paradox between ED and the service industry is stark, do the expectations of patients and staff carry over and negatively impact the emergency experience?
Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, PO Box 256, Dickson, ACT 2602, Australia 2 Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia 3 Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia Keywords: Disaster health; Nursing; Response; Arrangements E-mail addresses: [email protected] (S. Lenson), [email protected] (J. Ranse), lynette.cusack@flinders.edu.au (L. Cusack). By definition, disasters are events that reply on human and/or physical resources from other jurisdictions to assist in response and recovery. Within the Australian out-ofhospital environment, nurses have been deployed from various States and Territories to assist in the response to events such as the Victorian Bushfires [2009] and the Queensland floods [2011]. Similarly, nurses have been deployed overseas to assist in events such as the Christchurch earthquake [2011], Samona tsunami [2009] and Sumatra—Andaman earthquake and tsunami [2004], just to mention a few. It is reasonable to assume, nurses are likely to continue a role in the health response to a disaster. However, consideration needs to be given to the industrial agreements for nurses when released from their normal employment arrangements to assist in a disaster event. An evaluation of the various public hospital nursing employment agreements was undertaken in 2011, to discern the requirements, conditions, allowances and entitlements of nurses responding to disasters. This presentation will outline the findings from this evaluation. In particular the findings will highlight the major differences between States and Territories agreements in terms of disaster response provisions and entitlements. Findings will highlight the diverse range of information regarding disaster response in agreements; from an absence of any information, through to clear explanation regarding eligibility requirements, salary and leave entitlements. The diversity of conditions described within the agreements possesses a number of questions about the equity, suitability and workforce planning during times of disasters. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2011.09.070 The journey of emergent leaders in the process of cultural change Bronwyn Oakes ∗ , Daniel Brain, Karen Bloemer, Kristelle Day, Naomi Clark E-mail address: [email protected] (B. Oakes). Fourteen months into a project named ‘‘Taking the emergency out of a changing department’’ a practice development initiative aiming to explore different ways of working has enabled unsuspecting leaders to emerge within the emergency department (ED).
Practice development has planted the seeds for leadership among a group of nurses one hundred strong. Some leaders have emerged, grown and driven the project using collaboration, inclusion, and participation. Practice development has made us slow down, closely examine things in depth, rather than working at the fast pace we know and love. Becoming a leader is a personal journey with challenges, triumphs and cross roads. We began our journey with values clarification and encouraged the hearts of staff to realise what is important to our patients and us as nurses. We are now leading the project working with puzzles with a vision to solve our staff’s concerns and improve the working environment. While practice development is an established framework it is relatively young in our department and what has been evident is the growth of the next generation of nursing leaders. Personal accounts from those now in leadership positions will recall their journeys at crucial points of change and discuss their exploration and resolutions to those difficult issues across the department. We look forward to a future where practice development enables sustainable change among workplace culture and patient care with many more seeds to grow. This study was supported by Nursing Development and Research Unit. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2011.09.071 The use of audio-visual communication strategies in the emergency waiting room to improve patient and staff satisfaction Hannah Baulis 1,∗ , Adam Montagu 1 , Ellen Davies 1 , Megan O’Shaughnessy 2 , Kate Wake 1 , Kevin Deuter 2 , David 2 2 Gillham , Helen McCutcheon 1
The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Emergency Department, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia 2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia Keywords: Emergency Department; Emergency nursing; Triage; Patient perceptions; Patient satisfaction; Empathy; Communication; Audiovisual; Staff satisfaction E-mail addresses: [email protected] (H. Baulis), [email protected] (A. Montagu), [email protected] (E. Davies), [email protected] (M. Wake), kevin.o’[email protected] (K. O’Shaughnessy), [email protected] (K. Deuter), [email protected] (D. Gillham), [email protected] (H. McCutcheon).
Background: Emergency Department (ED) waiting rooms are notoriously frustrating. Patients and families may be dissatisfied and anxious due to the apparently illogical and unfair triage processes, long waits, and the uncertainty of the imminent clinical process. Patients may be familiar with quick and efficient retail and hospitality service industries. Although the paradox between ED and the service industry is stark, do the expectations of patients and staff carry over and negatively impact the emergency experience?