Papers by Marianne Wallis
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2008
Background: The past decade has seen increasing patient acuity and shortening lengths of stays in... more Background: The past decade has seen increasing patient acuity and shortening lengths of stays in acute care hospitals, which has implications for how nursing staff organise and provide care to patients. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the activities undertaken by enrolled nurses (ENs) and registered nurses (RNs) on acute medical wards in two Australian hospitals. Design: This study used structured observation, employing a work sampling technique, to identify the activities undertaken by nursing staff in four wards in two hospitals. Nursing staff were observed for two weeks. The data collection instrument identified 25 activities grouped into four categories, direct patient care, indirect care, unit related activities and personal activities. Setting: Two hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Results: A total of 114 nursing staff were observed undertaking 14,528 activities during 482 h of data collection. In total, 6870 (47.3%) indirect, 4826 (33.2%) direct, 1960 (13.5%) personal and 872 (6.0%) unit related activities were recorded. Within the direct patient care activities, the five most frequently observed activities (out of a total of 10 activities) for all classifications of nursing staff were quite similar (admission and assessment, hygiene and patient/ family interaction, medication and IV administration and procedures), however the absolute proportion of Level 2 RN activities were much lower than the other two groups. In terms of indirect care, three of the four most commonly occurring activities (out of a total of eight activities) were similar among groups (patient rounds and team meetings, verbal report/handover and care planning and clinical pathways). The six unit related activities occurred rarely for all groups of nurses.
International Emergency Nursing, 2012
Aim: The aims of this study were to (1) explore the clinical handover processes between ambulance... more Aim: The aims of this study were to (1) explore the clinical handover processes between ambulance and ED personnel of patients arriving by ambulance at one hospital and (2) identify factors that impact on the information transfer to ascertain strategies for improvement. Methods: A focused ethnographic approach was used that included participant observation, conversational interviews and examination of handover tools. Participants included ambulance paramedics, nurses and medical practitioners from an ambulance service and regional hospital located in South East Queensland, Australia. Grounded theory methods of constant comparative data analyses were used to generate categories of findings. Findings: Two types of clinical handover were identified: (1) for non-critical patients and (2) for critical patients. Quality of handover appears to be dependent on the personnel's expectations, prior experience, workload and working relationships. Lack of active listening and access to written information were identified issues.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2007
This paper is a report of a study to examine the relation of perceived competence, collaboration,... more This paper is a report of a study to examine the relation of perceived competence, collaboration, control, self-efficacy, hope, coping, age, experience, education and years of employment to resilience in operating room (OR) nurses. Resilience is viewed as a vital attribute for nurses because it augments adaptation in demanding and volatile clinical environments such as ORs. However, there has been little research into the utility of resilience as a means of dealing with workplace stress, and there is only limited understanding of variables that explain resilience in the context of nursing. A correlational cross-sectional survey design was used. Of a national sample of 2860 Australian OR nurses, 1430 were selected by systematic random sampling and invited to complete a questionnaire in 2006. The instrument included scales measuring perceived competence, collaboration, control, self-efficacy, hope, coping and resilience, and gathered information about the demographic characteristics of respondents. Two regression models were used to develop a model of resilience. An initial model tested the hypothesis that a set of 12 explanatory variables contributed to resilience in OR nurses. Five variables (hope, self-efficacy, coping, control and competence) explained resilience at statistically significant levels. Age, experience, education and years of employment did not contribute to resilience at statistically significant levels. The final model explained 60% of the variance. In both models, the strongest explanatory variables were hope, self-efficacy and coping. Identification of explanatory variables that contribute to resilience in ORs may assist in implementing strategies that promote these behaviours, and thus retain nurses in this specialty.
Australian Critical Care, 2008
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients are often not able to respond to long self-report instruments,... more Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients are often not able to respond to long self-report instruments, therefore, in order to assess anxiety accurately, a short and easy to use measure is required. The Faces Anxiety Scale (FAS) developed by McKinley et al. [McKinley S, Coote K, Stein-Parbury J. Development and testing of a faces scale for the assessment of anxiety in critically ill patients. J Adv Nurs 2003;41(1):73-9.
Page 1. Support Care Cancer (2006) 14: 260–267 DOI 10.1007/s00520-005-0883-7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Ale... more Page 1. Support Care Cancer (2006) 14: 260–267 DOI 10.1007/s00520-005-0883-7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Alexander Molassiotis Julia A. Scott Nora Kearney Dorit Pud Miriam Magri Sarka Selvekerova Ingrid Bruyns Paz Fernadez ...
Cancer nursing, 2003
This article reports on an action research project conducted in one hematology-oncology day unit ... more This article reports on an action research project conducted in one hematology-oncology day unit in Queensland, Australia. The project consisted of three phases, each of which included observation, reflection, action, and evaluation. The first phase calculated the amount of time and the dedicated nursing hours required to administer the different chemotherapeutic protocols to patients in a number of hematology-oncology day units in Southeast Queensland. The second phase changed the patient booking and staff allocation systems following an evaluation of process and outcome measures and a patient survey. The patient survey measured both generic satisfaction and satisfaction with symptom management. The third phase introduced and evaluated the effectiveness of primary nursing and increased emphasis on patient education. The first two changes brought about by the action research process improved patient wait time, patient satisfaction, and symptom management. The changes implemented in phases 1 and 2 increased the amount of time available for nurses to engage in psychosocial care. The increased emphasis on education in phase 3 did not significantly improve patient knowledge related to self-care or appropriate health professional referral. To improve patient education, the development and implementation of a self-care education program is recommended.
... Innovation, Griffith University Ms Shona McKenzie Nurse Practitioner - Continence, Royal Bris... more ... Innovation, Griffith University Ms Shona McKenzie Nurse Practitioner - Continence, Royal Brisbane Hospital Ms Susan Griffiths Research Centre for Clinical & Community Practice Innovation, Griffith University Acknowledgments This ...
Objective. To document the incidence of postinfusion phlebitis and to investigate associated risk... more Objective. To document the incidence of postinfusion phlebitis and to investigate associated risk factors. Design. Analysis of existing data set from a large randomized controlled trial, the primary purpose of which was to compare routine peripheral intravascular catheter changes with changing catheters only on clinical indication. Participants and Setting. Patients admitted to a large, acute general hospital in Queensland, Australia, and who required a peripheral intravenous catheter. Results. 5,907 PIVCs from 3,283 patients were studied. Postinfusion phlebitis at 48 hours was diagnosed in 59 (1.8%) patients. Fifteen (25.4%) of these patients had phlebitis at removal and also at 48 hours after removal. When data were analyzed per catheter, the rate was lower, 62/5907 (1.1%). The only variable associated with postinfusion phlebitis was placement of the catheter in the emergency room ( = 0.03). Conclusion. Although not a common occurrence, postinfusion phlebitis may be problematic so it is important for health care staff to provide patients with information about what to look for after an intravascular device has been removed. This trial is registered with ACTRN12608000445370.
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Papers by Marianne Wallis