Implementation of a Warm Zone Model During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Creating a Safety Officer Program to Enhance Staff Safety During the Care of COVID-19 Patients

Staff safety is paramount when managing an infectious disease event. However, early data from the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that staff compliance with personal protective equipment and other safety protocols was poor. In response to patient surges, many hospitals created dedicated "biomode" units to provide care for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. To enhance staff safety on biomode units and during patient transports, our hospital created a safety officer/transport safety officer (SO/TSO) program. The first SOs/TSOs were nurses, clinical technicians, and other support staff who were redeployed from their home units when the units closed during the initial surge. During subsequent COVID-19 surges, dedicated SOs/TSOs were hired to maintain the program. SOs/TSOs provided just-in-time personal protective equipment training and helped staff safely enter and exit COVID-19 clinical units. SOs/TSOs participated in the transport of over 1,000 COVID-19 patients with no safety incidents reported. SOs/TSOs conducted safety audits throughout the hospital and observed 86% compliance with COVID-19 precautions across 32,500 activities. During contact tracing of frontline staff who became infected with SARS-CoV-2, potential deviations from COVID-19 precautions were identified in only 7.7% of cases. The SO/TSO program contributed to a culture of safety in the biomode units and helped to enhance infection prevention throughout the hospital. This program can serve as a model for other health systems during the response to the current pandemic and during future infectious disease threats.

Complex Relational Leadership: Meeting the Challenge of Postpandemic Professional Governance

Development of nursing in the postpandemic future will require active engagement of all nurses. Complex relational leadership in complex adaptive systems is explored through 3 focused areas: professional governance, equitable and inclusive relationships, and clinical practice. Pragmatic examples for each area of focus are offered as a framework for the postpandemic future. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate these relationships.

A qualitative study on a novel peer collaboration care programme during the first COVID-19 outbreak: A SWOT analysis

The pandemic has forced nursing teams to incorporate new programmes that modify the organization of care and the use of material resources.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to describe the perspectives of the nursing team about the strengths/opportunities and weaknesses/threats of a novel peer collaboration care programme during the first outbreak of the pandemic.

DESIGN

A qualitative case study with focus groups was conducted in June 2020.

METHODS

We included 23 participants (seven nurses, seven assistant nursing care technicians and nine charge nurses). Thematic and strengths/opportunities and weaknesses/threats analysis were performed.

RESULTS

The strengths of the peer collaboration care programme are the optimization of care and protective equipment. Its weaknesses are that veteran nurses carry the entire burden, and the lack of personal protective equipment makes it difficult to implement the peer collaboration care programme. Finally, misinformation, lack of facilities and time to teach the peer collaboration care programme are considered threats.

CONCLUSION

This strengths/opportunities and weaknesses/threats analysis has led to a comprehensive new project to improve the nursing care.

IMPACT

The incorporation of the peer collaboration care programme contributed to the development of new organizational and management programmes for the COVID-19 pandemic. This study has gave empirical evidence to nurses and care managers to optimize and organize care, work, human and material resources during the pandemic.