T RAIN ING
l Communications l Situational awareness l Culture l Teamwork l Unconscious bias l Norms
Error management is a practical application using the theoretical knowledge of human factors. It utilises knowledge, tools, and a framework to enable organisations to identify types of errors occurring within them enabling the management of risk. The aim of all of the programmes provided by Avensys is to uphold high standards within healthcare disciplines and provide vendor-neutral education.
‘Specific generics’ “Currently, a great deal of training is provided by manufacturers. While this is useful, over- reliance on this can cause issues when the healthcare provider changes manufacturer. The education provided by Avensys is based on the military principle of ‘specific generics’ – you train someone to a high level in the specifics of a generic equipment. By giving them the underpinning knowledge, with the addition of the manufacturers’ technical data, they are able to maintain or reprocess any device,” Gale explains. In addition, every course is designed to ensure the connection with the patient is maintained. According to Gale, this is often lost – biomedical engineers and decontamination technicians are often shut away from the main hospital areas, but it is vital that they understand the importance of the device for patients and the effect it has on an individual. “This approach to education means that, when that device is in front of them, it is no longer just a grey box of electronics or an instrument that needs to be cleaned. They understand that by maintaining or reprocessing this device, they may be helping to save someone’s life. If you do not explain ‘why’ we do this, it becomes a production line; the device comes in and goes out, and complacency can set in,” comments Gale. For decontamination technicians,
education must include microbiology, how infections spread, the potential outcome for the patient, why we segregate dirty and clean areas, and why correctly fitted PPE and handwashing are so important. “When people understand the purpose of what they are doing, their reliability can be heightened. It is important that the decontamination role is not de-valued as being simply operating ‘big dishwashers’ – without competent decontamination staff, no one gets fixed!
“Decontamination is the cornerstone of any healthcare setting, and it is vital to empower staff and let them know the purpose of what they are doing. For example, during pre-cleaning, why does the water temperature need to be within a specific parameter? What does it mean for blood on a device if it is a degree over the correct temperature? What is the impact of that on the whole cycle? They are not just cleaning stuff; they are decontamination scientists,” Gale continues. He believes that providing this underpinning, background knowledge also brings a sense of pride into the role. It is important for people to understand they are a fundamental part of the chain of healthcare. “With the huge backlog in the NHS, there will be intense pressure placed on sterile services departments to increase their output, going forward. If staff do not understand why they are doing things, there
We need to empower staff to ensure they realise their worth. We have had the claps in the streets; now it is time to invest back into them – as
people, not commodities. Chris Gale, Avensys
JANUARY 2023
will be a risk of corner-cutting to meet this demand. If there is infection, there will be a reverse effect on the backlog, as hospital beds will be taken up for longer. Therefore, it is vital that staff have this underpinning knowledge of ‘why?’,” Gale asserts.
Investing in staff Ultimately, he believes there needs to be stakeholder investment. Staff can find better paid work and better conditions elsewhere, so the NHS needs to offer something else. “Let’s offer them education and apprenticeships; invest in them as a person. It has been proven that millennials require this investment and career progression; they actively seek out roles that will provide them with education, to allow them to advance. “If we look at decontamination science, for example, someone can start out in the sector with no background and do a level 2 apprenticeship for 12 months; they can progress in a couple of years up to level 4 (the equivalent HNC or the first year of a degree); and then they can progress to level 6, BSc. They can do a degree as a decontamination scientist – what better way to validate someone’s efforts, to keep them within the organisation, and validate the industry as a career and discipline? Educational courses can allow staff to build up a portfolio of certificates, to feel good about themselves and to feel good about the industry – to feel that it means something. “Across the whole of healthcare, we need to empower staff to ensure they realise their worth. We have had the claps in the streets; now it is time to invest back into them – as people, not commodities,” Gale concludes.
Reference 1 Catchpole (2010), cited in Department of Health Human Factors Reference Group Interim Report, 1 March 2012, National Quality Board, March 2012. Available at:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/ part-rel/nqb/ag-min/
WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM l 55
CSJ
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
