Identifying Safety Practices Perceived as Low Value: An Exploratory Survey of Healthcare Staff in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Halligan, D; Janes, G; Conner, M; Albutt, A; Debono, D; Carland, J; Sheppard-Law, S; Taylor, N; Middleton, S; McInnes, E; Ferguson, C; Lawton, R

Identifying Safety Practices Perceived as Low Value: An Exploratory Survey of Healthcare Staff in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Halligan, D Janes, G Conner, M Albutt, A Debono, D

Carland, J Sheppard-Law, S

Taylor, N Middleton, S McInnes, E Ferguson, C Lawton, R

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Publisher:: Wolters Kluwer
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: J Patient Saf, 2023, 19, (2), pp. 143-150
Issue Date:: 2023

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Halligan, D
dc.contributor.author	Janes, G
dc.contributor.author	Conner, M
dc.contributor.author	Albutt, A
dc.contributor.author	Debono, D https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2095-156X
dc.contributor.author	Carland, J
dc.contributor.author	Sheppard-Law, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9971-9343
dc.contributor.author	Taylor, N
dc.contributor.author	Middleton, S
dc.contributor.author	McInnes, E
dc.contributor.author	Ferguson, C
dc.contributor.author	Lawton, R
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-15T04:43:31Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-15T04:43:31Z
dc.date.issued	2023
dc.identifier.citation	J Patient Saf, 2023, 19, (2), pp. 143-150
dc.identifier.issn	1549-8417
dc.identifier.issn	1549-8425
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172121
dc.description.abstract	OBJECTIVES: Up to 30% of healthcare spending is considered unnecessary and represents systematic waste. While much attention has been given to low-value clinical tests and treatments, much less has focused on identifying low-value safety practices in healthcare settings. With increasing recognition of the problem of "safety clutter" in organizations, it is important to consider deimplementing safety practices that do not benefit patients, to create the time needed to deliver effective, person-centered, and safe care. This study surveyed healthcare staff to identify safety practices perceived to be of low value. METHODS: Purposive and snowball sampling was used. Data collection was conducted from April 2018 to November 2019 (United Kingdom) and May 2020 to November 2020 (Australia). Participants completed the survey online or in hard copy to identify practices they perceived to not contribute to safe care. Responses were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1394 responses from 1041 participants were analyzed. Six hundred sixty-three responses were collected from 526 UK participants and 515 Australian participants contributed 731 responses. Frequently identified categories of practices identified included "paperwork," "duplication," and "intentional rounding." Five cross-cutting themes (e.g., covering ourselves) offered an underpinning rationale for why staff perceived the practices to be of low value. CONCLUSIONS: Staff identified safety practices that they perceived to be low value. In healthcare systems under strain, removing existing low-value practices should be a priority. Careful evaluation of these identified safety practices is required to determine whether they are appropriate for deimplementation and, if not, to explore how to better support healthcare workers to perform them.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Wolters Kluwer
dc.relation.ispartof	J Patient Saf
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1097/PTS.0000000000001091
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Health Policy & Services
dc.subject.classification	4203 Health services and systems
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.mesh	Health Facilities
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery of Health Care
dc.subject.mesh	United Kingdom
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Health Facilities
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery of Health Care
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.mesh	United Kingdom
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.mesh	Health Facilities
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery of Health Care
dc.subject.mesh	United Kingdom
dc.title	Identifying Safety Practices Perceived as Low Value: An Exploratory Survey of Healthcare Staff in the United Kingdom and Australia.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	19
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Public Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2023-09-15T04:43:29Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	19
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Up to 30% of healthcare spending is considered unnecessary and represents systematic waste. While much attention has been given to low-value clinical tests and treatments, much less has focused on identifying low-value safety practices in healthcare settings. With increasing recognition of the problem of "safety clutter" in organizations, it is important to consider deimplementing safety practices that do not benefit patients, to create the time needed to deliver effective, person-centered, and safe care. This study surveyed healthcare staff to identify safety practices perceived to be of low value. METHODS: Purposive and snowball sampling was used. Data collection was conducted from April 2018 to November 2019 (United Kingdom) and May 2020 to November 2020 (Australia). Participants completed the survey online or in hard copy to identify practices they perceived to not contribute to safe care. Responses were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1394 responses from 1041 participants were analyzed. Six hundred sixty-three responses were collected from 526 UK participants and 515 Australian participants contributed 731 responses. Frequently identified categories of practices identified included "paperwork," "duplication," and "intentional rounding." Five cross-cutting themes (e.g., covering ourselves) offered an underpinning rationale for why staff perceived the practices to be of low value. CONCLUSIONS: Staff identified safety practices that they perceived to be low value. In healthcare systems under strain, removing existing low-value practices should be a priority. Careful evaluation of these identified safety practices is required to determine whether they are appropriate for deimplementation and, if not, to explore how to better support healthcare workers to perform them.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172121