were searched using a combination of keywords and reference lists. Selection criteria: Original studies published in English using nurses as participants and for which work interruption frequencies are reported. Data collection and analysis: Studies were identified and selected by two reviewers. Once selected, a single reviewer extracted data and assessed quality based on established criteria. Data on nurses' work interruption rates were synthesized to produce a pooled estimate.Results: Twenty-three studies were considered for analysis. A rate of 6.7 work interruptions per hour was obtained, based on 14 studies that reported both an observation time and work interruption frequency. Work interruptions are mostly initiated by nurses themselves through face-to-face interactions and are of short duration. A lower proportion of interruptions resulted from work system failures such as missing medication. One nonexperimental study documented the contribution of work interruptions to medication administration errors with evidence of a significant association (p = 0.01) when errors related to time of administration are excluded from the analysis. Conceptual shortcomings were noted in a majority of reviewed studies, which included the absence of theoretical underpinnings and a diversity of definitions of work interruptions.Conclusions: Future studies should demonstrate improved methodological rigor through a precise definition of work interruptions and reliability reporting to document work interruption characteristics and their potential contribution to medication administration errors, considering the limited evidence found. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to reduce the number of work interruptions experienced by nurses.
Interventions to reduce WIs during the medication administration process should target nurses and system failures to maximize medication administration safety.
PMO facilitates the implementation of clinical and organizational practices based on evidence to improve the quality and safety of care provided to patients.
Purpose: The purpose of the present systematic review is to identify the interventions that improve hand hygiene compliance (HHC) specifically among nurses. Methods: A systematic review was performed guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to evaluate the short and long-term effects of interventions to promote hand hygiene practices among nurses in the hospital setting. A search of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline Global Health, and Embase was conducted in addition to studies identified by the most recent systematic review. Six studies met inclusion criteria: three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), one controlled before and after studies (CBAs), and two interrupted times series (ITS). Findings: One RCT reported effectiveness and 6-month sustainability of the effect related to multimodal-directed and multimodal with team leadershipdirected strategies. The other two RCTs found positive effect of education and feedback on compliance; however, compliance rates declined after 1 month. Education was also found to improve HHC up to 3 months postintervention. An electronic reminder and feedback system evaluated by an ITS improved HHC and detected variation in HHC through the day. Conclusions: This review showed that single and combined interventions do improve hand hygiene practices among nurses; however, there is a need for more methodologically robust studies to define the most effective and sustainable interventions. Clinical Relevance: Although hand hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections, compliance with hand hygiene remains low. Nurses are among the healthcare providers who spend the most time in direct patient contact. Therefore, there is a need for research to identify the interventions that improve HHC in this group.
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