LATEST NEWS
The inaugural research competition launched by the MPS Foundation for Ireland medical interns has produced noteworthy projects aimed at enhancing patient safety and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing through prevention of hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism and promotion of the use of specialised pagers in wards for non-emergency calls.
The MPS Foundation – a global not-for-profit research initiative that aims to shape the future of patient safety – launched the research competition last year.
The judges of the inaugural research competition considered several key factors, including alignment of the competition entries to enhancement of patient safety, risk mitigation or reduction, improvement to healthcare professionals’ wellbeing, and sought projects with a clear rationale, appropriate methodology and well communicated impact.
The national winning project by Dr Leah Lyne evaluated Thrombo Embolic Deterrent (TED) Stockings in adults admitted under general surgery in Sligo University Hospital, while the national runner-up project by Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden looked to develop a more efficient electronic communications system in Galway Hospital.
Prof Gozie Offiah, MPS Foundation Chair, said: “I am delighted to announce the winners for our first research competition for medical interns. The quality of their projects exemplifies what can be achieved by doctors even at the start of their careers and will go a long way in ensuring patient safety. Their unique projects have added to the body of knowledge around patient safety, risk mitigation and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing. The demonstrated successful outcomes can be replicated in other hospitals in Ireland.
“Our aim for running these research competitions is to encourage early career doctors to develop expertise in the important areas of patient safety, risk reduction and wellbeing of healthcare professionals whilst building the research capacity and capability for the future. These stand-out projects are a successful example of that.
“I am happy to announce that the next MPS Foundation research competition for medical interns will be launched on 31 July 2024, and once again, we welcome project entries focused on patient safety, risk mitigation and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing. Each internship network winner will receive €400 and a certificate. The runners up for each network will receive €200 and a certificate, and the commended project will receive a certificate. Network winners will also compete for the National prize, making their total prize money €1,000.”
The competition portal www.thempsfoundation.org will be open on 31 July 2024. Medical interns in Ireland can register their interest and view the criteria for the competition categories. The closing date for competition submissions will be 14 February 2025.
The Foundation is part of the Medical Protection Society (MPS) – the world’s leading protection organisation – which currently supports more than 300,000 doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals, and has over 130 years of global healthcare experience and expertise.
About the projects
- National winning project: “Evaluation of Thrombo Embolic Deterrent (TED) Stockings in Adults admitted under general surgery in Sligo University Hospital” by Dr Leah Lyne
Project summary:
In the UK, 25,000 people die each year from preventable, hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (blood clots that form in veins and have the potential to dislodge and travel along the bloodstream).
One way to prevent these deaths is to apply tight-fitting stockings, which cause compression in the lower limbs (where these blood clots most commonly form) and prevent blood stasis. It is the responsibility of both doctors and nurses taking care of patients to ensure that those who are at risk of developing a clot are wearing these stockings.
Dr Lyne collected data from 49 patients admitted under general surgery, by speaking with these patients and looking at their medication Kardex (where TEDs would be prescribed by doctors). In 71% of the cases, TED stockings had been prescribed for the patients by doctors, but TEDs were applied in only 47% of cases. In 78% of cases, the patients themselves did not know the importance/ function of TED stockings.
Dr Lyne said: “Undertaking this project has impacted my practice. I will continue to regularly review if TED stockings are warranted in a patient and if they are applied. I have presented the findings to the nurses and doctors in the Sligo University Hospital surgical department. I hope this will ensure the correct prescribing and application of TED stockings and therefore reduce the risk of venous blood clots from occurring and ultimately improve patient quality of care and outcomes.”
- National Runner-up Project: “Development of an electronic communications system” by Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden
Project summary:
Pager devices, commonly referred to as bleeps, are widely acknowledged as a swift and dependable means of communication between nursing staff and clinicians in hospital settings. However, their frequent use for non-emergency tasks can disrupt patient care and workflow.
This project delved into the impact of frequent paging for non-urgent matters on interns during night shifts and explored the potential of electronic communication tools to alleviate this challenge.
The proposed electronic communication system utilised by both nursing staff and doctors underwent a pilot phase for three weeks, encompassing a specific bleep covering six wards during the 12-hour night shift in Galway University Hospital. It should be noted that urgent clinical reviews and emergencies were handled using the pre-existing system such that patient safety was not compromised.
The results revealed a remarkable 34.2% decrease in the number of bleeps received by interns during their night shifts. This reduction is particularly significant, considering that the auditory disturbance not only affects healthcare staff but also presents a challenge for patients seeking rest and recovery.
Furthermore, it was established through surveys that the electronic communication tool received favourable feedback from both nursing staff and doctors. This positive reception lays the groundwork for the project's expansion to a hospital-wide scale and eventually to a network-wide implementation.
ENDS
For photographs of Dr Leah Lyne, Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden, and other media queries contact: E: [email protected]. T: +44 (0)7515 298791.
About MPS
The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.
MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
NEWS AND UPDATES
The inaugural research competition launched by the MPS Foundation for Ireland medical interns has produced noteworthy projects aimed at enhancing patient safety and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing through prevention of hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism and promotion of the use of specialised pagers in wards for non-emergency calls.
The MPS Foundation – a global not-for-profit research initiative that aims to shape the future of patient safety – launched the research competition last year.
The judges of the inaugural research competition considered several key factors, including alignment of the competition entries to enhancement of patient safety, risk mitigation or reduction, improvement to healthcare professionals’ wellbeing, and sought projects with a clear rationale, appropriate methodology and well communicated impact.
The national winning project by Dr Leah Lyne evaluated Thrombo Embolic Deterrent (TED) Stockings in adults admitted under general surgery in Sligo University Hospital, while the national runner-up project by Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden looked to develop a more efficient electronic communications system in Galway Hospital.
Prof Gozie Offiah, MPS Foundation Chair, said: “I am delighted to announce the winners for our first research competition for medical interns. The quality of their projects exemplifies what can be achieved by doctors even at the start of their careers and will go a long way in ensuring patient safety. Their unique projects have added to the body of knowledge around patient safety, risk mitigation and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing. The demonstrated successful outcomes can be replicated in other hospitals in Ireland.
“Our aim for running these research competitions is to encourage early career doctors to develop expertise in the important areas of patient safety, risk reduction and wellbeing of healthcare professionals whilst building the research capacity and capability for the future. These stand-out projects are a successful example of that.
“I am happy to announce that the next MPS Foundation research competition for medical interns will be launched on 31 July 2024, and once again, we welcome project entries focused on patient safety, risk mitigation and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing. Each internship network winner will receive €400 and a certificate. The runners up for each network will receive €200 and a certificate, and the commended project will receive a certificate. Network winners will also compete for the National prize, making their total prize money €1,000.”
The competition portal www.thempsfoundation.org will be open on 31 July 2024. Medical interns in Ireland can register their interest and view the criteria for the competition categories. The closing date for competition submissions will be 14 February 2025.
The Foundation is part of the Medical Protection Society (MPS) – the world’s leading protection organisation – which currently supports more than 300,000 doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals, and has over 130 years of global healthcare experience and expertise.
About the projects
- National winning project: “Evaluation of Thrombo Embolic Deterrent (TED) Stockings in Adults admitted under general surgery in Sligo University Hospital” by Dr Leah Lyne
Project summary:
In the UK, 25,000 people die each year from preventable, hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (blood clots that form in veins and have the potential to dislodge and travel along the bloodstream).
One way to prevent these deaths is to apply tight-fitting stockings, which cause compression in the lower limbs (where these blood clots most commonly form) and prevent blood stasis. It is the responsibility of both doctors and nurses taking care of patients to ensure that those who are at risk of developing a clot are wearing these stockings.
Dr Lyne collected data from 49 patients admitted under general surgery, by speaking with these patients and looking at their medication Kardex (where TEDs would be prescribed by doctors). In 71% of the cases, TED stockings had been prescribed for the patients by doctors, but TEDs were applied in only 47% of cases. In 78% of cases, the patients themselves did not know the importance/ function of TED stockings.
Dr Lyne said: “Undertaking this project has impacted my practice. I will continue to regularly review if TED stockings are warranted in a patient and if they are applied. I have presented the findings to the nurses and doctors in the Sligo University Hospital surgical department. I hope this will ensure the correct prescribing and application of TED stockings and therefore reduce the risk of venous blood clots from occurring and ultimately improve patient quality of care and outcomes.”
- National Runner-up Project: “Development of an electronic communications system” by Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden
Project summary:
Pager devices, commonly referred to as bleeps, are widely acknowledged as a swift and dependable means of communication between nursing staff and clinicians in hospital settings. However, their frequent use for non-emergency tasks can disrupt patient care and workflow.
This project delved into the impact of frequent paging for non-urgent matters on interns during night shifts and explored the potential of electronic communication tools to alleviate this challenge.
The proposed electronic communication system utilised by both nursing staff and doctors underwent a pilot phase for three weeks, encompassing a specific bleep covering six wards during the 12-hour night shift in Galway University Hospital. It should be noted that urgent clinical reviews and emergencies were handled using the pre-existing system such that patient safety was not compromised.
The results revealed a remarkable 34.2% decrease in the number of bleeps received by interns during their night shifts. This reduction is particularly significant, considering that the auditory disturbance not only affects healthcare staff but also presents a challenge for patients seeking rest and recovery.
Furthermore, it was established through surveys that the electronic communication tool received favourable feedback from both nursing staff and doctors. This positive reception lays the groundwork for the project's expansion to a hospital-wide scale and eventually to a network-wide implementation.
ENDS
For photographs of Dr Leah Lyne, Dr Shival Salgaonkar, Dr Karam Hadi and Dr Ralph Golden, and other media queries contact: E: [email protected]. T: +44 (0)7515 298791.
About MPS
The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.
MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
CASE STUDIES
The MPS Foundation is proud to be involved in a range of research projects shaping the future of patient safety.
Here are just some of our recent success stories.