TY - JOUR
T1 - Health professionals’ initial experiences and perceptions of the acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic paediatric early warning system (the DETECT study): a qualitative interview study
AU - CARTER, BERNIE
AU - SARON, HOLLY
AU - Siner, Sarah
AU - Preston, Jennifer
AU - Peak, Matthew
AU - Mehta, Fulya
AU - Lane, Steven
AU - Lambert, Caroline
AU - Jones, Dawn
AU - Hughes, Hannah
AU - Harris, Jane
AU - Evans, Leah
AU - Dee, Sarah
AU - Eyton-Chong, Chin-Kien
AU - Sefton, Gerri
AU - Carrol, Enitan
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to acknowledge the health professionals who participated in the interviews and the research nurses who supported the recruitment of the health professionals during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We wish to acknowledge the support of the NIHR Clinical Research Network, North-West Coast. This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (Dynamic Electronic Tracking and Escalation to reduce Critical Care Transfers (The DETECT Study), I4I Challenge award ref. II-LA-0216-20,002). The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research, or the Department of Health.
Funding Information:
This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (Dynamic Electronic Tracking and Escalation to reduce Critical Care Transfers (The DETECT Study), I4I Challenge award ref. II-LA-0216-20,002). The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research, or the Department of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/6/24
Y1 - 2022/6/24
N2 - BackgroundPaediatric early warning systems (PEWS) alert health professionals to signs of a child’s deterioration with the intention of triggering an urgent review and escalating care. They can reduce unplanned critical care transfer, cardiac arrest, and death. Electronic systems may be superior to paper-based systems. The objective of the study was to critically explore the initial experiences and perceptions of health professionals about the acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS, and what factors influence its acceptability.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study (part of The DETECT study) was undertaken February 2020-2021. Single, semi-structured telephone interviews were used. The setting was a tertiary children’s hospital, UK. The participants were health professionals working in study setting and using DETECT e-PEWS. Sampling was undertaken using a mix of convenience and snowballing techniques. Participants represented two user-groups: ‘documenting vital signs’ (D-VS) and ‘responding to vital signs’ (R-VS). Perceptions of clinical utility and acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS were derived from thematic analysis of transcripts.ResultsFourteen HPs (12 nurses, 2 doctors) participated with seven in D-VS and seven in the R-VS group. Three main themes were identified: complying with DETECT e-PEWS, circumventing DETECT e-PEWS, and disregarding DETECT e-PEWS. Overall clinical utility and acceptability were deemed good for HPs in the D-VS group but there was diversity in perception in the R-VS group (nurses found it more acceptable than doctors). Compliance was better in the D-VS group where use of DETECT e-PEWS was mandated and used more consistently. Some health professionals circumvented DETECT e-PEWS and fell back into old habits. Doctors (R-VS) did not consistently engage with DETECT e-PEWS, which reduced the acceptability of the system, even in those who thought the system brought benefits.ConclusionsSpeed and accuracy of real-time data, automation of triggering alerts and improved situational awareness were key factors that contributed to the acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS. Mandating use of both recording and responding aspects of DETECT e-PEWS is needed to ensure full implementation.
AB - BackgroundPaediatric early warning systems (PEWS) alert health professionals to signs of a child’s deterioration with the intention of triggering an urgent review and escalating care. They can reduce unplanned critical care transfer, cardiac arrest, and death. Electronic systems may be superior to paper-based systems. The objective of the study was to critically explore the initial experiences and perceptions of health professionals about the acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS, and what factors influence its acceptability.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study (part of The DETECT study) was undertaken February 2020-2021. Single, semi-structured telephone interviews were used. The setting was a tertiary children’s hospital, UK. The participants were health professionals working in study setting and using DETECT e-PEWS. Sampling was undertaken using a mix of convenience and snowballing techniques. Participants represented two user-groups: ‘documenting vital signs’ (D-VS) and ‘responding to vital signs’ (R-VS). Perceptions of clinical utility and acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS were derived from thematic analysis of transcripts.ResultsFourteen HPs (12 nurses, 2 doctors) participated with seven in D-VS and seven in the R-VS group. Three main themes were identified: complying with DETECT e-PEWS, circumventing DETECT e-PEWS, and disregarding DETECT e-PEWS. Overall clinical utility and acceptability were deemed good for HPs in the D-VS group but there was diversity in perception in the R-VS group (nurses found it more acceptable than doctors). Compliance was better in the D-VS group where use of DETECT e-PEWS was mandated and used more consistently. Some health professionals circumvented DETECT e-PEWS and fell back into old habits. Doctors (R-VS) did not consistently engage with DETECT e-PEWS, which reduced the acceptability of the system, even in those who thought the system brought benefits.ConclusionsSpeed and accuracy of real-time data, automation of triggering alerts and improved situational awareness were key factors that contributed to the acceptability of DETECT e-PEWS. Mandating use of both recording and responding aspects of DETECT e-PEWS is needed to ensure full implementation.
KW - DETECT study
KW - paediatrics
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U2 - 10.1186/s12887-022-03411-1
DO - 10.1186/s12887-022-03411-1
M3 - Article (journal)
C2 - 35751050
SN - 1471-2431
VL - 22
JO - BMC Pediatrics
JF - BMC Pediatrics
M1 - 365
ER -