Citation

Boucaut R, Knobben L. Nurse Educ. Pract. 2020; 44: e102776.

Affiliation

Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: Linda.Knobben@adelaide.edu.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102776

PMID

32244046

Abstract

Nursing is recognised internationally as a high-risk occupation for graduates and students. Developing an understanding of incident data may facilitate prevention of future adverse events. A descriptive, retrospective review of occupational health and safety incidents reported by personnel at an Australian university school of nursing was conducted, spanning a period of eight-and-a-half years. Classification of incident reports was determined using the existing electronic system with manual categorisation of data not suited to electronic analysis, such as narrative descriptions. In total, 142 incidents were reported, of which 135 were included in this study. Students reported 98 incidents on placement and 10 on campus. Frequently reported student incidents involved sharps, fainting, manual handling activities and workplace violence. Fifteen reports were hazard notifications. Reviewing data gathered over a prolonged duration provided useful patterns of information. Gaps in data and reporting system constraints were identified. Dual reporting systems may be barriers to providing an all-inclusive overview. Improving data collection methods could include recording demographic information such as year level, drop-down menus for commonly reported incidents to facilitate recording, and consideration of how best to capture events that involve multiple personnel.

Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

Education; Nursing; Nursing education research; Occupational health and safety; Students