“I’m trying to stop things before they happen” : Carers’ contributions to patient safety in hospitals
Journal article
Merner, Bronwen, Hill, Sophie and Taylor, Michael. (2019). “I’m trying to stop things before they happen” : Carers’ contributions to patient safety in hospitals. Qualitative Health Research. 29(10), pp. 1508-1518. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319841021
Authors | Merner, Bronwen, Hill, Sophie and Taylor, Michael |
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Abstract | Patient safety policies increasingly encourage carer (i.e., family or friends) involvement in reducing health care–associated harm in hospital. Despite this, carer involvement in patient safety in practice is not well understood—especially from the carers’ perspective. The purpose of this article is to understand how carers of adult patients perceived and experienced their patient safety contributions in hospital. Constructivist grounded theory informed the data collection and analysis of in-depth interviews with 32 carers who had patient safety concerns in Australian hospitals. Results demonstrated carers engaged in the process of “patient-safety caring.” Patient-safety caring included three levels of intensity: low (“contributing without concern”), moderate (“being proactive about safety”), and high (“wrestling for control”). Carers who engaged at high intensity provided the patient with greater protection, but typically experienced negative consequences for themselves. Carers’ experiences of negative consequences from safety involvement need to be mitigated by practice approaches that value their contributions. |
Keywords | carer; caregiver; family member; patient safety; adverse event; medical error; harm; hospital; qualitative; grounded theory; Australia; Asia-Pacific |
Year | 2019 |
Journal | Qualitative Health Research |
Journal citation | 29 (10), pp. 1508-1518 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc. |
ISSN | 1049-7323 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319841021 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85064597756 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 1508-1518 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 19 Apr 2019 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 02 Jun 2021 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8w17v/-i-m-trying-to-stop-things-before-they-happen-carers-contributions-to-patient-safety-in-hospitals
Download files
Publisher's version
OA_Merner_2019_Im_trying_to_stop_things_before.pdf | |
License: CC BY-NC 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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