Anecdotally, concern has been expressed that the advent of EN Medication Endorsement (EN-ME) in Victoria negatively affects skillmix, impacts on safe medication administration, potentially harms patients and increases workload and responsibility for all nurses. Recent, unpublished studies by Western Health (Mill, Kerr, & McKinlay, 2009) and by the Nursing Board Victoria (NBV., 2009) have expressed concerns by some nurses regarding changes to the management of medication administration. The purpose of the research is to gain an understanding of how the relatively new phenomenon of EN-ME impacts on nursing skillmix, nursing care, workload and satisfaction. The study utilises a mixed methods approach including initial in-depth interviews of the three nursing stratums (RN, EN-ME & EN), a quantitative on-line survey and focussed in-depth interviews.
Volunteers are currently sought for the initial interviews of about one to two hours duration which will be conducted at a location convenient to the participant and at a mutually agreeable time up until September 2010. Interviews will be recorded, participants will be able to read their transcript approximately two months after the interview and make corrections. Information provided will be kept confidential.
The interview will include questions about:
- nursing background
- experience of the implementation of EN-ME
- experience of the affects of EN-ME on nurse staffing level, skillmix and personally
Participants must be:
- Victorian EN, EN-ME or RN
- aged 25 or over
- working in aged care and
- were employed in aged care prior to 2006
Nurses interested in participating are encouraged to contact:
Russell J Freemantle
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science
Victoria University
Phone: 61 3 9919 2279
Mobile: 0416 439 068
Email: Russell.Freemantle@vu.edu.au
References
Mill, D., Kerr, D., & McKinlay, L. (2009). Div 2 Medication Endorsement Roll-out Survey. Western Health.
NBV. (2009). Aged care nurses and personal care workers medication code survey. Nursing Board Victoria.
