Case Study – Changing the Shape of Continence Training with QME Care
Overview
After receiving continence training from the Nurse Advisors at Ontex, Barbara Bertram, Training Coordinator for QME Care, recognized the need for a more structured approach. She believed the training should not only be more frequent, but also mandatory for all staff, both new and existing. Together with Carol Graham, Ontex Nurse Advisor, Barbara has helped reshape the continence training culture at QME. Their collaboration has significantly enhanced staff knowledge and confidence around continence product and assessment protocol, ultimately leading to better resident outcomes and more efficient care practices.
Making Training Mandatory
Since 1978, Barbara Bertram has been an RGN and has only recently hung up her uniform to become a Training Coordinator for QME Care. QME is a charity organisation that were keen to develop more in house training. Historically, residential staff conducted any training required. However, when Barbara took on the new role as Training Coordinator to develop the training room and outsource training relevant to staff, she looked at the Nurses employed within QME Care and their own skills and deemed that external training was necessary.
Barbara initiated online/digital continence training and assigned Champions to each Care home, as well as setting up a dental service training. However, with the number of staff needing training, it was found the digital content didn’t answer the questions the other nurses had, or train them effectively.
Ontex offer both online training and face to face training across the country to nursing home staff to ensure that all residents get the correct care, products and dignity that they deserve. Barbara was extremely keen to take up this offer.
Barbara really cares about her staff and her residents and you can see that with how much passion she puts into getting things right and ensuring all staff have the knowledge to care for residents correctly.
“I was so impressed with the training, the delivery and content were superb. I felt like an hour wasn’t quite long enough as there were so many questions. I talked to Ontex and we agreed that we would extend it to an hour and half. I felt that it was as important as fire training so we decided to make it mandatory.”
“In the healthcare industry, practices such as doubling up on pads to increase absorbency may be commonly seen. However, this approach doesn’t necessarily provide the best outcomes for the patient and may not align with recommended guidelines.”
“The benefits of the training were seen immediately with the use of pads decreasing and being used more efficiently, staff realised that just because the person is bigger that doesn’t mean they need a bigger pad.”
To evaluate the effectiveness of the training, both pre and post-training questionnaires were distributed. These included practical questions such as, ‘What do you do with a pad before use?’ and ‘What is the correct way to determine absorbency?’ The responses provided valuable insights into knowledge retention and the impact of the training sessions.
The results showed a stark contrast of knowledge before and after the training and the participants left feeling more confident about assessments.
Result Comparison before and after Ontex Continence Training
The staff that have received the training so far have realised the importance of an assessment, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to continence containment products and there are many different styles and shapes to suit individual needs. Having this increased knowledge of fitting, skin issues and sizing means that residents can be more comfortable in their day to day routines.
Since the introduction of mandatory continence training, QME has seen remarkable improvements in both residents satisfaction and cost efficiency. With reduced reliance on continence pads, the savings have been reinvested into other areas of care, enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.
Survey Results – Pre and Post training comparison
- 23% increase in understanding of wetness indicator and instructions
- 23% increase in understanding of when to change a resident’s product
- 62% to 100% – 38% nurses did not know the correct preparation of a pad
- 40% increase in pad efficiency – with greater understanding of resident needs to reduce the number of times a resident’s product needs to be changed
- 54% improvement in nurse understanding of skin PH and consequences
- 100% of attendees agreed that the training was extremely beneficial
This whole training process started with Carol Graham (one of our Nurse Advisors) who took the initiative to offer training to QME in the first place.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Barbara and QME, I’m retiring and it’s been a lovely way to end such a rewarding career”. Carol Graham – Nurse Advisor Ontex
If you would like to receive continence training from Ontex please contact us at [email protected]
For more information on Ontex products, please visit https://ontex.com
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