By Pn. Tay SM, Pn. Sania L , Pn. Winia S., Pn. Melinda A., Pn. Nancy B., Mat. Rose Chu, Mat. Norty B., KJ Maureen Y., JT Roseminah P., JT Cheristy T., JT Flora G.

How do people perceive safety? While news of street crimes, accidents, and natural calamities that threaten public safety create paranoia among the majority of the populace , reports on accidents in hospitals : misdiagnosis, malpractice, and random instances of hazards diminish public confidence on hospitals and being in hospital setting where health and safety matter.

Everyone needs a safe environment – be it for himself, his family, or the persons around him. Definition of safety is subjective and varies from person to person. For example, there are those who define safety as keeping away from accidents or natural disasters, whereas some others presume that safety is being attuned to his environment and society; secure in his home; following the rudiments of nutrition, well-treatment , and clean living; having religious faith and sound philosophy; and other various ways that gauge safety .

Safety is emphasized by everyone in order to ensure a tranquil environment, free from any form of accidents and sufferings. However, this quest for safety trickles down even to areas where safety matters.

The hospital is supposed to be one of the places where safety thrives. However, several factors come into play, which influence the level of safety of patients or their relatives during hospitalization. Being safe in a new environment, from slippery floors, high bed, usage of high technology machinery, temperature, among others, are the general concerns; while falling off a bed or being prescribed with the wrong medication are among the particular concerns.

The Study: A Brief Background

Given this situation, we conducted a research at the Likas Hospital ( also called Hospital Likas) in Sabah State. The study aims to explore patient perception on their safety during hospitalization. The result of which will be used as a guideline for the enhancement of safety procedures in hospital and mitigate the quality of nursing care in terms of patients’ safety during hospitalization.

Framework of the Likas Hospital Study

The study, which was designed to be cross-sectional was conducted at Kenanga1, Kenanga 2, Kenanga 3, Kenanga 4, Melur 1, Melur 2, and Melur 3 wards of the Likas Hospital ( Sabah women and children’s Hospital ). The respondents consisted of all patients admitted for more than 12 hours, from December 1 to 30, 2008. Moreover, Proper pre-research procedures were undertaken, such as obtaining Letter of Approval from the hospital director and informed consent from the respondents. Quota sampling method was used; sample size comprising of 30% of admitted patients and bystanders alike who were in the adult and pediatric wards during data collection were selected for this study. Majority of the respondents were female between the ages 15 to 50 ( The Likas Hospital is a woman and children hospital).

Self-administered questionnaires indicating five sections with 35 sub-items : Respondent profile; Safety issues on hospital environment; Safety issues during hospitalization; Safety aspects on social and mental; Awareness toward patients’ safety during hospitalization, were used as research tools. As a result, a mean of 83% indicated satisfaction with the “safety of the environment of the hospital”. “Professional competency of the healthcare providers” obtained a mean of 83%. A mean of 71% was scored for “Awareness of the safety aspects on social and mental”, while 94% of the respondents indicated their understanding the “Awareness towards patient’s safety during hospitalization” section….

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• Objectives & Findings
• Defining Patient Safety
• What the Findings Tell Us
• Patient’s Predilection: Are Hospitals Safe?
• Processes of Patient Safety
• The Factors Up-close
• Other Related Studies
• Recommendations on Patient Safety for Patients Admitted to the Likas Hospital
• Conclusion

to Malaysian Journal of Nursing

By Choochart Deeromram

Depression frequently occurs through an individual’s life and is especially higher in adolescents.A study has recently been conducted by the author to determine the prevalence and factors related to depression of secondary school students in the Northeast Region of Thailand.

Background of the Study

With globalisation, the world is changing rapidly, especially in terms of environmental, social, and cultural aspects. These changes could impact and affect the stress level of people and their ability to adapt. Stress is an adaptive phenomenon of human beings which, to a higher degree contributes to their survival, an adequate output in their activities and the effective performance in many phases of life (Pades Jimenez & Homar Amengual, 2006).

According to the failure of coping with difficult situations, persons will be prone to several causes of illness either physically or psychologically. Mental health and psychiatric disorders are associated with significant functional impairment, morbidity and mortality of people. It frequently occurs with chronic and recurrent progression through the life period of individuals (Lotrakul & Sukanich, 1999).

Depression is one of the most commonly occuring of the major psychiatroiic disorders, and it has become increasingly recognized that depression often begins in adolexcence. It is a prototypical multifactorial disorder that profoundly affects individuals’ emmotions, thoughts, sense of self, behavior, interpersonal relations, physical functioning, biological processes, work productivity and overall life satisfaction (Hankin, 2006).

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, the number of suicidal victims is about one million each year or 2,739 persons a day (on avverage 114 persons per hour or 2 persons in a minute). Moreover, the expected number of victims in the year 2020 will be 1.5 million persons. In Thailand, the Department of Mental Health Report. Ministry of Public Health states that the country ranks 71 in the world statistics of suicidal victims.

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• Why Adolescents?
• Gender Makes a Difference
• Stress Factors Play a Part
• How the Study was Conducted
• Results of the Study
• Discussion
• Conclusion

to Malaysian Journal of Nursing

About the Author:

Mr Choochart Deeromram is a lecturer at the Department of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand, 44150. He can be contacted via e-mail: choochart.d@msu.ac.th

choochartdmsu@gmail.com

choochartdmsu@hotmail.com