Table 6.
Examples of recency of performance for five randomly selected skills and confidence of use (confidence rated on a five-point scale)
| N (%), last week/yesterday | N (%), 1–6 months | N (%), >6 months | N (%), not relevant | % low confidence (1 or 2) | % high confidence (4 or 5) | Correlation: last performed and confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors | |||||||
| Endotracheal intubation | 5 (9%) | 7 (12%) | 25 (43%) | 5 (8%) | 26 (46%) | 15 (27%) | 0.456 |
| Taking a 12-lead ECG | 17 (30%) | 23 (40%) | 12 (21%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (11%) | 41 (73%) | 0.302 |
| Bier’s Block | 4 (7%) | 6 (11%) | 13 (23%) | 6 (10%) | 40 (73%) | 8 (15%) | 0.657 |
| Lumbar puncture | 3 (5%) | 10 (23%) | 27 (47%) | 3 (5%) | 20 (37%) | 20 (37%) | 0.521 |
| Speculum examination | 30 (53%) | 13 (23%) | 9 (16%) | 2 (3%) | 5 (9%) | 41 (75%) | 0.599 |
| Nurses | |||||||
| Intercostal catheter management | 3 (3%) | 15 (16%) | 27 (29%) | 48 (52%) | 47 (56%) | 21 (25%) | 0.437 |
| Blood transfusions | 21 (22%) | 29 (31%) | 12 (13%) | 29 (32%) | 10 (12%) | 67 (81%) | 0.365 |
| Urinary catheter management | 50 (53%) | 18 (19%) | 10 (11%) | 13 (14%) | 3 (3%) | 77 (88%) | 0.237 |
| Splinting, plastering, bandaging | 37 (39%) | 22 (23%) | 8 (9%) | 26 (28%) | 22 (26%) | 50 (60%) | 0.359 |
| MET call | 15 (16%) | 16 (17%) | 17 (18%) | 40 (46%) | 26 (33%) | 40 (51%) | 0.404 |
| Midwives | |||||||
| Noninvasive BP management | 37 (82%) | 2 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (4%) | 5 (11%) | 38 (86%) | 0.748 |
| Peripheral venous cannulation | 15 (33%) | 5 (11%) | 8 (18%) | 4 (9%) | 26 (59%) | 15 (34%) | 0.794 |
| Vaginal examinations | 29 (64%) | 12 (27%) | 3 (7%) | 1 (2%) | 3 (7%) | 35 (81%) | 0.485 |
| Fetal scalp electrode application | 7 (16%) | 9 (20%) | 6 (13%) | 5 (11%) | 22 (50%) | 15 (34%) | 0.886 |
| Pediatric resuscitation | 1 (2%) | 6 (14%) | 11 (26%) | 8 (19%) | 10 (23%) | 23 (52%) | 0.151 |
| Paramedics | |||||||
| Cervical spine management | 26 (87%) | 4 (13%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 28 (97%) | 0.556 |
| Oropharyngeal suctioning | 7 (24%) | 14 (48%) | 5 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | 27 (93%) | 0.222 |
| Splinting/immobilizing | 17 (59%) | 11 (38%) | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 27 (93%) | 0.050 |
| Rapid sequence induction | 1 (3%) | 8 (27%) | 0 (0%) | 18 (60%) | 14 (58%) | 8 (33%) | 0.656 |
| Advanced analgesia | 3 (10%) | 3 (10%) | 4 (13%) | 20 (67%) | 15 (63%) | 6 (25%) | 0.896 |
Abbreviations: ECG, electrocardiograph; BP, blood pressure; MET, medical emergency team.