Intervening to improve quality and safety of care for the obese in an orthopaedic unit: A collaborative action-oriented quality improvement project in a Magnet recognised facility

SummaryPurpose of studyOur study aimed to identify and address impediments to nursing staff providing safe and quality care for obese patients on the orthopaedic unit of a medium sized medical/surgical acute care Magnet Recognised hospital using a participatory action oriented quality improvement methodology.Main findingsBoth registered nurses and assistants-in-nursing indicated that placing a blue ‘B’ Magnet on the patients’ room door as a way of identifying the patient as an obese patient(‘B’ for bariatric) was the most helpful and practical intervention. This was followed by the intervention of using at least three staff to roll a patient and use of two slide sheets for the larger patients with a BMI greater than 30 or weight greater than 100 kg.Principal conclusionsCollaborative participatory action-oriented quality improvement methods can engage staff at all levels in positive change to health service delivery in order to enhance the quality and safety of care for both patients and staff. Our project demonstrated that simple but effective interventions in the care of obese patients are readily adopted by staff who have had the opportunity to be involved in their development, implementation and evaluation.