Safety in spinal surgery-Empowering clinicians to report concerns in motor function.
Jennifer Burrows, Eniola Dada, Brjan Betzler and 2 others
PMID 39164112WHAT IT FOUND
A trust-wide education and documentation package increased staff confidence in assessing spinal motor function.
Nurses reported feeling more competent to identify deterioration, but the study measured self-reported confidence rather than patient outcomes or actual assessment accuracy.
Key findings
01Before the intervention, 67% of respondents had not received formal training on spinal motor assessment and 57% lacked confidence in completing it.
02After implementing digital training and resources, 100% of post-intervention respondents reported increased competence and 94% felt confident completing the assessment.
03The study relied on self-reported outcomes and did not formally assess whether practice changes occurred or if patient safety improved.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured self-reported confidence and competence, not objective assessment accuracy or patient outcomes. The post-intervention response rate was low (27%), which may introduce selection bias if only satisfied staff responded. The pre-intervention response rate could not be calculated because the total number of staff contacted was unknown. The intervention was implemented in a single trust, so results may not be generalizable to other settings with different resources or cultures. There was no control group, making it impossible to attribute changes solely to the intervention.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Burdett Trust for Nursing. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increase in staff confidence as proof that patient safety improved or that assessments are now accurate. The study did not measure whether neurological deterioration was detected earlier or whether patients had better outcomes, only that staff felt more capable.