title: Translating the evidence for emergency equipment and supplies into practice among healthcare providers in a tertiary mental health institution: a best practice implementation project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the mental health care setting, patients are more vulnerable to choking and the risk of cardiac and respiratory problems due to behavioral problems and use of rapid tranquilization. Poorly maintained, incomplete or damaged equipment in emergency trolleys have previously been documented in various articles as a major contributing factor to deaths and delayed response to resuscitation attempts.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This project aimed to examine the current practices for managing emergency equipment.
  
  
  METHODS
  An evidence implementation project was undertaken by utilizing the Joanna Briggs Institute's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and Getting Research Into Practice programs. Pre- and post-implementation audits were conducted in a mental health institution over 25 months. Strategies were implemented between audits to enhance adoption of the best available evidence regarding the checking and maintenance of emergency equipment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline audit data showed that adherence was lowest in ensuring the functional status of emergency equipment (53%), followed by conducting regular checks for functional status, using inventory, and documenting these checks (60%). In line with the Getting Research Into Practice module, barriers such as the lack of knowledge and skills regarding emergency equipment were addressed with town hall meetings, code blue drills and education sessions. Follow-up audit results showed improvement in all areas. The greatest improvement was in documentation of emergency equipment checks, which improved by 18%, from 80% to 98%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Audits enabled the timely identification of potential lapses in the management of emergency equipment so that the barriers could be addressed, and strategies in line with the best available evidence regarding the checking and maintenance of emergency equipment were adopted.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Qiufen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hui Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.|The Joanna Briggs Institute - Institute of Mental Health (Singapore) Centre for Evidence-Based Practice in Mental Health Care: a Collaborating Center of The Joanna Briggs Institute.
authors.forename: Huiting
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000592:standards*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000379:methods; D061214:Patient Safety; D063128:Tertiary Health Care
keywords: emergency equipment and supply; mental health care; psychiatric patient