Improving the uptake of medical device training to promote patient safety

Safe and effective patient care is dependent on the appropriate use of medical devices, so it is necessary to ensure that all nursing staff are competent in their use. This article describes how one urology ward in a large acute NHS trust has supported medical device training for its staff.

To explore the potential benefits of introducing a ward time out training day to improve staff competency in the use of medical devices.

A training programme was introduced for the urology ward staff, which involved ward time out training days that covered medical device and mandatory training, alongside evidence to support nurses' revalidation and a forum for peer support.

Since the ward time out training days were introduced in 2015, medical device training competency among the urology ward staff has risen from 65% to 97% across all staff groups, including nurses and healthcare assistants.

The ward time out training days were beneficial for the urology ward staff, and increased their medical device training competency. Additional benefits of the ward time out training days included team integration, improved knowledge and competency among staff, and nurses undertaking continuing professional development hours that contributed towards their revalidation.