An Evaluation Study to Identify the Effectiveness of Clinical Supervision With Regards to Work-related Strain, Sense of Coherence, Increased Cultural Sensitivity and the Impact on Patient's Care: A Prospective Longitudinal Study in Mental Health Services in Qatar

Clinical supervision (CS) is a pragmatic approach, which enables nurses to work together; it can create a positive nursing environment, reduce stress, and increase clinical skills through peer support. Previous research has demonstrated its positive effects on nurses wellbeing, sense of coherence, and professional accountability. However, there is lack of evidence for its influence on cultural sensitivity.

The Qatar National Health Strategy (Ministry of Public Health, 2018) and the Qatar National Mental Health Strategy (Supreme Council of Health, Qatar, 2013) have both given significant importance on building the health workforce capacity to meet the growing needs of the population. Aligning with these strategies, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Mental Health Service's Executive Committee has taken a decision to implement clinical supervision to develop a supporting framework to strengthen the professional skills of the nursing workforce. In order to implement it efficiently, guidelines and education curriculum have been developed. The aim of the study is to evaluate the implementation of CS. In addition, investigators will also explore the impact of clinical supervision on the work-related strain, sense of coherence, cultural sensitivity and the impact on patient care. A longitudinal approach will be adopted using pre and post-testing. The required power sample size is calculated to be 136 nurses. Enrolled participants will receive an educational programme regarding clinical supervision and will be requested to choose a supervisor based on their learning requirements. Through the clinical supervision process, supervisee self-reflection, facilitated by the supervisor. The supervisor will, in addition, enable opportunities for professional growth by the sharing of skills and knowledge in relation to particular clinical challenges. In addition, they will also provide opportunities for emotional restoration through the exploration of stressful issues that have occurred in the workplace.

Participants will be scheduled to engage in one to one sessions with their supervisor once a month for an hour. The study will be conducted for 18 months (2 months for baseline data collection, 2 months for educational preparation, 12 months of intervention and lastly 2 months for post-intervention data collection) from the date of the participant's enrollment. The outcome measures include the sense of coherence, work-related strain, cultural sensitivity, the total number of nurse instigated Occurrence, Variance and Accident (OVA) initiated during the course of this study and the efficacy of clinical supervision sessions. Data will be collected before education sessions are delivered (baseline), at 6th month and at the 12th month. The investigators will use the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and STATA for analysis. The study may identify an effective way of reducing work-related strain and enhancing the sense of coherence, cultural sensitivity, and quality of patient care.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Licensed nursing staffs (QCHP) with grade 107 and above will be invited to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Staff who are on extended leave.
* New staff under preceptorship.
* Staff who do not wish to participate in the research project.
* Unlicensed nursing professionals (e.g. nursing aid).