Clinical assistant confidence levels
| Number of responses analyseda | Median before time as CA (range) | Median after time as CA (range) | Wilcoxon signed-rank test | Effect size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical skill | |||||
| Venepuncture | 47 | 3 (1–5) | 5 (3–5) | Z=5.35; p<0.001 | r=0.781 |
| Blood cultures | 42 | 3 (1–5) | 5 (1–5) | Z=4.99; p<0.001 | r=0.770 |
| ABGs | 42 | 2 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=5.16; p<0.001 | r=0.800 |
| VBGs | 43 | 3 (1–5) | 5 (1–5) | Z=5.08; p<0.001 | r=0.775 |
| Cannulas | 43 | 2 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=4.76; p<0.001 | r=0.726 |
| Catheters | 36 | 2 (1–5) | 3.5 (1–5) | Z=4.08; p<0.001 | r=0.681 |
| Administrative task | |||||
| Prepping notes | 47 | 2 (1–5) | 5 (2–5) | Z=5.65; p<0.001 | r=0.824 |
| Documenting in notes | 47 | 3 (1–5) | 5 (2–5) | Z=5.72; p<0.001 | r=0.834 |
| Requesting scans | 45 | 1 (1–5) | 5 (1–5) | Z=5.43; p<0.001 | r=0.809 |
| Vetting scans | 45 | 1 (1–5) | 3 (1–5) | Z=4.83; p<0.001 | r=0.719 |
| Writing EDNs | 46 | 1 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=5.28; p<0.001 | r=0.778 |
| Assessing an unwell patient | 47 | 2 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=4.09; p<0.001 | r=0.596 |
| Clerking: history and examination | 44 | 3 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=3.91; p<0.001 | r=0.589 |
| Clerking: diagnosis and management | 44 | 3 (1–5) | 4 (1–5) | Z=4.27; p<0.001 | r=0.644 |
↵aClinical assistants who had not been taught the skill, and therefore selected ‘N/A’, were excluded from the analysis. ABG = arterial blood gas; CA = clinical assistant; EDNs = electronic discharge notes; VBG = venous blood gas.