Additionally, nurses reported higher satisfaction with their jobs in two measurable metrics. The article also reports that informal communication regarding the huddle methodology was overwhelmingly positive. There may have been challenges in initiating the process with nurses since this was another element added to their jobs. However when they saw the positive results from the huddles and felt the resultant sense of increased sense of control over their work environment, the nurses quickly became proponents of the huddle system. The article also reports that while the huddle system originally started with nursing staff, it has grown quickly to include all medical personnel such as doctors, therapists, and other ancillary staff. As an added
benefit, interdisciplinary teamwork has also been enhanced.
Nurses’ ability to provide interpersonal and comforting touch could be impaired by the current fast-paced, high-acuity and understaffed hospital-centred setting (Connor & Howett, 2009). Nursing is one of the few roles in contemporary society in which physical contact, even with intimate parts of the body, is accepted (Green, 2013). The frequent touch nurses encounter in patient care, however, is not always deliberate and with the intention of enhancing care (Connor & Howett, 2009). A stressful environment hinders nurses from achieving a state of therapists’ inner balance to perform tactile touch in hospitals (Henricson et al. 2006). In the absence of a quiet, independent environment, the positive outcomes of tactile touch are unlikely to be achieved and may even contribute to nurses’ fatigue (Homayouni et al. 2012).
Patients expect instant response to call lights due to today’s technological advancements. This can negatively impact nurse stress and cause contempt toward the patient. However, the expectation to respond promptly improves safety and encourages frequent rounding. Also, aiming for high patient satisfaction scores on the HCAHPS/Press Ganey by fulfilling patient requests can overshadow safe, efficient, and necessary healthcare. Although patient satisfaction is important, ultimately, the patient’s health takes precedence over satisfying patient and family requests, especially when those requests are unnecessary, harmful, or take away from the plan of care (Junewicz & Youngner, 2015). The HCAHPS/Press Ganey survey focuses on the patient’s perception of care. The problem with this aspect of the survey is that the first and foremost goal of nurses should not be to increase a patient’s score based on perception. According to an article in Health Facilities Management, the nurse’s top priority is to provide the safest, most quality care possible for patients with the resources they are given (Hurst, 2013). Once this has been accomplished, the nurse can then help the patient realize that the most
The health care workers in the show Nurse Jackie, are portrayed as as hard working professionals who hold a high regard for patient care. The nurses follow an established dress code which requires clean and preferably wrinkle free scrubs, as well as, a stethoscope. Since the nurses work in the ED they have had to develop strong relationships with the doctors to ensure that everyone can be trusted (Austin, 2009; Brixius, Wallem, & Dunsky, 2009; Hudis, 2009). For the most part the nurses know that the doctors hold the ultimate control, but with increasing trust the nurses can be empowered to exercise a broader scope of practice. When interacting with the patients, the nurses act in a professional manner and employ appropriate interpersonal skills and non-verbal signs. Finally, these nurses have meaningful roles because they are portrayed as individuals who provide a high level of bedside care and are willing to accommodate most of their patient’s needs (Austin, 2009; Brixius et al., 2009; Hudis, 2009).
To attain this goal, nurses must work in collaboration with other members of the health care team. To improve efficiency, the health care environment must foster the development of collaborative relations among health care professionals. Trust, open communication, commitment, and shared goals must be present to support collaborative relations and effective teamwork. Health care organizations continue to place a greater demand on health care professionals while often working with limited resources. In a recent study focused on determining if there was a current or impending shortage of nurses in care settings throughout the United States, 81% of the 178 hospitals sampled indicated they have or are an... ...
As a charge nurse, Ms. Bardsley leads morning huddle to identify and make improvements in work flow, patient care and assignments according to the needs of the staff and unit on any particular day. The huddles provide for continuity of care, transparency among manager and staff, and an opportunity to discuss improvement projects and lastly a session once per week directed by the social worker to help with staff mindfulness to destress what is a stressful area of practice.
Working in the health care setting, teamwork and collaboration are used frequently to insure that everything runs correctly and efficiently. According to qsen.org, teamwork and collaboration consists of functioning effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. While assessing the patient a nurse can come into contact and work with many different individuals. These can include other nurses, doctors, therapists, and family
One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.
Furthermore, this implies that workarounds are present not only in the nursing profession but in other professions as well. Having known this information, nurses can utilize certain strategies to prevent workarounds from occurring in their future practice. Those are: being able to identify certain work practices, improving one’s overall work performance, and interactions at a multidisciplinary team approach (Soares et al., 2012). In return, these implications and recommendations for practice will help to ensure the upmost of patient quality and
In most aspects of life the saying “less is always more” may ring true; however when it comes to providing quality care to patients, less only creates problems which can lead to a decrease in patient’s quality of life as well as nurse’s satisfaction with their jobs. The massive shortage of nurses throughout the United States has gotten attention from some of the most prestigious schools, news media and political leaders. Nurses are being burnt out from their jobs, they are being overworked and overlooked. New nurses are not being properly trained, and old nurses are on their way to retirement. All the while the rate of patient admissions is on the rise. Nurses are reporting lower satisfaction in their job positions and hospital retention rates are at an all-time low, conversely this is affecting all patients’ quality of care. As stated in the article Addressing The Nurse Shortage To Improve The Quality Of Patient Care “According to an Institute of Medicine report, Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals providing direct patient care in hospitals, and the quality of care for hospital patients is strongly linked to the performance of nursing staff”.
Some of the strategies that can help prevent the high burnout rate among nurses include social and psychological support as well as empowerment. The ability of an organization to retain nurses primarily depends on the creation of an environment conductive to professional autonomy (Hatmaker, 2014, p. 227). Organizations should create an open environment where nurses have an avenue for mutual support. Examples of a program that may result in mutual support among nurses include sharing of workload among team members. Additionally, organizations should create time for social interaction among nursing teams. This can be done through social events such as annual retreats. Social events help to address the issue of burnout by building trust and strong bond between nurses (Portnoy, 2011). The other strategy for dealing with the issue of nurse burnout is supervisor support. Healthcare facilities should encourage meetings between the nurses and supervisors to talk about issues affecting their work. Apart from receiving support from their colleagues and supervisors, nurses need to be empowered. One way of empowering them is by providing them with better salaries and remuneration. The other way is by availing to them opportunities for advancing their education, such as by refunding the tuition fee. They should also be provided with an opportunity to climb the profession ladder such as through promotions. Nurses also need psychological empowerment which
Nurse rounding is important to hospital-based practice because it directly impacts patient satisfaction (Blakley, Kroth, & Gregson, 2011). It serves as a method to improve quality of care by allowing nurses to routinely visit their patients and provide for any needs while also anticipating any safety concerns. Patients’ overall perceptions of hospital experiences are heavily dependent on how successful nurses are in satisfying the basic needs (Blakley et al., 2011). Rounding permits nurse-patient interaction and communication periodically, allowing observation and exchange of relevant information and also implementation of proper interventions. Nurses must practice rounding competently with compassion. By doing so, the patient has the opportunity to be involved in their own care which builds a trusting and positive relationship between the nurse and the patient, ultimately leading to improved quality of care and safety.
Groff Paris, L., & Terhaar, M. (2010, December 7). Using maslow’s pyramid and the national database of nursing quality indicators to attain a healthier work environment”. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 16 No. 1.
Nursing units today, need to be ran like a well-oiled machine. In order to do this, everyone that makes up the nursing unit needs to understand their co-workers and what drives them professionally. There are four generations that make-up todays nursing units. I believe, if everyone had a clear understanding of what generations encompass their nursing unit there will be less conflict in the nursing unit and a better understanding of what drives each individual professionally. Which in turn, leads to nurses spending more time at the patient’s bedside, better patient care given and thus improved patient outcomes.
A very important concept that needs to be implemented world-wide is collaboration. Collaboration can be defined as “working with other individuals or groups to achieve a common goal. It differs from cooperation which involves groups working together to achieve their own individual goals’’ (Tomajan, 2012). This concept is critical in making the nursing image as clear and accurate as possible while also properly representing the profession. Worldwide, if nurses can represent themselves in a particular way, having the same ideals, morals, and knowledge, there would be little room for people to criticize the profession. Collaborating also allows for the formation of new ideas and discoveries, strengthening the knowledge of nurses and creating the opportunity for more authority. The entire profession as a whole need to help everyone understand what nurses really do for patients. Nurses are the invisible hand behind the success in every hospital or health-care facility. From a quick visit to the doctors to an emergency room visit, the ones the patients interact with and grow a relationship with are the nurses. The nurses know the ins and outs of every patient and have the direct connection with the patient along with tremendous knowledge and skills. This needs to be addressed in the media rather than challenging the nursing image. Giving
Nursing may be seen as very independent work even though there will be situations that will require others. Friendships may be formed; however, to have professional interactions is something that is not always followed. In terms of patient confidentiality, we may not realize that a HIPPA violation has occurred due to friendly conversation with coworkers. If a patient were to overhear their nurse discussing their information in an unprofessional manner then it may cause issues with a patient’s dignity and their rights. If a patient’s right is violated then it can lead to a patient’s mistrust in their caregiver, leading to mistrust in the facilities, and can end with a patient’s health being compromised. The patient is the reason for this career; if the needs of the patient are being unmet or violated then the purpose of our occupation will be unsuccessful and