As BSN nurses, we strive to translate the evidence based knowledge we acquire into practice, but we may encounter challenges. Winkler (2015) states in her article that: “Changes are one of the most typical phenomena experienced by contemporary organizations and are an inherent element of their functioning. The change introduction process is complex and it is often accompanied by a phenomenon of resistance to change on the part of the employees in an organization, which is considered as the main cause of failure in the change implementation process”. It would seem logical that if we can improve a nursing process or improve patient outcome and satisfaction, nurse would be open to changes but the fact is that the opposite is true. We become comfortable with what we have always done and assume that change will make our job harder when in fact the opposite is true. Many improvements in the healthcare industry are due to changes made over the years. Our lesson teaches us that if the stakeholders are involved in the planning stages of the project from the beginning they are able to understand “the need for change as well as a sense of ownership” (CCN, 2017).
The emergency room department is a busy and hectic place many times, and making changes can be sometimes difficult. Everyone is so busy and they believe they do not have time to learn a new procedure and this would just add to the workload. The author of the article Conditions for Implementing Organizational Changes, states that “in order to overcome their aversion to change, employee activity must consist of three following factors: access to information, impact on decision-making and interaction”. Many of my coworkers agree that one of the problems we face in the ED is repeat visits and high 30-day readmission rate. I believe that if the nurses are presented with a problem and are given the opportunity to be involved in the solution finding and decision making, the implementation of the change would be accepted easier. Sometimes when an implemented change does not produce the expected positive outcome, we have to continue to make improvements and continue to change. The best thing about change is that it is constant.
One of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Standards is “Effective Decision-making:Nurses are seen as valued and committed partners in making policy, directing and evaluating clinical care, and leading organizational operations” (ANA, 2015, p.40). Nurses play an important role in the advancement and translating of evidence into better processes and policies thus improving patient outcomes.
Agatha
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.
Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2017). NR-451. Week 6 Lesson: Strategies for Effective Change [Online lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group. Retrieved from https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/9011/pages/week-6-lesson?module_item_id=1014248
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