Describe how alignment between the values of an organization and the values of t

Question

Describe how alignment between the values of an organization and the values of the nurse impact nurse engagement and patient outcomes. Discuss how an individual can use effective communication techniques to overcome workplace challenges, encourage collaboration across groups, and promote effective problem-solving. Identify a specific instance from your own professional experience in which the values of the organization and the values of the individual nurses did or did not align. Describe the impact this had on nurse engagement and patient outcomes.

Explanation / Answer

From the bedside, outpatient areas, in academia, the board rooms, and in policy forums, it is essential for Registered Nurses (RN) to be engaged in order for health care to be successful .

The concept of engagement in health care has developed over the past decade. Keeping employees engaged in their roles is essential to the success of any organization.

Health care reform and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have mandated health care organizations to provide their consumers with safe, quality, effective care

Regulatory agencies such as the National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have both acknowledged the implications of RN engagement in health care (IOM, 2010)

The culture of a health care organization contributes to their ability to recruit and retain RNs who are engaged

The culture of a health care organization can greatly influence its ability to motivate and retain RNs who are loyal and engaged

Burston and Stichler (2010) emphasized nurse satisfaction in relation to stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Poor staffing and nursing shortages add to the stress levels, decreasing morale and engagement.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) notes RNs are an essential part of the health care workforce, recommending they be full partners, with all disciplines, and identify problems, and establishing goals . It is important administration respects and supports the RN discipline as collaborative team members, welcoming them to participate in important decision making that impacts patient care and outcomes . In order to retain quality RNs, health care organizations should assess how their culture influences RN engagement.

Health care is constantly changing, forcing health care organizations to become more strategic and competitive in how they deliver health care.

With RNs being the primary and perhaps the most influential caregivers, it is imperative that health care organizations create a culture where RNs are made to feel like important stakeholders

Manley notes 10 core values that focus on interpersonal relationships and RN engagement:

When these core values are present, RNs feel a sense of importance and belonging. The ability to obtain and retain loyal RNs, sustaining engagement, is essential to the success of health care organizations

In consideration of an aging and health care savvy population, the supply and demand of RNs is of major concern. RNs and patients are considered internal and external customers. Both have choices in which health care organization is going to best meet their needs. A healthy relationship amongst RN staff and administration make a work environment enjoyable, while ultimately positively affecting the organizations bottom line.

RN staff are required to use their critical thinking skills, life, and professional experiences as well as their emotional and ethical being when assessing the needs of their patients

Health care organizations should make this same effort when addressing the needs of the nursing staff. Acknowledging the feelings of employees, respecting their dignity and privacy, and being transparent with organizational matters would foster better relationships between RNs and administration. Open, honest relationships do not always deliver what is expected; however respect and trust is key to sustainment and longevity in any relationship

Professional Communication and Team Collaboration

In today’s health care system, delivery processes involve numerous interfaces and patient handoffs among multiple health care practitioners with varying levels of educational and occupational training. During the course of a 4-day hospital stay, a patient may interact with 50 different employees, including physicians, nurses, technicians, and others. Effective clinical practice thus involves many instances where critical information must be accurately communicated. Team collaboration is essential. When health care professionals are not communicating effectively, patient safety is at risk for several reasons: lack of critical information, misinterpretation of information, unclear orders over the telephone, and overlooked changes in status.

Lack of communication creates situations where medical errors can occur. These errors have the potential to cause severe injury or unexpected patient death. Medical errors, especially those caused by a failure to communicate, are a pervasive problem in today’s health care organizations. According to the Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, JCHAO), if medical errors appeared on the National Center for Health Statistic’s list of the top 10 causes of death in the United States, they would rank number 5—ahead of accidents, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as AIDS, breast cancer, and gunshot wounds.

Webster’s Dictionary defines communication as “the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.” It is important to consider that communication is not just verbal in form. One study states that 93 percent of communication is more affected by body language, attitude, and tone, leaving only 7 percent of the meaning and intent based on the actual words said. Whereas the spoken words contain the crucial content, their meaning can be influenced by the style of delivery, which includes the way speakers stand, speak, and look at a person.1 However, critical information is often transmitted via handwritten notes, e-mails, or text messages, which can lead to serious consequences if there is miscommunication.

Collaboration in health care is defined as health care professionals assuming complementary roles and cooperatively working together, sharing responsibility for problem-solving and making decisions to formulate and carry out plans for patient care.Collaboration between physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals increases team members’ awareness of each others’ type of knowledge and skills, leading to continued improvement in decisionmaking.

Effective teams are characterized by trust, respect, and collaboration. Deming is one of the greatest proponents of teamwork. Teamwork, he believes, is endemic to a system in which all employees are working for the good of a goal, who have a common aim, and who work together to achieve that aim. When considering a teamwork model in health care, an interdisciplinary approach should be applied. Unlike a multidisciplinary approach, in which each team member is responsible only for the activities related to his or her own discipline and formulates separate goals for the patient, an interdisciplinary approach coalesces a joint effort on behalf of the patient with a common goal from all disciplines involved in the care plan. The pooling of specialized services leads to integrated interventions. The plan of care takes into account the multiple assessments and treatment regimens, and it packages these services to create an individualized care program that best addresses the needs of the patient. The patient finds that communication is easier with the cohesive team, rather than with numerous professionals who do not know what others are doing to mange the patient.

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