The happy nurse
Consider it a blessing.
When a nurse gives her time for an activity outside of patient care, be happy. Be very happy.
It is not often that nurses will volunteer to contribute to policy revision or development. You can try to bring the work to them but it doesn’t guarantee that their work product will make it back to the right person in a timely manner.
There are so many systems and processes in place in a hospital that are not conducive for that to happen. Instead of working around these inefficient systems and processes or adhering to them just because “it’s the way it’s been done”, a better solution is to migrate to online policies and procedures.
Here’s what you’re missing out on.
It also helps with version tracking, since the original version is always retrievable and therefore prevents multiple versions of one policy floating around to different employees who need to review it. Talk about a time saver! The policy gets to the nurse at the click of a mouse versus 3-5 business days in the mail. Another point is that only the intended recipient will get the policy versus it going to the wrong department or being misplaced and picked up by a visitor or patient.
Another benefit of editing documents in an electronic version – as silly as this may sound – is that the nurse won’t have to spend time guessing what it says! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to decipher edits that are illegible or don’t make sense. An e-copy shows the changes and recommendations.
Another time saver is the routing of the policy. The next person scheduled to receive the policy can get it right away. The policy committee chair doesn’t have to guess the status of the policy or hunt down the last person who had it in order to send it to the next person in line. All of this can be found in the online system, accessible by any computer in the hospital.
Think micro.
Two people can talk on the phone and have dialogue while both are viewing the same document online. Questions and clarifications can be done simultaneously and instantaneously. Evidence-based literature and references can be up on the screen and the nurses can toggle between that and the document they are editing. It’s important to think about each minute step in the policy editing process in order to meet the needs of the floor nurse who is participating in policy management activities.
You really can have your cake and eat it too.
If you can bring efficiency and accuracy to their workflow, it will enhance satisfaction and make the work they do more rewarding. The fruits of nurses’ labor will be evident in the quick turnaround time and the effortlessness of getting policy revision done. The frustration of not seeing their efforts turned into results will be a thing of the past. The stress that used to come from covering each other’s patient load to attend policy meetings will be no more (or at least drastically decreased). The nurse can have more time at the bedside but still participate in activities that are empowering.
Happy nurse, happy patients.
With less stress comes less medical error and safer patient care. With safer patient care comes increased patient and visitor satisfaction. With increased patient satisfaction comes more reimbursement. And all of this because you took your policies from a manual policy management system to an electronic system and sought to make a happy nurse.
Best regards,
Nicola Heslip | Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality | PolicyMedical
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