Effective and accessible health care is important for everyone. Every year many people lose their lives to hospital errors. As a result, people dread going to hospitals due to the cost or increased awareness of potential medical errors.
Numerous efforts to eliminate such medical errors and increase the accessibility of health care for everyone is being developed. Medical practitioners and policymakers can take steps on a macro and micro level. They can implement strategies after reviewing the whole healthcare system and implementing policy changes. On the other hand, they can support changes that can be made at an individual level by physicians and other essential staff of a hospital.
Everyone knows the importance of nurses in modern healthcare settings. They perform several tasks such as taking care of patients, assisting doctors, being the patients’ advocate, and more. Nurses are committed to helping people. Yet, did you know that nurses can make an even bigger impact at a higher level in improving healthcare settings?
How Can Nurses Help?
It is safe to say that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry. They play many important roles. However, they can make an even bigger impact in revolutionizing the healthcare system at leadership levels.
Experienced nurses can use their knowledge and experience to help people on a larger scale. Moreover, nurses can acquire an online DNP degree to help prepare them for essential leadership roles in healthcare. A DNP degree can prepare you to lead teams of nurses. Furthermore, such a position enables you to make effective changes at the policy level that can transform the healthcare system.
Statistics reveal there were four times more nurses than physicians in 2021. So, if nursing procedures and roles as medical facilitators are enhanced, it can transform the healthcare industry practices. By becoming a leader, you can have more control and better access to resources. So, let’s look at some tips that can help nurses improve the healthcare system.
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Evaluate Data And Outcomes
Successfully changing existing circumstances require analyzing previous data first. Analyzing data and patient outcomes enables you to identify areas that need improvement. It gives a better understanding of the system. It also helps you understand the techniques used previously and their effectiveness. Thus, you can pinpoint problem areas and plan accordingly.
Set Clear Goals
After identifying areas that need improvement, the next step is to set a goal. It is important to set clear and measurable nursing goals. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure that all nurses understand their respective roles in accomplishing the goal.
Build A Strong Team
Teamwork is crucial for the proper functioning of a hospital. In case of an emergency, which is quite common in hospitals, the staff should be able to work together and stay organized. Nurses are the first people to receive and deal with an injured or sick patient. The nurse leader needs to ensure that requisite people with their unique expertise, different knowledge, experiences, and specializations are part of the emergency team. It will help in tackling any problem that comes their way. Furthermore, they can also conduct workshops and conferences that keep the staff up-to-date with new practices.
Nurse leaders can also help human resources identify the right individuals for a particular position.
Keep The Work Environment Conflict-free
Conflicts can be harmful to the work environment. In hospitals especially, work conflicts can negatively impact the level and quality of care. Therefore, nurse leaders need to ensure that the work environment is free of conflicts. The work environment can be kept conflict-free with the help of clear policies and a code of conduct. This harmonious environment will help workers focus on the patients’ needs and treatments.
Thus, smooth functioning will result in patients receiving better care and healthcare facilities.
Get Feedback From Patients
The main aim of creating a better healthcare system is people’s well-being. So, who else can give you better insight regarding problems in the healthcare system than the patients. Nurse leaders can obtain useful patient feedback by conducting surveys or social media.
Taking feedback from patients and learning about their experiences can help identify any shortcomings. Moreover, their suggestions can also help develop effective strategies for overcoming obstacles to creating a better healthcare system.
Keep Your Team Updated
According to current statistics, almost 9.5% of deaths occur due to hospital errors every year. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that the staff is well aware of policies and procedures to avoid making such errors.
The nurse leader’s job is to ensure that their team can administer medicines and take care of patients based on current policies and guidelines. Improvements in staff’s efficiency and work quality occur when they are cared for and well-rested for their nursing shift, which a leader can ensure. Thus, it will eliminate some common mistakes that medical teams can make in this field.
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Exercise Patient-centered Care
Patient-centered care is a current method that has become quite popular. This method includes creating customized treatment plans that meet each patient’s requirements. Moreover, research shows its effectiveness as well.
Moreover, patients are also involved in developing this treatment method. After evaluating the patient’s clinical, emotional, spiritual, and medical requirements, the medical team creates a treatment plan.
So, by practicing patient-centered care, nurse leaders can increase patient satisfaction, improve the reputation of the healthcare system and boost morale among healthcare workers.
Effective Communication
Good communication skills are essential for nurse leaders as they have to communicate with their team and other departments. Effective communication can eliminate misunderstandings and help set a common and clear goal. Moreover, it is important to ensure that everyone understands the task for maximum efficiency. Thus, this will enable the team to work together and effectively transform the healthcare system.
Furthermore, it is important to build such a relationship with the staff that enables them to voice their concerns without any fear. Hence, solving employees’ problems will improve satisfaction, ultimately improving their quality of work.
Adapt to Change
The healthcare industry is ever-evolving. New treatments and techniques are constantly being invented or discovered. Thus, it is important to keep up with these changes. Whether it is a new treatment, equipment, or strategy, it is essential to understand its use and implication in your hospital setting. Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that your team is up-to-date regarding current treatment methods and knows how to operate modern equipment.
Adopting modern and effective methods can take you one step closer to transforming the healthcare setting for the best. Furthermore, testing out new and improved strategies can help you determine their effectiveness and shortcomings.
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Concluding Thoughts
Quality healthcare is essential for a society’s overall well-being. However, people often refrain from visiting hospitals due to expensive treatments or past negative experiences. Although various strategies are being implemented at a large scale to improve the healthcare system, it is important to make individual efforts. Moreover, nurses can play an important part in creating effective and useful changes in the healthcare system.
Nurses at a leadership level have access to numerous resources and data. Thus, they can utilize it to determine current shortcomings in healthcare settings. Nurse leaders can also improve this system by obtaining patient feedback, keeping up with modern technology, and maintaining a healthy work environment. In conclusion, this kind of review and analysis practice can help create effective plans and set progressive goals for medical nurses.
