How does empowering and decision-making as a nurse leader relate to client safety outcomes?
When would you use empowering strategies?
Why is empowerment so challenging to implement as nurses?
Next, create an Empowering scenario using the following features:
The scenario must involve a client safety concern (QSEN)Links to an external site. or issue (e.g., medication administration, nurse-physician communication, patient falls, impaired nurse, adverse event, errors to patients or families, workarounds, near misses, failure to rescue, etc.).
The scenario consists of empowering behaviors of a nurse manager or charge nurse toward a staff nurse.
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Empowering and decision-making as a nurse leader have a direct impact on client safety outcomes. When nurse leaders empower their staff, it allows them to have a voice in decision-making processes and ensures that they feel valued and supported in their professional roles. This, in turn, leads to increased engagement and ownership among staff, resulting in better client care and improved safety outcomes.
Empowering strategies should be used whenever nurse leaders want to encourage staff involvement and enhance their decision-making abilities. Examples of situations where empowering strategies can be utilized include when developing policies and procedures, implementing quality improvement initiatives, conducting root cause analyses, or during team huddles and shift handovers.
Empowerment can be challenging to implement as nurses due to several factors. Firstly, there may be a hierarchical culture within healthcare organizations, where the decision-making power lies predominantly with physicians and higher-level administrators. This can make it difficult for nurses to feel empowered to make decisions or speak up about safety concerns. Additionally, time constraints, workload pressures, and lack of resources can contribute to a sense of disempowerment among nurses.
Scenario:
In a busy medical-surgical unit, a staff nurse notices that a certain medication is continuously being administered at the wrong dosage to patients by multiple staff members. Recognizing the potential harm to patients, the staff nurse decides to bring this concern to the attention of the nurse manager.
The nurse manager, understanding the importance of empowering her staff and ensuring client safety, responds proactively. She invites the staff nurse to a private meeting and actively listens to her concerns, acknowledging the validity and seriousness of the situation. The nurse manager encourages the staff nurse to gather evidence and collaborate with the pharmacy department to investigate the medication administration issue further.
In the following staff meeting, the nurse manager empowers the staff nurse to present the findings and potential solutions to the entire team. She allows the staff nurse to guide the conversation and actively encourages other team members to contribute their ideas and suggestions. The nurse manager ensures that all voices are heard and that decisions are made collaboratively. As a result, the team collectively identifies system-level issues contributing to the medication errors and develops a plan to address them effectively.
This scenario demonstrates how empowering behaviors of the nurse manager, such as active listening, validation of concerns, collaborative decision-making, and delegation of responsibility, contribute to a safer healthcare environment for the clients.
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