Be A Change Agent To Improve Patient Care

I believe that nurses have the answers to the problems in health care, but either they are afraid to speak up or others don’t listen.  So, how can we make change that will really occur?

When you want to make change, think about the end result you are seeking.  That is where you start.  That is your intention of what you want to set.

However, whenever there is change, there may be opposition.  For change to occur, look at the payoffs that you are getting for keeping things the same.  Then look at the prices that you will have to pay for things to be changed.

For example, if I want to lose weight, the prices I will have pay will include giving up my favorite foods and eating differently from what others may choose to eat.  To stay on my diet, I may not be able to go out to dinner as much.  I will feel weird when I go to parties and have to avoid the cake and some of the other foods that they may be serving.

Then I have to look at the payoffs I am getting for staying overweight.  I don’t have to buy new clothes and I can stay in my comfort zone.  Some payoffs may be unconscious, but one has to be willing to pay all the prices and give up all the payouts.

If we want to make a change in nursing, say, you want to increase staffing, you must realize the payoff to the facility obviously is saving money and not having to hire more staff.  The prices the facility would have to pay to change staffing would be to increase their budget to get more overhead to hire additional staff.  This example alone shows you why health care facilities don’t want to increase staffing.

Yet the payoffs that the facilities can get from increasing nurse staffing include decreased errors, decreased medical malpractice claims, increased patient satisfaction and, for the nurses, increased job satisfaction leading to longevity and decreasing turnover.

So, one way we, as individuals, need to change is to create “win-win” situations such as, if you want more staffing, then talk to management about all the benefits from increasing the number of staff as we noted above.

I would like to hear your comments below about your positive experiences in making change.

Now I would like to share with you a very special recording from a leader in organizational change who I interviewed regarding change in nursing.  He is one of my mentors to whom I am forever grateful for what he has shown me, Jim Zarvos.  http://www.empowerednurses.org/interviews/

Enjoy.