Walden University Spreading Innovation Discussion
Write a response for the following content.
Spreading Innovation
“To innovate is to bring forth purposeful change” (Kelley, 2019, p. 531). Knowledge regarding the diffusion of best practices is a universal need in order to contribute to the optimization of health care delivery (Duckers, Wagner, Vos & Groenewegen, 2011). Over the past several years, as a result of their extensive clinical knowledge and bedside experience, nurse-led innovation has dramatically increased in the United States (Kelley, 2019). For a number of reasons, nursing leaders are being forced to “focus on health care quality as a metric for success while understanding how to diffuse change throughout an organization” (Kelley, 2019, p. 531).
Organizational Innovation
It is known that sleep-deprived individuals have an increased risk of committing medical errors that could potentially result in serious injury or death to patients (Howard & Schuldheis, 2014). In addition to harming patients, the providers themselves are at an increased risk of harm secondary to needle sticks, puncture wounds, and even car accidents (Howard & Schuldheis, 2014). This writer previously worked in a unit in which on-call was mandatory with no regard to the individual’s “regular” schedule. Because of this, innovations addressing the issue of fatigue in health care workers were of interest to this writer.
An innovation implementing a “strategic nap program” was developed with a goal of improving alertness and performance of health care providers that must directly work with patients (Howard & Schuldheis, 2014). As with any change, gaining buy-in from individuals at all levels of leadership is key. Howard & Schuldheis (2014) recommend documenting problems associated with fatigue within the health care environment as a first step in making the case for strategic napping programs. The use of a pre- and post-implementation survey completed by intensive care unit (ICU) staff members suggest that the strategic nap program was, indeed, effective and of value (Howard & Schuldheis, 2014).
In order to effectively implement this nap program into this writer’s organization, reviewing the evidence-based literature as well as identifying key stakeholders would be two of the initial steps. As Howard & Schuldheis (2014) state, ensuring that napping rooms are strategically placed and safe would be another priority in regards to implementation. Once implemented, the use of champions to educate and encourage staff members to utilize the napping rooms (regardless of the time of day) as well as ensuring adequate staffing is available would be two actions needed to sustain the innovation (Howard & Schuldheis, 2014).
References
Duckers, M.L., Wagner, C., Vos, L., & Groenewegen, P.P. (2011). Understanding organizational development, sustainability, and diffusion of innovations within hospitals participating in a multilevel quality collaborative. Implementation Science (6)1, 18-27. Retrieved from Walden University Library Databases.
Kelley, T. (2019). Emergence of nursing innovation influenced by advances in informatics and health IT. Nurse Leader, 531-536. Retrieved from Walden University Library Databases.
Howard, S.K. & Schuldheis, S. (2014). Conveniently located “napping rooms” provide opportunity for night- and extended-shift providers to rest, leading to less fatigue and better performance. Retrieved from https://innovations.ahrq.gov/profiles/conveniently-located-napping-rooms-provide-opportunity-night-and-extended-shift-providers
