NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Intervention Strategy

Healthcare is dynamic and continues to change its course in the present world. Significant tasks come with the nursing leaders to meet the challenges and implement high standards of patient safety, quality care, and interprofessional collaboration (Flaubert et al., 2021a). In the case of the medical–surgical unit at 5 West, a newly recruited nurse manager, Sarah, experienced many leadership issues. This is despite efforts to enhance patient safety in areas like patient falls and medication errors, which remain prevalent and crucial to patient outcomes in the unit demanding change.

The paper will discuss an intervention plan for preventing and minimizing these cyclic safety issues. The plan will involve changes in leadership practice to support and strengthen safety culture, consistency in care provision, and staff members’ interactions as being focused on assessment one. Based on the literature on leadership and the current health policies, this strategy will seek to involve staff through the transformational leadership theory. The aim is to decrease rates of falls and medication errors, manage resistance from clinical staff, and increase a safety culture. 

Most Applicable Leadership Theory to Solve the Leadership Problem

Of all the leadership theories available, only the transformational leadership theory can apply to the patient safety issues ailing the 5 West unit. This theory concentrates on encouraging and enabling team members to devise the best way to deal with the roles and responsibilities and scramble for change to achieve set goals and objectives (Ystaas et al., 2023).

The team members, including physicians, veterans, and new nurses, are encouraged by the vision that the transformational leaders create to turn the team into an innovative one that promotes the free interchange of information and operates without complete reliance on blame. This is the case at 5 West, where Sarah faces resistance to change from a veteran staff, Ben. Transformational leadership fits this challenge in the case of frequent patient falls and medication errors. 

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

The main feature of transformational leadership is the focus on staff trust and encouraging staff acceptance of changes to improve patient care. It allows Sarah to foster a culture where safety and quality improvement is everybody’s business. By concentrating on the collaborative aspect, she can bring into practice the necessity of a set protocol in the fall-prevention policies and medication reconciliation, which are especially unorganized at the moment and are directly linked with patient risks. This means that the effects of transformational leadership lead to openness, concern, less fear of blame, and a constructive attitude when reporting near misses and errors (Ystaas et al., 2023). 

The rationale for using transformational leadership is based on the success of enhancing team cohesiveness and building an attitude to address challenges constructively. In a healthcare practice domain, the team can change patient safety outcomes by working on aspects of their organization, such as resistance to change, learning, or routinized interpersonal relations (Ystaas et al., 2023). This approach can address the patient safety concerns found on 5 West and serve as a framework for addressing future problems, as the program is sustainable and gives the team the authority and skill to make improvements.

Theory’s Applicability and Efficacy

The transformational leadership approach can effectively address the nursing leadership problem on 5 West by directly targeting the issues of patient safety, team collaboration, and resistance to change. This strategy works by engaging staff on both personal and professional levels, which can help shift mindsets and encourage a culture of continuous improvement. 

Solving the Problem

 The major safety concerns include inadequate fall protection and the original medication reconciliation process, which is both ineffective and error-prone. The shift toward doing: Transformational leadership enables Sarah to organize her team to participate actively in the search for safety problems. This way, Sarah can engage all nurses, including Ben, a team member with years of experience, in promoting clear processes each member follows to minimize variability leading to errors. For instance, she might coordinate working meetings with shared stories of encountering current practices and arrive at specific and research-based guidelines for fall prevention procedures.

It will also help bring in Dr Chen to join in and co-lead these sessions because he will bring the clinical perspective towards the protocols, helping the staff buy into them, especially where there are doubts in the team. In a transformational environment, such sessions appear safe and conducive to making resistant staff feel supported as part of the solution (Onaca & Fleshman, 2020). 

Managing the Problem Long-Term

Transformational leaders’ key practice of organizational transformation is sharing accountability for continuous quality improvements. Developing an effective safety culture in the team means that Sarah must focus on teamwork and eschew punitive measures against those who make mistakes. Recent papers regarding transformational leadership have suggested that support and encouragement from a shared vision can lead to increased initiative in accepting change, embracing personal responsibility for patient conditions, and promoting improved learning (Onaca & Fleshman, 2020).

Since Maya is particularly interested in innovation, the author got her to spearhead technology-driven changes, such as using computers for medication reconciliation, which would encourage colleagues to emulate the best practice voluntarily. Communication of the safety goals and objectives, plus frequent feedback, is possible and, where necessary, helps Sarah to effectively address issues at the correct time so that new policies are implemented.

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

Transformational leadership has been proven effective in healthcare settings where resistance to change and safety issues are common. In units with similar challenges, transformational leaders have successfully improved outcomes by implementing evidence-based practices collaboratively, resulting in decreased rates of patient falls and medication errors. For instance, during COVID-19, transformational leadership helped healthcare workers adapt to extreme challenges by fostering resilience, offering personalized support, and promoting a strong safety culture, which reduced burnout and improved patient outcomes. Leaders inspired their teams with a shared vision, enabling them to navigate resource shortages and new protocols effectively (Ystaas et al., 2023).

Another study by Kiwanuka et al. (2020) demonstrates the positive influence of transformational leadership in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on various quality metrics like patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and safety. It fosters a supportive environment that enhances teamwork, communication, and adherence to quality protocols. In contrast, more authoritarian leadership styles can decrease morale and lower adherence to safety standards. By applying these methods on 5 West and strategically involving Dr. Chen and Maya, Sarah can cultivate an engaged team that proactively upholds high standards of care, making transformational leadership an ideal approach.

Organizational Change Model Influences an Intervention Strategy

Using Lewin’s Change Management Model can significantly enhance Sarah’s intervention strategy in the 5 West unit, offering a structured approach to facilitate change and reduce resistance. Lewin’s model, which includes unfreezing, changing, and refreezing stages, guides the healthcare team to adopt safer practices, promoting lasting improvements in patient care (Stanz et al., 2021). Change leadership is important in guiding, motivating, and supporting the team through each stage of the change process, helping to overcome resistance and embed new practices into the organization’s culture.

During the first unfreezing stage, Sarah has to make stakeholders aware of existing problems, including variability in measures to prevent falls and medication mismatch with high error rates. In enhancing the need for change and asking the team to look at the safety risks involved, Sarah can ‘unlock’ the team from the current state of affairs and, therefore, be ready to change. Here, Dr. Chen could present some patient stories and up-to-date statistical data, which would emulate the situation, make it more tangible to the company’s members, and simplify their realization of the necessity to adopt safer, standardized practices. 

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

In the next changing phase, Sarah can implement the changes in safety measures. She may recommend using the digital medication reconciliation system and a standard operating procedure to prevent falls, where team members can practice these changes. To make the transition go quicker, it would help for Sarah to make Maya directly train the team on using digital tools because she will be helping them overcome their resistance. Suppose there is going to be a transition in the organizational environment. In that case, the leadership style that should be embraced is transformational leadership, marked with encouragement and open communication (Onaca & Fleshman, 2020).

It will have the advantage of reassuring the team members because they will feel safe and secure, with Sarah constantly encouraging them and offering feedback for change. Thus, in the last phase, the Refreezing Stage, Sarah ensures the changes made become permanent for the unit or company’s function. She can set up one or more additional meetings to ensure the team’s compliance with the new rules while encouraging comers who follow the rules to the letter. Sarah invites Dr.Chen and Maya into those evaluations to show leadership embraces those changes, fostering a culture of Michael and employee improvement.

Health Care Policy and Legislation Affect

Policies and laws that promote safety protocols, technology adoption, and nurse leadership development can directly support Sarah’s efforts to improve the 5 West unit. For instance, the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) seeks to promote the ‘feed and report approach’ where practitioners contribute safety concerns with immunity from lawsuits (HHS, 2022). This policy would allow Sarah and her nursing team to escalate incidents where patients were nearly harmed, or healthcare workers practiced unsafely so that the unit could resolve the myriad of confusing approaches. For instance, the unit’s approaches to fall prevention, medication administration, and other concerns lacked the protective cultural narrative that inspires staff to address concerning or suspicious events.

Through the principles of PSQIA, Sarah can reduce organizational blame culture to promote staff freedom in raising issues and giving feedback. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has also focused on health information technology, electronic health records, and a computerized medication reconciliation system. The ACA prompts healthcare organizations to embrace such technologies to increase efficiency and minimize mistakes (Flaubert, 2021). As the intervention recommends, a medication reconciliation digital system is consistent with the ACA objectives of decreasing medication errors and achieving better patient outcomes.

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

In so doing, Sarah can mobilize resources and support for these technologies, improving safety within the unit to meet policy requirements. Lastly, the Nursing Workforce Development Act (NWDA) fosters nurses’ educational training and leadership. This policy also promotes Sarah’s involvement in improving teamwork and leadership in the unit. It could help get the money for professional continuing education for nurses to become leaders in the field and funds to sustain the ongoing patient safety training (Flaubert et al., 2021b). Developing the leadership competencies of other staff members, including leadership courses, supports Sarah in promoting sustainable changes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, applying transformational leadership and Lewin’s Model will enable Sarah to address patient safety concerns effectively. By leveraging healthcare policies like PSQIA, ACA, and NWDA, Sarah can create a supportive environment for safety improvements, staff collaboration, and continuous learning. These strategies will foster a safety culture, reduce errors, and ensure lasting positive change in the 5 West unit.

References

Flaubert, J. (2021). The role of nurses in improving health care access and quality. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573910/ 

Flaubert, J. L., Menestrel, S. L., Williams, D. R., & Wakefield, M. K. (2021a). Nurses leading change. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573918/ 

Flaubert, J. L., Menestrel, S. L., Williams, D. R., & Wakefield, M. K. (2021b). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573922/ 

HHS. (2022). Understanding patient safety confidentiality. US. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/patient-safety/index.html 

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

Kiwanuka, F., Nanyonga, R. C., Dankosky, N. S., Muwanguzi, P. A., & Kvist, T. (2020). Nursing leadership styles and their impact on intensive care unit quality measures: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13151 

Onaca, N., & Fleshman, J. W. (2020). Types of leadership and how to use them in surgical areas. Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, 33(04), 228–232. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1709457 

Stanz, L., Silverstein, S., Vo, D., & Thompson, J. (2021). Leading through rapid change management. Hospital Pharmacy, 57(4), 422–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/00185787211046855

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 3 Intervention Strategy

Ystaas, L. M. K., Nikitar, M., Ghobrial, S., Latzourakis, E., Polychronis, G., & Constantinou, C. S. (2023). The impact of transformational leadership in the nursing work environment and patients’ outcomes: A systematic review. Nursing Reports, 13(3), 1271–1290. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13030108