Delivering high quality care is probably chief among your goals as a nursing professional. But what exactly does it mean to provide quality care?
In this blog, we share a few different techniques that can help you focus on delivering high quality care, as well as what to do when your work environment isn’t conducive to quality caregiving.
Follow the 7 Ethical Principles of Nursing
In your job as a nursing professional, you are tasked with making hundreds of decisions a day. Many of these decisions have a direct impact on patient health and well-being. That is a lot of pressure! To ensure you are making decisions that will lead to the highest quality care delivery for each patient, the 7 Ethical Principles of Nursing can be a helpful guide.
The principles are summarized here:
- Accountability: be responsible for your choices and actions in patient care.
- Justice: treat each patient fairly, regardless of their circumstances.
- Nonmaleficence: do no harm.
- Autonomy: allow patients to make decisions for themselves, if they are capable.
- Beneficence: act with patients’ best interests in mind.
- Fidelity: be honest and loyal to each patient.
- Veracity: be completely open and honest with each patient.
Following these principles will ensure that your nursing practice is ethical and will enable you to provide high-quality care to all your patients.
Implement the 6 Cs of Nursing
Developed in England in 2012, “the 6s of nursing practice” was created to guide nurses and other healthcare providers in delivering high-quality, compassionate care. You probably implement each of these “Cs” every day, but have you ever really stopped to think about what they mean?
Here are the 6 Cs:
- Care: the core principle of nursing practice, best understood as whatever techniques, therapies, or treatments you use to support a patient’s healing.
- Compassion: the empathy you feel towards others, and the desire to lessen patients’ distress.
- Competence: knowing your scope of practice within the medical system and staying up to date on education.
- Communication: being able to communicate effectively with patients, families, and other healthcare providers.
- Courage: doing what you believe is right and beneficial for your patients, in all regards.
- Commitment: being committed to taking care of patients and providing the highest quality care possible.
Focusing on the 6 Cs of nursing in each of your patient interactions can elevate the level of care you provide. No matter your level of nursing education or practice area, putting these concepts into practice will make a positive impact on care quality and the patient experience.
Adhere to Basic Shift Etiquette
It may sound simple, but part of providing high quality patient care lies in how you show up for your shifts. What do we mean by this?
- Accept only shifts that you know you can be relied upon to complete, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
- Be on time for your shifts, if not a few minutes early, so that you can get situated and check in properly.
- After shift check in, gather any information or passwords you may need for the shift ahead.
- During your shift, make sure you take detailed documentation of the care you are providing, and that it is complete.
- When your shift has ended, make sure you have addressed all your responsibilities or have properly passed them on to the next shift before you check out.
Making sure that you are professional and thorough from the beginning to the end of your shifts will naturally lead to higher quality care delivery than if you were unorganized or unprepared for the shift ahead. Practicing basic shift etiquette can go a long way in helping you be the best nursing professional you can be!
Combat Behaviors that Get in the Way of High Quality Care Delivery
Sometimes you might be doing everything possible in your power to deliver high quality care but be stuck due to the incivility of others. What is incivility and who can be to blame for it?
Incivility is behavior that is impolite, disrespectful, or rude, and often demonstrates a lack of consideration towards others. It can take the form of words – spoken or written – or actions. Anyone can perpetuate incivility, including other nursing professionals or healthcare providers.
Being on the receiving end of incivility can add to workplace stress, burnout, and dissatisfaction. It can also directly affect your ability to provide quality patient care and lead to patients feeling uneasy.
If you are facing incivility in your workplace, it is important for you to know how to address it so that you can protect yourself and continue doing your job to the best of your ability. Here are some strategies you can use*:
- Voice your boundaries: Start by speaking directly with the offender using assertive communication. Share your concerns openly and request that they put an end to their inappropriate actions. If the person doesn’t stop after this conversation, continue with the next items on the list.
- Document incidents: Keep a record of all instances of incivility or bullying at the workplace, including dates, times, locations, individuals involved, and descriptions of the events.
- Use workplace policies: Familiarize yourself with your organization’s anti-bullying policies and reporting procedures and follow these policies to ensure that your concerns are addressed by established guidelines.
- Report to supervisors: Notify your immediate supervisor or manager about the incivility incidents and request that the issue be addressed.
- Seek support: Reach out to human resources, employee assistance programs, or a designated department within your workplace to report incidents.
- Seek legal advice: If the bullying persists and is causing harm, consult with legal counsel or professional associations for guidance on potential legal actions or protective measures that can be taken to ensure your safety and well-being.
* https://www.intelycare.com/career-advice/incivility-in-nursing-how-todays-nurses-can-respond/
These are all ways to combat what you might experience in a negative workplace culture, which hopefully isn’t something you have to deal with often, or at all. But what about the flip side?
Contribute to a Positive Nursing Culture
What defines a positive nursing culture at work might differ for everyone, but there are a few commonalities that all truly supportive environments share:
- Freedom to ask questions
- Rapport with coworkers
- Zero-tolerance policies for gossip
- Celebration of achievements
- Frequent offers to help others
- Gentle criticism
- Ability to speak truthfully
If your workplace has these characteristics, the risk of incivility among staff will be low and the ability to deliver high quality patient care will be high. Work with your employer and coworkers to foster this sort of environment, and everyone will win!