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Keywords

Nursing Resource Team, Float, staffing shortage

Disciplines

Nursing

Description

The Nursing Resource Team (NRT) is a vital division within William Beaumont University Hospital that allows both nurses and nursing support staff to float between all units of the organization, thus bridging staffing shortages and optimizing patient care outcomes. Nursing support staff within the NRT are the primary source of constant observers for both medical safety patient cases and suicidal patient cases hospital wide. Constant observers play a vital role in patient safety by providing 1:1 care to a patient requiring continuous monitoring for high-risk safety or suicidal precautions. Communication between nursing personnel and the constant observation staff is crucial, contributing to improved outcomes and overall safety. “Nurse communication…affects the provision of effective health care, with the ability to create good cooperative relationships and foster trust between professions in order to improve the quality of service delivery and patient safety” (Wieke et. al., 2021).

In April 2023, the NRT Professional Nurse Council (PNC) conducted a survey questionnaire to all constant observers within the hospital over the course of a 15-day period. The survey consisted of 3 questions that focused on the constant observer receiving report on the assigned patient. After the survey was completed, a thorough data analysis was performed and the NRT PNC met to determine a plan of action.

Based on the survey results, the NRT PNC agreed there was an educational need hospital-wide to review and reinforce the constant observation policy amongst nursing personnel and nursing leadership. Further, it was decided that a practice alert would be beneficial to provide additional education regarding the expectations for RN and CO communication for all constant observation cases hospital wide.

The 3 primary goals of this project:

1.) Promote patient and staff safety with correct and timely communication.

2.) Clarify expectations and responsibilities related to report.

3.) Improve culture and safety scores throughout the organization

Publication Date

5-6-2024

Comments

Nurses Week at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Royal Oak, MI, May 6-12, 2024.

Culture of Safety – Constant Observation Communication Project

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