An article published earlier this week in the Missoulian discussed the role nurses play in ensuring patient safety and the quality of care that patients receive, as well as patient satisfaction. While nurses are not the only professionals impacting a patient’s care (pharmacists, physicians, dieticians, therapists, nurse’s aides and others), nurses on the front lines often spend 8-12 hours per shift with their patients. They are key decision-makers and observers who can influence both patient outcomes and patient satisfaction.
The piece goes on to outline the importance of effective decision making. The American Association of Critical Care Nurses states that hospitals with high levels of effective decision-making hold nurses as “valued and committed partners in making policy, directing and evaluating clinical care, and leading organizational operations.” There is an active nursing presence from the bedside to the boardroom. This means these organizations adopt models of shared governance in which the nurses at the bedside who deliver care make the decisions about how the care is delivered. Nurses at the executive level support and promote those expert decisions.
We invite you to comment and share if you feel empowered in your role to make effective decisions.
