Abstract
Creativity is a welcome concept in nursing practice. Creativity often has been shown to provide solution to a situation that shows dismal patient outcome. Despite the benefit creativity confers to nursing practice, spread of creative practice often encounters obstacle. Nevertheless, there are specific steps that organization and leaders can take to ensure the spread of a beneficial creativity. Examples of creativity discussed herein, are use of décor and portrays in rooms and corridors; and use of toys, CDs, massagers among others. In conclusion, creativity suits especially nurse leaders, as their subordinate look up to them in situation where there is no progress in delivery of service or in one that exhibit dismal patient outcome.
Can Nurse Creativity Improve Patient Outcome?
The current nurse must show the ability to apply creativity during practice in case know protocols fail to elicit positive patient outcomes. Although nurses often use creativity in nursing practice, they rarely recognize it. These bouts of creativity often pass unnoticed, although they contribute significantly in generating positive outcomes in patients.
Use of décor in patients’ rooms and hospital corridors is assumed to stimulate positive mood from the patients that may increase their compliance to treatment regimen and subsequent patient satisfaction (Farid 92). This creativity can be spread among the staff working in a unit to make the benefit universal in the entire unit. Nonetheless, scarcity of resources may hinder the spread of the creativity to other units and throughout the facility eventually. Thus, the organization must support creative works of nurses and perhaps even develop them as guideline.
Another example of use creativity in nursing include use of CDs, CD players, coloring crayons, toys, books, and massagers for pediatric and patients in labor. These equipments act to distract patients and make their suffering bearable (Jenkins, Calabria and Edelheim 5). Nurses can also design bags with gifts for the patients and their families as a gesture of gratitude for choosing the organization. In turn, this gesture acts to increase patient satisfaction and portray the nursing staff as caring and loving staff, thereby making the organization appealing to them. This can be developed into the organizational culture.
Adoption of such creative practices is often impeded by various factors that can be classified into organizational and individual. Despite the potential of most creative practice to increase patient satisfaction, other nursing staff may develop antagonism to the creative practice developed by colleague perhaps because of spite or reluctance to expend individual efforts. In such, cases the leader can greatly help to alleviate resistance and promote collaboration among staff. They can support the adoption of creative practice by supplying the resources required to implement the practice. Colleagues who embrace the creative practice may contribute by supplying gift bags, décor or portrays (Farid 93). Thus, this response serves to spread it to co-workers, leaders and administrators.
The responses for creative approaches are often encouraging. The patients and the staff often elicit positive feedback. Both the patients and the colleagues may get captivated by the décor and portrays on the walls and corridor. This response often reinforces patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, not all nurses may be at ease with the concept of creativity in nursing practice. Yet, they may need a well designed plan to aid them in applying this concept to improve their practice. In fact, every day at work should be viewed as an opportunity to apply creativity. Creativity can be as basic as altering schedules and organizing teaching around visitor hours. Regardless of the level of creativity, nurse should be very confident applying the concept in practice. Creativity may also be related to critical thinking in which a nursing staff proposes new ideas and alternatives in decision-making (Kelly and Tazbir 117).
In conclusion, an RN experience serves as a platform for use of creativity in nursing practice, wherein the individual thinks outside the box. The ability to apply this concept in nursing relates to the position the nurse occupies. Nurse leaders are expected to use more creativity in situations that demand change of protocol when an existing one does not yield positive outcome (Kelly 87). Therefore, creativity in nursing practice often provides a breakthrough in situation where the staff often seems to have reached the end.
Works Cited
Farid, Ingy Mohamed. Development of a model for healthcare service quality: An application to the private healthcare sector in Egypt. Dissertation. 2008.
Jenkins, John, et al. Service quality and communication in emergency department waiting rooms: case studies at four New South Wales hospitals. Thesis. 2011.
Kelly, Patricia and Janice Tazbir. Essentials of Nursing Leadership & Management. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013.
Kelly, Patricia. Nursing leadership & Management. New York: John Miller, 2008.