Introduction
As a registered nurse, it is my job not only to provide the best patient care but to also support the workflow of the hospital where I am employed and help my colleagues when needed. Healthcare policies can be viewed as guidelines to make performance better, facilitate engagement among nurses, and manage administrative processes. There are many known specific healthcare issues that are addressed by the healthcare policies, and I should use them to influence our local personnel policies, as well.
Discussion
For example, I could educate my colleagues on the official guidelines for managing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and decreasing the risks of their emergence. CAUTI remains the most common type of healthcare-associated infection and accounts for 34% of all healthcare-associated infections (Hu et al., 2018). This is a serious problem that should be addressed on all levels of healthcare, and I would like to use officially approved interventions in my work with personnel. The introduction of nurses’ checklist documentation could significantly improve patient outcomes and empower our nursing staff (Hernandez et al., 2019). Thus, I intend to apply approved healthcare policies to ensure that the personnel of the hospital are well-equipped to deal with that problem.
Another example of using healthcare policy in influencing personnel policies is the facilitation of physician-nurse experience and knowledge exchange. I know from practice that often, nurses and doctors tend to separate in terms of continuous education, and that is an issue I would like to address in my future role. Shinners (2019) explains that “during formal continuing education, conventional patterns remained – physicians would educate physicians, and nurses educated nurses” (p. 191).
Conclusion
Interprofessional education, where healthcare workers from different fields can engage in each other’s education, is, in my opinion, crucial for all professionals in the medical field. Thus, I would suggest that doctors and nurses exchange their experiences too – it could lead to a greater amount of useful insights for both parties.
References
Hernandez, M., King, A., & Stewart, L. (2019). Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention and nurses’ checklist documentation of their indwelling catheter management practices. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 35(1), 29-42. Web.
Hu, F.-W., Shih, H.-I., Hsu, H.-C., Chen, C.-H., & Chang, C.-M. (2018). Dynamic changes in the appropriateness of urinary catheter use among hospitalized older patients in the emergency department. PLOS ONE, 13(3). Web.
Shinners, J. (2019). Continuing education and professional development: Making the connection. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 50(5), 191–192. Web.