In nursing, organizational change is a common process as it is not enough to follow the already prescribed guidelines and recommendations; it is also important to understand how to cooperate with different patients under different conditions. One of the recent major changes at the BayCare facility was the implementation of hourly rounds to reduce patient falls. Many hospitals have high risks of accidental falls and injuries due to patients’ health characteristics and nurse shortages (Di Massimo et al., 2022). Nursing rounds have been proven effective in increasing patient satisfaction and safety and reducing patient falls (Meade et al., 2006). It was time for BayCare nurses to encourage regular rounds, and the outcomes were positive: the number of falls significantly decreased. Still, it was necessary to take multiple steps to successfully promote that intervention and examine its impact on employees and organizational values.
The process for creating a transition from traditional nursing rounds to hourly rounds contained three major steps. First, it was important to introduce and explain change within the organization. Nurses got a clear idea of why they need rounds, what activities should be taken during rounds, and what expectations are related to rounds. The second stage was directed at implementing informative and practical issues. Nurses got a specified protocol to anticipate patients’ concerns because the patient’s perception of care quality depends on how nurses meet their needs (Meade et al., 2006). Finally, nurses had to reflect on the offered idea and share their attitudes toward current benefits and challenges.
The change at BayCare did not take much time, but it had a tremendous impact on nurses. The decision to choose a nurse leader was made to mitigate unnecessary conflicts and predict employee questions. This step helped to embed equity in organizational policies and improve data exchange (Truong et al., 2021). The presence of a nurse leader in a change process is usually associated with high motivation and satisfaction. While the change made some employees worry about their duties and time management, a leader was ready to explain and show a good example.
At the same time, effective management improved the implementation of the change from multiple perspectives. According to Drake (2020), change is inevitable in most cases, and it is necessary to choose a model to manage each decision and activity. At BayCare, management helped recognize and reflect on most organizational values. When nurses were introduced to the coming change, they were able to examine their current problems and realize that something had to be improved. The hourly rounding intervention was not spontaneous, and it had a leader and an evidenced background.
The success of this organizational change may be explained by the size of the company and the number of people involved. Talking about similar changes in a global company, one should admit that one nurse leader or a brief presentation of the event would not be enough. The implementation strategy must be expanded considerably in terms of human resources, communication methods, and equipment. Technological advancement is not cheap, and all employees should be equipped with the necessary devices and aware of how to use them. In small-size organizations, hourly rounds strengthen collaboration between nurses. In global companies, the same intervention might be associated with additional changes in salaries, human resource management, and care quality. Patient fall reduction would no longer be a primary goal in this case.
In conclusion, organizational change, like the implementation of hourly rounds, is not an easy step for many healthcare facilities. While some employees do not face challenges and accept new ideas with enthusiasm and understanding, other workers need additional help and professional leadership. In this post, attention was paid to two key points, change clarity and management, that must be addressed at local and global levels.
References
Di Massimo, D. S., Catania, G., Crespi, A., Fontanella, A., Manfellotto, D., La Regina, M., Carli, S., Rasero, L., Gatta, C., Pentella, G., Bordin, G., Croso, A., Bagnasco, A., Gussoni, G., Campani, D., Busca, E., Azzolina, D., & Molin, A. D. (2022). Intentional rounding versus standard of care for patients hospitalised in internal medicine wards: Results from a cluster-randomised nation-based study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(14). Web.
Drake, K. (2020). Change is inevitable. Nursing Management, 51(7), 56. Web.
Meade, C. M., Bursell, A. L., & Ketelsen, L. (2006). Effects of nursing rounds: On patients’ call light use, satisfaction, and safety. The American Journal of Nursing, 106(9), 58-70.
Truong, M., Bourke, C., Jones, Y., Cook, O., & Lawton, P. (2021). Equity in clinical practice requires organisational and system-level change – The role of nurse leaders. Collegian, 28(3), 346-350. Web.