Overview
The discussed scholarly activity is the practice of daily safety huddles in my place of practice. This initiative is a continuation of the previous event attended in DNP-810. The safety huddle was developed to address problems that are influencing care provision in the facility. Each organization designs daily huddles according to their individual needs, accounting for the size of departments and the number of participants. In this case, the primary target market for the activity was nurses working in the establishment, as well as other medical and administrative specialists who collaborate with nurses on a daily basis. This scholarly activity allowed me to exercise my professional leadership qualities, understand the value of collaboration, and test my skills in communication. Moreover, it improved my insight on quality improvement projects and showed me how adequate care provision could be achieved.
Problem
The introduction of daily huddles addressed the primary challenge of patient safety. In hospitals, patients with different health problems may be at risk of additional harm coming from insufficient assistance, low quality or lacking equipment, and poor safety culture. For example, people may fall because their beds and sitting spaces are not protected. When the department is overcrowded, and all beds are occupied, the issue of holding patients in the emergency unit arises as well. Another concern exists for patients with specific difficulties who require increased attention and care. This and other safety problems cannot be solved on a one-time basis, requiring continuous effort and collaboration. They currently lower the quality of care that nurses at the facility can provide. Therefore, it is an issue that affects both patients and nurses, contributing to low scores, stress, and a negative view of the organization. A DNP nurse could provide the knowledge and experience to help other professionals in eliminating these problems.
Solution
Daily safety huddle is the foundation of the intervention for the organization. It is a regular meeting of all department employees to share and discuss the potential safety-related problems occurring in the facility. For example, the issue of falls was brought up to present various solutions and test them to find the most effective one. Then, the idea of safety sitters was introduced, and nurses voiced their opinions about its possible effectiveness. The huddles influenced the organizational culture by encouraging collaboration and open dialogue. Moreover, they supported the principle of justice and fairness for workers and patients. Apart from brief daily meetings, participants devised weekly events and safety alerts for the unit to see which issues can be fixed or controlled by the staff. Finally, it was decided to present all shared information on a large whiteboard, capturing the events of each week to demonstrate progress and stay transparent about the current concerns.
Opportunity
This scholarly activity allowed me to improve my skills and meet the competencies aligned in the course. First of all, referring to the University’s Mission Critical Competencies, I engaged in active discussions during each huddle, which means that I achieved MC1 (Effective Communication). Interprofessional collaboration is an integral part of daily huddles, and nurses share their knowledge and observations to improve care delivery. Second, I worked on MC3 (Responsible Leadership) by assuming the role of a patient advocate to increase patient safety. I also achieved the DNP Domains and Competencies, including DC2 (Leadership and Transformational Change), 2.1, 2.3, and 2.4, in particular. By advocating for equity and justice, I adhered to DC4.4 (Population Management).