Introduction
The current environment of the healthcare industry provides many challenges to individuals, which present a need to improve one’s knowledge and approaches to work. Nursing philosophy is a statement that reflects an establishment’s views on the professions and should encourage medical professionals to use evidence-based practices (EBP) in their daily work. For establishments to foster an environment where EBP is the primary approach to healthcare, leaders should create appropriate education systems and practice guidelines. This paper aims to review SSM Health’s mission, vision, and values statements and provide a reflection on their compliance with EBP.
Main body
Examination of strategic claims created for the nursing personnel provides an understanding of whether those comply with the EBP standards. According to the SSM Health organization’s mission is as follows – “through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God” (“Our mission & values,” n.d.). The initial statement does not directly indicate that SSM’s employees should focus on EBP and continues learning to improve their knowledge.
However, in regards to quality claims, the organization states that “decision-making by facts” and “continuous quality improvement” are essential in their work (“Our mission & values,” n.d.). Thus, it is evident that SSM Health understands the importance of EBP and creates an environment, which encourages staff members to gain additional knowledge.
It is evident that SSM’s culture emphasizes religious beliefs as the primary objective for activities. However, the organization clearly states the importance of EBP by encouraging nurses to use facts when making decisions in regard to their patients. The component that lacks representation in the philosophy claims of SSM is continuous learning that would provide nurses with additional motivation to gain new knowledge.
According to Dearlholt and Dang (2015), the nursing philosophy statement should be used as a strategy to foster a proper culture for nurses within a particular organization. The authors determine several factors that should be present in such a statement, the first one being a focus on lifelong learning.
As was previously mentioned, the first component is not well represented in SSM’s nursing philosophy statement. The second factor is an acknowledgment of accountability for actions, supported by the work environment (Dearlholt & Dang, 2015). SSM includes this as part of their values, by emphasizing fact-based decision making. The statement can be further improved by presenting the importance of accountability for the nursing personnel. The final factor that organizations should consider is setting a goal that would ensure patient outcomes improvement through EBP.
The component mentioned above is well presented in the SSM values statement. The organization dedicated a specific paragraph to address quality concerns and patient-centered practices. These principles include prioritizing customers, achieving a high quality of care by empowering employees, and ensuring the understanding that all aspects of a nurse’s work are essential (“Our mission & values,” n.d.). However, SSM can further advance the philosophy by mentioning EBP and its importance in caring for patients. Additionally, EBP implies the need to continually update one’s knowledge, which can also be used to improve the current statements. However, in general, the third component is well represented in SSM’s values.
Conclusion
Overall, SMM provides a clear and easy-to-understand nursing philosophy statement. The organization implies that EBP should be used by emphasizing the need to use facts when making decisions. However, further improvements can be performed by presenting the importance of lifelong learning and the necessity to account for one’s actions. These components can help SSM ensure that the medical personnel can improve the health outcomes of patients through EBP.
References
Dearholt, S., & Dang, D. (Eds.). (2015). John Hopkins nursing – Evidence-based practice: Model and guidelines (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
Our mission & values. (n.d.). Web.