Nursing Essay Example: Appropriate Communication Techniques for Nurse Managers

The most effective and probably reliable approach regarding effective communication within healthcare organizations is the establishment of an open door policy. Given that a nurse manager is expected to be the focal point of contact insofar as inquiries are concerned, it is essential to create the impression that the nurse leader is available to offer assistance. Thus, the open door policy would be instrumental in encouraging the staff to raise concerns at their convenience. On the other hand, if the manager is deemed as being unapproachable, the team members might be afraid of escalating issue as they arise leading to the prospect of adverse problems (Riley, 2015). Moreover, the nurse leader may employ the use of empathy and active listening skills during communication with team members as it is essential in fostering cordial relationships amongst professionals. Equally important is the fact that the nurse leader ought to incorporate the use of a positive demeanor and tone which will help reinforce communication channels including the reduction of the risk of defensiveness and hostility.

Expecting Perfection versus Honoring Excellence

More often than not, health care providers are left distraught and embarrassed by their mistakes, and they commonly make attempts to defend themselves by shifting blame or concealing their errors. In such instances, the application of ethical frameworks is necessary when mistakes occur as it incorporates aspects such as patient autonomy, fidelity, beneficence, and non-maleficence in reporting and disclosure of policies. The integration of moral principles assists providers in accepting responsibilities for errors, discussing and reporting errors including the revelation of the errors to patients while apologizing for the errors (Porter-Ogrady, 2015). On the other hand, honoring excellence in the nursing profession would incorporate the dynamic process of combining the ideal theoretical and practical knowledge in patient-centered care. Moreover, it includes the proficiency of promoting the health and well-being through illness continuum. Equally important is the fact that excellence involves caring in actin which is instrumental in the achievement of optimized health outcomes for the patient, system and registered nurse.

Preventable Errors

Research indicates that the most severe medical errors emanate from management practices, rule violations, and non-standardised nursing practices. The type of errors identified includes omission or delay in administration of medications, errors in diagnostic tests and malfunctioning equipment. An ideal structure for dealing with these errors involved the incorporation of an electronic health register (EHR). An appropriate EHR system incorporates a conglomeration of a patients information since the first attendance at a health facility (Unver, Tastan & Akbayrak, 2012). Additionally, the report concerning the patient is entered electronically by a clinician at the point of care, and this process continues throughout a clients lifetime. Perhaps the most significant achievement of the EHR structure is the convenient access to information that is readily available and may be accessed by multiple professionals at the same time.

References

Porter-Ogrady, S. P. T. (2015). Leadership in nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Riley, J. B. (2015). Communication in nursing. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Unver, V., Tastan, S., & Akbayrak, N. (2012). Medication errors: perspectives of newly graduated and experienced nurses. International journal of nursing practice, 18(4), 317-324.