The term nursing engagement encompasses the commitment level nurses have for their chosen profession as well as their satisfaction with the organizations where they practice their profession.
Nursing engagement correlates directly with safety, quality, and patient experience performance scores. (1)
Sharing what Works
When you Google, “nursing engagement strategies”, we are grateful and delighted to know that you’ll find MedicalGPS’ article titled, “6 STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING NURSING ENGAGEMENT”, listed towards the top of the first page of the search.
Knowing the article has a high ranking is reassuring to us in that it reaffirms that our readers are indeed finding our blog content useful and are in turn sharing the content with their healthcare colleagues around the country.
We greatly appreciate YOU and your willingness to support us as we work to position healthcare organizations for success by sharing what works.
Six Strategies for Improving Nursing Engagement
Below is an excerpt from “6 STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING NURSING ENGAGEMENT”, which lists each of the six strategies.
1. Acknowledge: Genuinely acknowledge the significance and complexity of the work provided by caregivers.
2. Provide Support: Leaders must create a positive work environment where employees feel valued and supported.
3. Foster Empathy and Trust: Empathy and trust are necessary components of a positive work environment.
4. Support Teamwork: Teamwork is a critical component for success which requires a multidisciplinary team of experts and personnel to provide the very best patient care.
5. Encourage Work/Life Balance: The perception of a positive work/life balance reduces compassion fatigue.
6. Ensure Communication: Communication and transparency are fundamental components of empathy and trust.
Nursing Engagement is Essential
Nursing engagement fosters healthcare quality and reduces medical errors, according to research conducted by Gallup. The same Gallup study found nursing engagement to be the number one predictor of mortality variation across hospitals, even more important than the number of nursing staff.
According to PatientEngagementHIT, part of the Xtelligent Healthcare Media network, in the article title, “How Quality Nursing Care Impacts Patient Satisfaction, Experience”, by Sara Heath, the following quote speaks volumes.
“Nurses have proven essential for driving patient satisfaction and are key to quality patient communication and patient safety efforts.”
The Top Ten
Based on an analysis published by American Nurses Association, titled, “Nurse Engagement: What are the Contributing Factors for Success?”, over 200,000 nurses found ten key drivers that have the largest impact on overall nurse engagement: (2)
1. The organization provides high-quality care and service.
2. The organization treats employees with respect.
3. I like the work I do.
4. The environment at this organization makes employees want to go above and beyond.
5. My pay is fair compared to other healthcare employers in this area.
6. My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
7. I get the tools and resources I need to provide the best care/service.
8. This organization provides career development opportunities.
9. This organization conducts business in an ethical manner.
10. Patient safety is a priority in this organization.
Research clearly demonstrates the importance of nurse engagement and its correlation to patient experience, quality, and patient outcomes. Nursing engagement must remain a strategic priority for healthcare organizations to succeed and remain successful.
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Thank you!
Jerry
Jerry L. Stone
Co-Founder/COO
MedicalGPS, LLC.
References:
(1), (2): American Nurses Association, OIJN, Volume 21 – 2016, “Nurse Engagement: What are the Contributing Factors for Success”