Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker

[Institution]

“When I was working as an Intensive Care Unit Nurse Supervisor, one of my focus was to reduce the number of hospital acquired infections (HAIs). This is because in general knowledge and based on our observation, my unit was becoming the favorite breeding ground of opportunistic pathogens given that most of our patients are immunocompromised. Aside from noticing it, we've confirmed the matter through collaborating with the Infection Control Department and Informatics Department, we utilized the electronic health records (EHRs) to determine the prevalence rate of HAIs in our unit over a certain period of time (2 years), the type of HAIs that were common, and their causative factors. Turns out that from the knowledge that we derived from that data, the rate was somewhat alarming and that the common HAIs we had were Catheter- Associated Infection, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection, and a few others more caused by microorganisms such as A.Bau, C.Diff, MRSA, Klebsiella, and more (Glassman, 2017).

Using my clinical judgment and reasoning as the nurse leader (supervisor), I utilized this knowledge to initiate an extensive form of research (with partnership with stakeholders such as the Infection Control Department and Infectious Disease Specialists in our hospitals) so as to prevent HAIs in our unit. I performed review of evidence-based researches, bench-marking (from best practices of local and international hospitals), eliciting expert opinions, and more to address and solve this problem. As a result, an action plan was formulated and incorporated in our policy such as additional assessment and documentation for monitoring of the potential development of HAIs (e.g. changing the contraptions on a certain prescribed time), antibiotic stewardship, strict aseptic measures, proper cohorting of patients, active screening, firm surveillance approaches (with the ICD), continuous educational updates regarding infection control, and changes on the regulations regarding the staff members' attire (e.g. physician's coat should be hung outside the unit, nurses should change uniforms when entering the premises, and other healthcare workers should wear appropriate PPEs to prevent cross contamination from other patients they have visited). As a result, the incidences of HAIs in our unit became significantly lower within a year and was apparent prior the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data is highly relevant in nursing practice because it reflects the current healthcare outcomes. Informatics also plays an important role because it allows easier access of these data. This becomes the nurses' and the nurse leaders' basis for improvement of safety and quality of care (Glassman, 2017), allowing the initiation of the first step of the nursing process which is the assessment; where problems and needs are identified. From there, appropriate planning and interventions are performed to address them, ensuring that care is resulted from evidence-based and patient-centered care.”

References

Glassman, K. S. (2017, November 8). Using data in nursing practice. American Nurse. https://www.myamericannurse.com/using-data-nursing-practice/.