Your Voice Matters!

Did you know that as a nurse you can drive change?  Your voice matters.  You are the eyes and ears of the hospital. At the bedside, you are frontline observers and the most trusted profession.

Nurses should be reporting all near misses so we can understand where the problems lie! 

Think about a time when you had a near miss.  Did you report it?

What are the barriers to speaking up?

• We have always done it this way
• Uncertainty of the process channels to report the issue
• You’re a new nurse and unsure where to begin, or whether this concern is even valid
• Internal fear of speaking up

When these near misses occur, this is how you can reframe your thinking:

• Shifting from “fixing the nurse” to fixing the system
• Simplifying processes and standardizing systems are often more effective solutions than adding “more education.”
• Reducing variation in practice

We can take the human factors out of near misses.  Think about these changes that have been made in our nursing care that had a positive impact on our patients:

• Putting hand sanitizer and gloves near the door of patients’ rooms improves hand hygiene.
• Tube feeds and IV supplies were similar, but now they are different, making it safer for the patient.
• Curos caps – takes the 15 second “scrub the hub” away and keeps IV injection ports sanitized
• Stethoscope like Aseptiscope’s sanitizes stethoscopes and prevents infection spread

Interested in continuing this discussion? Enroll in the FREE on-demand webinar, “Your Voice Matters: Driving Clinical Change from the Bedside”, to learn how frontline clinicians can spark real change, starting right where they are. You’ll gain practical insights, renewed motivation, and earn a CE while you’re at it!