Adopting AACN Essential Standards for Improving Working Environment and Nurse Engagement in Intensive Care Units (Research Paper Sample)

Adopting AACN Essential Standards for Improving Working Environment and Nurse Engagement in Intensive Care Units
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Abstract
Essential standards include skilled communication, collaboration, effective decision making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition and authentic leadership. There is a need for nurses to deploy evidence-based practice to assure quality and patient-centered care. This study will examine the impact of adopting the AACN essential standards towards improving patient outcomes in the intensive care units using surveys for data collection.
KEYWORDS
AACN essential standards, Patient-centered care, evidence-based care
Introduction
The safety of patients is a priority for nurses, physicians and other disciplines in health care and requires a commitment to excellence, teamwork and a willingness to exceed expectations in meeting patient and family needs. Building a positive work environment promotes an atmosphere where medical professionals work together to achieve positive outcomes (Kelly et al., 2013). However, active work environments are not the reality in all hospitals and healthcare settings and can often lead to low staff morale, lack of teamwork, poor outcomes and a lack of patient satisfaction with the patient experience.
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been a leader in addressing the issues that contribute to negative work environments in Intensive Care Units for over a decade. In reference to Blake (2013), collaboration is a vital element in achieving healthy work environments and excellent patient outcomes. Nurses are thus expected to work hard towards facilitating true collaboration in their normal field of service.
Background and Literature Review
In reference to Melnyk et al. (2014), the evidence-based practice offers an approach to solving problems through integrating the evidence obtained from well-designed studies. Fleischman, Meyer, and Watson (2011) demonstrated a relationship between the nurse’s perception of patient-centered care and certification. This gives nurses enhanced clinical expertise and autonomy over practice besides providing a way to practice for ultimate treatment outcomes. The AACN Synergy framework for patient care promises optimum patient outcomes when nurse competencies and patient characteristics are in synergy. Various patient traits and nurse competencies are incorporated into the nursing curriculum to nurture critical thinking.
Pearson et al. (2007) examine the best evidence on the use of leadership skills in nursing thought to contribute to the growth of a healthy working environment. In such workplaces, nurses have to be involved in decision making, positive inter-staff relationships, and free practice. Besides, workplace environment is also characterized by the promotion of good physical and mental health by the care providers to the patients.
In reference to Reed (2008), about five million patients in the US are admitted in critical care units annually. Cases commonly handled including more acute and life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, hemodynamic abnormalities, multiple-system organ failure and shock have risen hence calling for teams to provide excellent patient-centered care.
The retention of nurses, job satisfaction, and patient care outcomes are influenced by the status of the critical care working environments (Ulrich et al., 2014). In reference to Schmalenberg and Kramer (2008), medical errors pose a significant threat to the safety of patients, and registered nurses are considered vital in intercepting the mistakes before they harm the patient. Better practice environments in intensive care settings are thus required to enhance error interception. Pearson et al. (2007) argue for patient-centered care, good working environments should be provided to prevent the incidence of transmission of health care-associated infections amongst the patients in intensive care.
Problem statement
Unhealthy working conditions in the intensive care units lead to conflict amongst the interrelated medical professions, costly medical errors and the inability to achieve positive treatment outcomes.
Research Objectives
To examine the influence of the 6 AACN essential standards for improving patient-centered care.
To identify possible obstacles to evidence-based practice
Research Methodology
Method
The study seeks to deploy the survey instrument developed by the AACN. In reference to AACN (2005), the Critical care Nurse Work Environment Survey is made up of three parts entailing the vital components of a healthy work environment scale, questions to explore the environmental components in greater detail as well as questions on the demographics of the participant and the employing institution.
First section of the survey will incorporate 32 items and will also seek information concerning challenges faced in adopting the AACN standards to create a healthy working environment. Second, a series of sixty-two queries will explore the work environment in greater detail thus obtaining responses to the level of participant’s awareness of the standards in question. Lastly, 29 items will be used to collect the demographic data on the participants and their organization.
Analysis
The study will determine the descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, percentages, and frequencies) for the scalar variables. For categorical variables, modal values, percentages and rates can be calculated. Responses will then be cross-tabulated against demographic vari...