The World Health Organization (WHO) describes a healthy workplace as a place that “provides all members of the workforce with physical, psychological, social, and organizational conditions that protect and promote health.”
If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the Creating Healthy Work Environments virtual conference last week, check out these influential presentations!
Addressing the Opioid Treatment Gap With an Interprofessional Team Approach
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Purpose: Of the more than 70,000 people who died of an overdose in 2017 in the United States, 68% involved opioid drugs, prescription or illicit. Opioid overdose has seen a steady increase in every age group in the US, despite the attention given by national initiatives and public awareness. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019) estimates a 22% increase in the need for health professionals trained to treat substance use disorders. The purpose of this study is to address this treatment gap by designing an effective interprofessional team approach training for current providers to treat opioid use.
Conclusion: Opioid use in the United States is a current and relevant issue for primary care providers to assess and treat effectively in a variety of settings. An interprofessional team approach allows the strengths of each discipline to complement one another for the benefit of patients affected by opioid use, misuse, or overdose. Effective training using a team approach to opioid-related care can meet the needs of current health providers and ensure better patient outcomes. Our design is easily replicated for increasing the number of health providers in our workforce trained for opioid issues.
Authors:
- Diane K. Brown, PhD, MSN
School of Nursing, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Member of Sigma’s Delta Omega Chapter
- Rikki Patton, PhD, Counseling
College of Health Professions, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
- Jennifer Drost, DO, MPH
Department of Geriatrics, Summa Health System, Akron, OH, USA
- Susan Hazelett, MS, BSN
Research, Summa Health System, Akron, OH, USA
Guidelines for the Implementation of Community Service for Newly Qualified Nurses
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Purpose: In South Africa, newly qualified nurses are expected to serve in public health services for 12 months preregistration. The program is referred to as community service. It is considered important in facilitating and supporting the development and integration of newly qualified nurses into the workplace and the profession. The program also helps new nurses to learn nursing skills. However, literature alludes that there are no guidelines regarding implementation of community service. The purpose of the study was to develop guidelines for the implementation of community service.
Conclusion: The objective of this study was successfully achieved. Guidelines were essential to address areas that resulted in challenges during implementation. Stakeholders were included for validation. Guidelines were extended to include nursing education institutions and clearly highlighted responsibilities of new nurses and professional nurses.
Authors:
- Paulina Dora Mabusela, Masters
Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Tshwane, South Africa
Member of Sigma’s Chi Xi at-Large Chapter
- Tendani Sara Ramukumba, D Tech Nursing, Msc Nursing
Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
Member of Sigma’s Chi Xi at-Large Chapter
US Educated Versus Internationally Educated Nurses’ Perceptions of Collaboration and Joy and Meaning in Work
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Purpose: Prior research has found that internationally educated nurses often face discrimination and professional differences in their new country. In the United Kingdom, qualitative research has uncovered themes of discrimination, undervaluing their skills, and communication difficulties among internationally educated nurses. Our purpose was to compare internationally educated nurses’ perceptions of collaborative relationships and joy and meaning in work versus the perceptions of nurses educated in the US.
Conclusion: Internationally educated nurses are an important component of the US healthcare workforce. In our study, internationally educated nurses rated their collaborative relationships and joy and meaning in work higher compared to US educated nurses. These findings are in contrast to other studies that have found poor communication with colleagues, but are similar to a study of Filipino nurses in the US who showed satisfaction with respect from physicians and other colleagues.
Authors:
- Danielle Olds, PhD
School of Nursing, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA
Member of Sigma’s Alpha Mu Chapter and Delta Chapter
- Emily Cramer, PhD
School of Nursing, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA
Ethical Dilemmas, Perceived Risk, and Motivation Among Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Purpose: The research has three main purposes: to evaluate nurses' perceived risk and their motivation to work during the COVID-19 outbreak; to explore nurses' attitudes on various ethical dilemmas which are relevant to the pandemic; and to examine motivational factors to working during the pandemic and their implications on the nursing career.
Conclusion: Correlating to their strong commitment to care, nurses show no intention to leave the profession despite their stress, high perceived risk, and feeling of insufficient support and protection at work. Nurses do not hold a utilitarian approach of resource allocation, thereby acknowledging the worth of every human being and their entitlement to care, regardless of its best outcomes. While experiencing significant personal risk and emotional burden, nurses show strong dedication to provide care and do not regret working in the nursing profession while seeking supportive climate for their needs and ethical concerns.
Author:
- Daniel Sperling, S.J.D.
Department of Nursing, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
When COVID-19 Calls... Who Will Answer?
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Purpose: During the initial and subsequent waves of COVID-19 across the nation, many healthcare leaders struggled to make sense of the chaos from a financial, medical, and public health perspectives. Some hospitals made radical decisions to furlough and lay off large volumes of registered nurses in the wake of drastically reduced, in-patient volumes. In fact, many countries struggled to stay afloat. However, a mid-size hospital in the Permian Basin of Texas took a bold stance against furloughs, demonstrated effective decision making, and reassigned displaced nursing teams to “answer” the call to action.
Conclusion: Several thousand individuals were provided COVID-19 tests without concern of insurance, and a dozen nurses were given a new purpose in a state of chaos. While the perioperative nurses have now returned to their corresponding operative areas, the memory of a cohesive, innovative, and dedicated team will not be forgotten.
Author:
- Diana Ruiz, DNP, RN, CNE, PHNA-BC, CCTM, CWOCN, NE-BC
Center for Advancing Professional Excellence, Midland Memorial Hospital, Odessa, TX, USA