Nursing leadership requires critical thinking and high cognitive ability as one has to make decisions regarding patient care, nurses’ welfare, and team development. Nurse leaders make decisions regarding nursing practice, evidence-based practice, and points of advocacy in my organization.
While nurse leaders focus on ensuring nurses perform per the organization’s expectations, they also advocate for nurses’ and patients’ welfare. For instance, nurse leaders had to advocate for nurses’ safety, especially as they handle COVID-19 patients, ensuring they get the necessary personal protective equipment (Majers & Warshawsky, 2020). Ensuring nurses have adequate personal protective equipment further guarantees patients’ safety and improves the quality of care as there is no transmission of the virus from one patient to another.
Nurse leadership focuses on issues affecting nurses, patients, and the healthcare organization. As a result, effective leadership among nurse leaders secures their decision-making on healthcare setting issues (Sfantou et al., 2017). Effective leaders identify problems in their space, gather views on how these problems can be solved, and communicate the recommendations with nurses and organizational leaders. As a nurse leader, I can be invited to the table and be an active participant in decision-making by demonstrating effective leadership and being proactive in finding amicable solutions to arising issues.
In summary, my organization makes decisions in a centralized manner where leaders decide on the way forward and communicate the recommendations to team members. While this organizational structure appears inclusive for all leaders, only effective leaders take the lead in making critical decisions regarding practice in their areas of practice.
References
Majers, J., & Warshawsky, N. (2020). Evidence-based decision-making for nurse leaders. Nurse Leader, 18(5), 471-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.06.006
Sfantou, D., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A., Sifaki- Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in
healthcare settings: A systematic review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare5040073
REPLY 2
In nursing, proper decision-making is essential because it aids in the collection, storage, and processing of data and the provision of knowledge and information. In carrying out and managing their activities and when working with patients, nurses depend on decisions made across all managerial levels (Namnabati et al., 2017). As one becomes more knowledgeable of the profession’s decision-making process, new responsibilities and tasks emerge in the nursing sector. As a result, nurses will have to choose the right decision that best suits their needs (Ellis, 2017).Because of the scope and variety of nature programs in health care, nursing leaders must first consider the underlying conditions before making any decisions. According to Nammabati et al., (2017) the ability to acquire decision-making skills that are valuable to the profession is dependent on their knowledge of hospital information networks. Decision-makers who play a role in enacting different positions in the hospital hierarchy, such as charge nurses, directors of nursing, and managers, would be able to engage in successful critical decision-making if they are equipped with a thorough understanding of all healthcare processes and structures.Another essential role in nursing is mobilizing the best participants to address sensitive topics in a group setting. In research from Ellis (2017), this role is critical in coordinating data processing and other decision-making in nursing unit communication. Political considerations often influence decisions, and as a result, they may be tainted. Namnabati et al., (2017) found that when employees participate in the decision-making process, a successful method is more likely to develop. For efficient planning and execution, adequate resources such as skills, people, and time must be allocated.Nurses play a critical role in the decision-making process and the appropriate order for communications systems to monitor patient data from the moment of admission until they are discharged by streamlining data processing at each stage of the patient’s hospitalization. Namnabati et al., (2017) argued that the connection between the clinical groups, patients, pharmacists, and physicians, nurses play an essential role in the healthcare setting to collaborate to increase patient outcomes. As members of the hospital’s committee, the nurses are responsible for conducting an audit and making recommendations on the procurement of clinical tools, systems, and essential services (Ellis, 2017). Nurses, in particular, communicate with other practitioners and work with multiple teams of professionals within a hospital. Nurse educators can raise questions about how nurses can gain knowledge and assist in implementing training by supplying valuable resources.In conclusion, decision-making is critical in the area of nursing. By involving nurses in the decision-making process, which are essential resources in streamlining the workflow, some significant opportunities for improving patient safety and patient outcomes improve. As a result, nurses play a crucial role in the executive teams by providing practical options during decision making, which help the healthcare systems efficiently conduct clinical processes and, most importantly, support the nursing staff. They must discuss all of the system’s clinical elements, with a clear understanding of how the system will impact the nurses’ workflow and how the system will improve patient safety while still optimizing the nurses’ productivity.
References Ellis, N. (2017). Decision making in practice: influences, management and reflection. British Journal of Nursing, 26(2), 109–112. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.2.109 (Links to an external site.).Nambabati, M., Taleghani, F., Varzeshnejad, M., Yousefi, A., Karjoo, Z., & Safiri, S. (2017). Nursing Care and Documentation Assistant with an Electronic Nursing Management System in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Iranian Journal of Neonatology, 8(2), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.22038/IJN.2016.7854 (Links to an external site.)