I work as a nurse in a relatively new hospital in California; hence, I have experienced a lot of organizational change as the hospital gradually adjusts. Among the monumental recent changes affecting both myself and fellow nurses involved a shift in hospital policy regarding patient refusal of treatment. As nurses, we are trained to be clinicians, friends, and champions for our patients (Arnold & Boggs, 2019). These three roles include, in my understanding doing whatever it takes to meet the best interests of the patient. However, nursing is also governed by state and federal laws, which include a provision for patients to decline treatment, a choice that clinicians are supposed to respect. A recent change in my hospital entailed a zero-tolerance policy to non-adherence to patient demands.
The change process did not go well for the nursing staff, more so those involved in emergency care. A recommendation that nurses always seek to respect the choices made by patients including declining treatment may have been acceptable. However, a zero-tolerance policy was a recipe for disaster, or so did most of my colleagues feel. Management explained that with the hospital being relatively new, one massive lawsuit could be debilitating. In seeking to help one patient, we may end up jeopardizing the opportunity to help all our other patients.
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Through the circumspect application of effective communication and change theory, the hospital management was able to push through with the change process. Effective communication, in this case, was two-way in nature, as leaders sought to establish the fundamental reasons for opposing the proposed change (Butt, Naaranoja & Savolainen, 2016; Udod & Wagner, 2018). Effective communication was then utilized to change our minds regarding the pertinent issues. The change process was never smooth and a few nurses left the hospital. However, within a few months, we had adjusted to the new system and embraced it as a standard procedure for the instant and future dispensation.
References
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2019). Interpersonal Relationships E-Book: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses . New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Butt, A., Naaranoja, M., & Savolainen, J. (2016). Project change stakeholder communication. International Journal of Project Management , 34 (8), 1579-1595.
Udod, S., & Wagner, J. (2018). Common Change Theories and Application to Different Nursing Situations. Leadership and Influencing Change in Nursing .
