RESUMO
A pilot project was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the Synergy Model (Curley, 1998) on patient care delivery and professional practice in a hematology unit. Patient characteristics were matched to nurse competency when making the nursing assignments and acuity scores were used to make staffing adjustments. The model resulted in "better fit" assignments, with 87% of nurses reporting their competencies were well matched with patient acuity, compared to 48% before the model implementation. Nurse satisfaction regarding the level of support for novice nurses, involvement in nursing assignments, workload, and engagement also improved. Reduction in safety occurrences and overtime were also observed. The Synergy Model offers a promising framework for improving care delivery and the practice environment in other similar patient populations.
RESUMO
A pilot project was undertaken by an inpatient hematology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit to determine the feasibility of adapting the Synergy Model (Curley, 2007; 1998) to this patient population. During phase one, a patient characteristic tool for measuring complexity, stability, predictability, and participation in care was developed and tested. The tool was found to have strong face validity, high internal consistency, strong construct validity, and moderate inter-rater agreement. A nurse competency assessment was also developed, along with processes for making nursing and Health Care Aid assignments, as well as staffing decisions. The results of the pilot demonstrated that the Synergy Model can be adapted to this population and that it is feasible to use the model in an acute inpatient setting.