How Can Organizations Support a Culture of Care?

Providing care is central to the operations of health care organizations. This article discusses how organizations can create a culture of care. It also identifies key elements that health care organizations can implement to build a culture that nurtures both patients and employees. Additionally, the article examines the benefits of implementing practices that demonstrate compassion toward both employees and patients. This article explores the significance of creating and supporting a culture of care for both patients and employees in health care organizations. Finally, the article identifies prevalent practices that contribute to a culture of care.

Transformational Leadership Meets Innovative Strategy: How Nurse Leaders and Clinical Nurses Redesigned Bedside Handover to Improve Nursing Practice.

In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, highlighting medical errors resulting from failure in perception, assumption, and communication. The handover process is a high-risk activity prone to the communication vulnerabilities described in the IOM report. The handover project started as a 3-month pilot with plans to expand to the entire facility. The handover education had 4 elements: questionnaire, presentation, video, and simulation. Compliance with the new process was measured using audits completed by the unit managers. Sixty-four registered nurses on 2 acute units were educated by nurse champions. After a successful implementation, the surge of COVID-19 patients in spring of 2020 required us to adjust expectations regarding bedside handover. As the number of hospitalized COVID patients began to decrease, we reinvigorated the project and re-established the expectation that handover be performed at the bedside. A post-questionnaire was completed after implementation and revealed more favorable responses toward bedside handover. We also saw improvements in our patient satisfaction scores (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems [HCAHPS]). With direct observation and a checklist, we were able to return to the practice of bedside handover following the surge of COVID-19 patients. As a direct result of the bedside RN involvement, we created and implemented a handover process that prioritized nursing needs and concerns. Our implementation of this evidence-based practice enhanced patient experience and improved safety. Through education, observational audits, and use of a checklist, we were able to re-establish the expectation and practice of handover being completed at the bedside.

Using a Mentorship Approach to Address the Underrepresentation of Ethnic Minorities in Senior Nursing Leadership.

Healthcare organizations must be intentional and purposeful in creating diversity programs. A nursing leader mentorship program for racial and ethnic minority nurse managers was introduced at a large academic medical center to meet this need. The program design was based on the successful Leadership Institute for Black Nurses, first conducted at a university school of nursing. The participants in the 4-month program were 16 nurse managers from 2 city hospitals and their mentors.

The Impact of African-American Nurses: How the Implementation of a Community-Based Model Increased Vaccination Rates in Marginalized Communities in NYC.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequity and injustice that African-Americans and those in minority communities face when it comes to their fundamental health rights. The prejudice they see in social situations, politics, and finances has resulted in unfair, organized, and socially manufactured health inequities, especially in those minority communities in New York City. These disparities result in a mistrust of the healthcare system and, ultimately, hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines. To combat these issues, healthcare leaders such as those from the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association have partnered with community organizations to combat racism in our healthcare system and establish and successfully operate vaccination sites in these communities. These efforts led to the inoculation of over 22,000 people with COVID-19 vaccines. This shows that African-American nurse leaders are best suited to address the healthcare disparities that African-Americans face, especially during public health emergencies, and guide the conversation on racial equity in healthcare.