Achieve Better Patient Care with Lippincott Nursing (Part 2)
Lynn Howe RN, MS, CEN, CCRN Executive Director, Competency Solutions, HealthStream
Designed by clinical nurses for clinical nurses, Lippincott’s Nursing Procedures and Skills helps improve and standardize patient care. As a resource and reference for nursing practice, LNPS contains nearly one thousand images and videos that improve comprehension and execution. Quick lists provide a brief refresher for nurses when care time is critical. How can LNPS support your nurses’ effectiveness and improve outcomes for patients?
LNPS validates unit-specific scope of practice.
In many organizations the policy and procedure manual focuses primarily on medical-surgical procedures. Specialty care units traditionally maintain separate and unique policies that reflect a unit-specific scope of practice. The lack of a centralized location often results in conflicting duplicate policies and procedures, leading to frustration among the staff and increased chance of error due to outdated and inconsistent information. LNPS easily becomes a consistent point of care reference. The flexibility of unlimited category features permits healthcare organizations to add additional categories and assign policies and procedures unique to each unit based on the unit’s individualized scope of practice.
LNPS assists with advanced preparation for time-sensitive procedures.
Time-sensitive procedures are a small subset of clinical interventions that must be performed immediately and typically in emergency situations. Staff members’ uncertainty of the appropriate procedure will bring chaos to an already critical situation. Nursing staff must prepare to immediately respond to high risk situations that require split second nursing intervention to ensure positive patient care outcomes. Contradictory to established best practices that advocate consulting the policy and procedure manual prior to performing low volume, high risk procedures, time-sensitive procedures such as defibrillation or replacement of a displaced tracheotomy tube require instantaneous intervention.
LNPS permits the healthcare organization to flag these procedures as critical. Advanced preparation may contribute to a patient's favorable outcome. The integration of procedures with the HealthStream Learning Center permits assignment and tracking and mastery of these high risk emergency procedures proactively prior to a high risk situation occurring on the clinical unit, resulting in improved patient outcomes.
LNPS supports Novice to Expert Career Ladders.
LNPS includes a formal means of generating feedback about policies and procedures from the nurses who provide bedside care. Procedures are rated by current users allowing for adjustments to policies and procedures that become problematic after implementation. LNPS has been created with currently practicing nursing representing the full range from novices to experts to help ensure that policies and procedures are written at a level that any new staff member can understand.
LNPS nurtures nurses from the outset of their professional career. Novice, entry level and advanced beginners benefit by having a point of care reference at the bedside as they refine the essential tasks and behaviors required to safely deliver care to patients. Competent nurses are frequently called upon to mentor and preceptor less experienced staff members. Teaching new staff to incorporate LNPS into daily practice helps ease the transition form college to the professional work environment, as well as lead to increased employee satisfaction. Proficient and expert nurses participate in a systematic and evidence-based approach to policy development, evaluating the latest research finding available through Lippincott’s Nurse Advisor. As staff nurses advance along the clinical ladder, they develop higher-level behaviors, such as involvement in reviewing standards, creating policies or procedures, learning or refining presentation skills, and participating in the problem-solving process.
LNPS supports a peer review process.
Nurses are accountable for their individual competence, and they can evaluate their peers. Such efforts are intrinsic to self-regulation, autonomy, and accountability. Peers performing the same role with the accompanying complexities, policies, and procedures are the best judge of the competency of their co-workers. Who is better able to evaluate an employee’s performance than someone who performs the same job role? Feedback from peers enables the manager to remove his/her own subjectivity when evaluating an employee. Skills check lists available within LNPS help promote peer-to-peer feedback and validate mastery of technical skill proficiency.
LNPS supports a Magnet® journey.
Using evidence to guide clinical practice is important to patient outcomes, yet it can be challenging in a healthcare environment burdened with competing demands on time and resources. Having tools and guidelines available for busy professionals may be helpful in promoting the use of research findings in practice. ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® requirements ask for evidence that demonstrates the integration of research and EBP into clinical and operational processes. This approach to policy development demonstrates how EBP is integrated into clinical processes. Magnet® designation and re-designation require full implementation of an EBP model.
LNPS affects organizational outcomes.
Other overall benefits of LNPS are enhanced commitment to progressive nursing practice and less reliance on education and administrative support for improvements in practice. Customized procedures also contribute to increased staff empowerment by providing staff members an increased sense of ownership in their specialty practices. Standardization creates greater collaboration between nursing disciplines and units.
Integration on transcripts verifies that staff has reviewed new and updated policy revisions. Better patient care results from increased awareness of up-to-date policies and procedures and from a heightened sense of accountability to keep current about changes in clinical practice.
HealthStream is not a part of nor endorsed by the Magnet Recognition Program of the American Credentialing Center. The Magnet Recognition Program and ANCC Magnet Recognition names and logos are registered trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet™, Journey to Nursing Excellence™, and National Magnet Conference™ are trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center. All rights reserved
Learn more about Lippincott’s Nursing Procedures and Skills.