Authors

  1. Wiest, Debra A. MSN, RN, MBA/HCM

Article Content

This issue of Topics in Emergency Medicine focuses on educational, clinical, and administrative innovations in management that contribute to the success of any leader. The first opinion piece, "Are We Giving GNs a Chance?" by Elizabeth Zapata, describes the importance of providing graduate nurses with adequate training and orientation. It describes the current downfalls in practice faced by many managers because of the innate problems with nursing shortages. This piece presents real-life challenges that can be capitalized on in the management of learning opportunities for new nurses and the importance of adequate patient care.

 

The second opinion piece, "Who's In Charge Here?" by Tammey Dick, focuses on one nurse's vision of an ideal manager and the qualities he or she should possess. Illustrating the need for loyalty to staff, trust, and communication, this piece describes traits and characteristics that can allow any manager to become a respected leader.

 

The first article, "What Kind of Leader are YOU? "by Marge Thorne, discusses several researched styles in leadership, focusing primarily on the servant leadership style. The presentation of history-based facts for this style enables the reader to examine his or her own style and determine its effectiveness in daily interactions with staff. This article also offers a detailed list of critical attributes that are necessary for the development of a leader. In addition, this article presents a case model that illustrates the challenges faced by many leaders as well as the requirements for developing into an effective leader.

 

The second article, "What Does It Take to Motivate? A Manager's Motivational Plan" by Debra A. Wiest, offers a motivational plan for any manager while focusing on the basic beliefs of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs model. This article provides researched needs that contribute to the success of managers as well as offers a list of motivational techniques that can be adopted in daily practice. In addition to reviewing the role of the organization in a motivational plan, this article also discusses specific incentives that further contribute to operational success. Its conclusion briefly reviews the purpose for a motivational plan in daily practice.

 

The third article, "Innovations in Management: Establishing Team Behavioral Norms for a Healthy Workplace" by Mickey L. Parsons, Carla Batres, and Clarice Golightly-Jenkins, offers strategies for leaders in the emergency department that promote a healthy work environment during a time when many obstacles are in the forefront of daily operations. Offering a plan of action, this article takes the reader through the process of staff development and behavioral norms that led to successful implementation of this model. Included in this article is a table that outlines the team's behavioral norms, a poster of their behavioral norms, and a sample of an employee recognition plaque.

 

The fourth article, "Examining the Controversy: Patient Satisfaction Surveys in the Emergency Department "by Marc A. Mione, discusses a thorough review of the possible discrepancies seen in the use of standardized patient satisfaction surveys. Recently, survey tools have become a common practice for the measurement of patient satisfaction by management in many healthcare organizations. This article presents various researched opinions pertaining to the accuracy of these tools as well as offers potential alternatives to tracking patient satisfaction.

 

The fifth article, "The Challenges of a Change Agent" by Debra A. Wiest, explores the difficulties faced with everyday change. After presenting a possible case scenario, this article focuses on the leader as a change agent and the qualities needed to be successful. It also discusses the typical resistance to change that occurs and provides a detailed illustration of the transitional process in which people deal with change. In addition, this article discusses researched techniques that will aid any manager in creating an environment that readily welcomes change. This article concludes with a brief summary describing the necessity for change in any environment.

 

The sixth article, "Evidence-based Strategies for the Pharmacological Management of Pediatric Pain During Minor Procedures in the Emergency Department "by Linda Hatfield, Eric R. Messner, and Kelli Lingg, discusses the importance of adequate pain control in the pediatric population. It explores evidence that supports the presence of pain in pediatric patients and the benefits of controlling this pain during minor procedures.

 

The seventh article, "Establishing Evidence-based Standards of Practice for Suicidal Patients in Emergency Medicine" by Stacey Bennett, James Daly, John Kirkwood, Cathy McKain, and Jolynne Swope, discusses the management of suicidal patients in the emergency department setting. Beginning with a realistic case study that could occur in any modern day emergency department, this article explores the difficulties in effectively managing suicidal patients in the emergency department as well as the safety factors associated with this patient population. Offering charts that focus on indicators of suicidal risks, medical clearance, observation room characteristics, and documentation, this article leads the reader through the step-by-step process for the successful care of suicidal patients in the emergency department. In addition, this article provides guidelines that will aid managers in the development of a safe environment for patient care when dealing with this patient population.

 

The eighth article, "Nurses Beliefs and Practices of Family Presence During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Invasive Procedures: Review of Literature" by Tracee Matincheck, is a literature review of studies that focus on the management of family members present during resuscitation efforts and invasive procedures. This article discusses the benefits and drawbacks of this practice as well as offers suggestions for future research related to this topic.

 

The ninth article, "Application of a Decision-Making Model in Clinical Practice" by Debra A. Wiest, examines Marie Nolan's "Improving Patient Care Through Data Competence"1 and assesses the role of nurse managers in the utilization of data competence in daily practice. Focusing on the military arena, this article offers supporting rationale through data competence for patient care management that can be applied to daily nursing practice.

 

The tenth article, "The Necessity of Documentation in Relation to Charges for Emergency Services" by Marc A. Mione, discusses the importance of adequate documentation for reimbursement of charges in the emergency department. With the ongoing growth in healthcare costs, institutions continue to experience economical restraints that directly affect their ability to provide safe patient care. This article explores the management of financial charges and the rationale for this process.

 

The eleventh article, "Innovations in Patient Safety Management: Bedside Nurses Assessment of Near Misses" by Wesley Richardson, offers a case study that focuses on the importance of patient safety in bedside nursing. Beginning with a literature review on near misses, this article leads the reader into a thorough understanding and management of near misses. This article then offers the results of data collection involving near misses and presents detailed statistical findings from the study. Nursing-based theory is then applied to assist managers and researchers in reducing the gap in cognition of near misses as seen through the eyes of staff nurses and the Institute of Medicine. A table illustrating near-miss reporting rates is also included in this article.

 

Finally, the last article, "Impact of Conceptual Nursing Models in a Professional Environment" by Debra A. Wiest, discusses body image, a common concern among many patients in the healthcare environment. This article begins with a brief description of the definition of body image. Focusing on Price's Body Image Model, Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Model, and Roy's Adaptation Model, this article then dissects the contents of the included case scenario and its implications to each model. In its conclusion, this article illustrates the extensive benefits of the use of conceptual models in daily practice.

 

I hope all healthcare professionals reading this issue of Topics in Emergency Medicine are able to utilize the information contained in these articles in their everyday practice. Whether you are someone who has never been a manager before and is still learning the basics or you are an experienced manager who believes he or she has seen it all, this issue offers new perspectives on management issues that can used by anyone. My hope is that all members of the emergency department team will support "innovations in management "through education, practice, and research, and continue to grow in the ever-changing world of healthcare. I also extend a sincere thank-you to all contributors to this issue for their diligence and dedication to the successful production of this Innovations in Management issue of Topics of Emergency Medicine.

 

Debra A. Wiest, MSN, RN, MBA/HCM

 

Issue Editor Nurse Manager, Emergency Department Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, Pa

 

REFERENCE

 

1. Nolan MT. Improving patient care through data competence. Nurs Econ. 2000;18(5):250-254. [Context Link]