Introduction
A healthy work environment refers to a work setting that is safe, satisfying and empowering. It does not simply refers to an environment that is characterized by an absence of both perceived and real threats but in actual sense refers to place of physical, social and mental wellbeing that supports optimal safety and health. A healthy work environment is characterized by health workers, subsidiary staff, managers and leaders who as part of the patient-centered team work with an exemplary sense of accountability, professionalism, involvement, transparency, effectiveness and efficiency. One of the elements of a healthy work environment that I believe is missing in my current hospital is that of true collaboration. This is an area that requires immediate development and emphasis.
Collaboration between nurses and physicians is particularly of key importance (Chism, 2013). This is an aspect that has been hugely lacking in my hospital. Nurses and patients have often conflicted or not coordinated on the aspect of patient care, and this has sometimes led to disastrous patient outcomes. One thing that I have noted in regard to this and that can credited with increasing the lack of true collaboration between nurses and physicians has been the dismissal of nurses’ knowledge by many physicians, dismissal of their clinical assessment skills as well and their concern on patients. Clearly this is one of the factors that must be immediately addressed if true collaboration is to be fostered as part of a healthy work environment. The physicians need to understand that nurses are also important people with sufficient knowledge that they can contribute to increasing or improving health outcomes in the hospital. The hospital should enact punitive measures for the physicians who fail to incorporate the input or contribution of the nurse to care (Chism, 2013).
True collaboration occurs when members of the health care work as colleagues putting the patient’s best interests at the center of care. When true collaboration exists in a work environment, there is no disruptive behavior, ineffective teamwork of hidden agendas (Gerardi & Fontaine, 2007).
The first thing that requires to be done to promote collaboration in the hospital is to provide all workers, managers and leaders with access to and support for education programs that essentially develops collaboration skills. This is in accordance with the stipulations of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The hospital also needs to create, use and also evaluate the processes that define of the team member’s accountability when it comes to collaboration and also how willingness to be collaborative will essentially be addressed (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2005). The third critical element of enacting collaboration in the hospital work environment it to create, use and evaluate operational structures mean to ensure that the nurses decision making authority is acknowledged and is additionally incorporated into the workplace as the norm. The hospital must also ensure that there is unrestricted and unlimited access to various structured forums within the work environment, for example, ethics committees. This must also involve availing enough time to resolve various disputes that may emerge between the main participants in the organization such as patients and their families and the members of the healthcare team ((American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2005).
Individuals within this hospital setting also have responsibilities to ensure the achievement of collaboration (Gerardi & Fontaine, 2007). Every member of this hospital, whether a nurse or physician must embrace and acknowledge true collaboration as process that is ongoing and continuous and must therefore invest in its development to ensure that a collaboration culture is sustained (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2005). In addition, contribution towards the achievement of common objectives and goals should be from every member. This can occur by giving both respect and power to every individual’s voice, integrating everyone differences, resolving conflicting and competing interests. All members are also required to carry themselves with utmost integrity (Zuzelo, 2007).
When it comes, to team members, they must possess good communication skills since this an essential component of collaboration (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2005). In this regard, team members of the hospital whose communication skills are lacking need to be educated and possibly trained on how to effectively communication.
Another element that needs checking into in order ensure true collaboration is the competence of team members. True collaboration dictates that each team member demonstrate appropriate competence in regard to their various responsibilities and roles in the work environment (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2005). Therefore, in this particular hospital, there needs to be a comprehensive review of work duties and responsibilities as well as a review of the competence of each team member to ensure that they are of sufficient level that will facilitate the fostering of true collaboration.
When it comes to medical directors and managers, both are required to be equal partners in fostering and modeling true collaboration in the work setting.
Conclusion
A healthy work environment is essentially one that promotes, safety, satisfaction and empowerment. True collaboration is one of the factors that facilitates this. True collaboration occurs when heath care team members put aside their individual interest and egos and come together to provide the best of care to the patient. As observed, the element of true collaboration has been hugely missing in my hospital, and for it to be achieved, the strategies suggested above should be used.
References
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. (2005). AACN standards for establishing and sustaining healthy work environments: a journey to excellence. American Journal of Critical Care, 14(3), 187-197.
Chism, L. A. (2013). The doctor of nursing practice: a guidebook for role development and professional issues (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Gerardi, D., & Fontaine, D. K. (2007). True collaboration: envisioning new ways of working together. AACN Advanced Critical Care, 18(1), 10-14.
Zuzelo, P. R. (2007). The clinical nurse specialist handbook. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
