A Change Implemented in the Workplace - Essay Example

My hospital recently introduced changes in the approaches that nurses handed over to their counterparts following the end of their shifts. Prior to the introduction of this change, the hospital used the traditional setup whereby nurses handed over to their counterparts without engaging them in reporting about the progress of their patients in a manner, that inhibited the hospital’s provision of quality services. In this regard, the hospital implemented a program whereby nurses would walk their counterparts, whom they were handing over to, through the wards while briefing them about the progress of their patients. In line with this, patients were given the opportunity to participate in their provision of care, which improved communication between members of staff, and between members of staff and their patients.

In order to achieve a successful implementation of this change, it was essential to ensure that the hospital used principles of planned change to improve the chances of this planned change’s success. In line with this, the hospital relied on the principles of monitoring and reinforcement of planned change in order to ensure that the planned change was successful. In support of the importance of these two principles of planned change, Keele noted, “Continued monitoring and reinforcement of the practice change is important for sustainability” (237). Through implementing a process whereby the unit nurses supervised the handing over process in their units, the hospital ensured that there was an efficient way of monitoring the planned change. On the other hand, it is important to point out that the hospital held weekly meetings whereby nurses’ behavior regarding handing-over was reinforced with nurses discussing the challenges they faced while playing their roles.