I recently got the chance to speak with a nurse manager overseeing financial resources, including the department budget. The National Patient Safety Goals, Core Measures, and ANCC Magnet Recognition program were discussed in relation to the organization’s requirements for ensuring safe, high-quality treatment and how these standards affect the budgeting process. I also asked the manager about their background in planning and managing financial resources, the difficulties of budgeting, how they advocated for more resources, the influence of politics on the budgeting process, and how they used research and statistics to ensure sufficient resources.
The nurse manager I spoke with stressed the importance of following the National Patient Safety Goals and Core Measures since they act as guidelines for delivering safe, high-quality care. To ensure compliance, these standards influence clinical practices and budgetary allocations. The nurse manager also mentioned the famous ANCC Magnet Recognition, which comes with strict requirements for nursing quality and may demand additional budgetary expenditures for staff training and development. The nurse manager talked about her education and training in managing financial resources, emphasizing the significance of financial literacy for nursing leaders. She said that adapting to changing budgeting habits and technologies requires ongoing learning.
The nurse manager stated that advocating for more resources frequently requires negotiating organizational politics. Important strategies for securing required resources include effective communication, data-driven assertions, and an emphasis on patient safety outcomes (Heinen et al., 2019). She also noted that research and data are essential for proving the necessity of particular resources since they show how particular investments improve patient outcomes.
The nurse leader is working on a quality improvement project to lower surgical site infections (SSIs) in the operating room (OR). Implementing evidence-based procedures, including adhering strictly to aseptic techniques and using antimicrobial sutures, are part of this effort. Enhancing patient safety and the overall standard of care provided in the OR are the objectives of this program. This project directly impacts the budgeting process. While antimicrobial sutures are advantageous for preventing infections, they come at a higher cost to the budget (Heinen et al., 2019). The nurse leader and her team are confident that these expenditures are justified in the long run since they will result in shorter hospital stays and better patient outcomes due to fewer SSIs. Securing additional funds for the acquisition of antimicrobial sutures and allocating resources for staff education and training are two obstacles and constraints related to the budgeting process. Despite these difficulties, the project’s nurse leader is steadfastly dedicated to its objectives and unrelenting in advocating for the funding required to make it a success.
The relationship between financial resources and patient care is complex and crucial. Nurse leaders must negotiate a challenging environment to balance the delivery of high-quality care with financial constraints. The conversation with the nurse manager clarified the significance of standards like the ANCC Magnet Recognition program and the National Patient Safety Goals and Core Measures in determining budget priorities. Additionally, it emphasized the value of ongoing education, the need for advocacy supported by evidence, and the difficulties associated with budget management. As a real-world illustration of how financial decisions affect patient outcomes, consider the continuing Quality Improvement Project to reduce surgical site infections. These insights ultimately highlight the importance of fiscal resource management in ensuring safe, high-quality care in the operating room.
References
Heinen, M., van Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in advanced nursing practice. Journal of advanced nursing, 75(11), 2378-2392. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.14092
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