Supporting Healthcare Workers Amidst COVID-19 Stressors and Transtheoretical Model for Organizational Change

Supporting Healthcare Workers Amidst COVID-19 Stressors and Transtheoretical Model for Organizational Change

Samantha,

Thank you for your post. Healthcare facilities were exposed to tremendous stressors during the 2020 COVID-19 breakout. These stressors resulted in higher rates of PTSD, burnout, and suicide among those working in high-intensity environments. Working conditions that were physically stressful and witnessing the death and suffering of large patient numbers took a toll on the healthcare staff. There was also the fear of being infected and infecting loved ones. This stress contributed to physical exhaustion and fears of anxiety, insomnia, sleep disorders, depression, and burnout (Ardebili et al., 2021; Tsamakis et al., 2020). Ongoing support for healthcare workers is critical at every level, such as society, government, professional organizations, healthcare institutions, colleagues’ friends, and family. The support was to protect and maintain the physical well-being of healthcare workers and early identification of when healthcare workers are at risk. I am glad that the healthcare facility where you work took measures to care for their staff. Continuous education at the time the pandemic was at its worst was very important. Knowledge of the novel virus was critical in helping curtail its spread. I believe we are where we are now as regards the COVID-19 decline in the space because of sharing information and caring for healthcare workers (Tsamakis et al., 2020). Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.

References

Ardebili, M. E., Naserbakht, M., Bernstein, C., Alazmani-Noodeh, F., Hakimi, H., & Ranjbar, H. (2021). Healthcare provider’s experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. American journal of infection control, 49(5), 547-554.

Tsamakis, K., Rizos, E., Manolis, A. J., Chaidou, S., Kympouropoulos, S., Spartalis, E., … & Triantafyllis, A. S. (2020). [Comment] COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the mental health of healthcare professionals. Experimental and Therapeutic medicine, 19(6), 3451-3453.

Amanda,

Thank you for your post. The transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavioral change is a behavioral change model that asserts that changing behavior is not a coincidental thing but rather a process. In the change process, those involved are in different change stages and at different readiness levels. In this process, people go through five stages, as you have mentioned. Because of its cost-effectiveness, TTM is ideal in the intervention of chronic conditions’ prevention, such as diabetes, among others (Hashemzadeh et al., 2019). It requires a progressive contribution to change by all persons involved. I concur with you that this model was ideal for implementing the change in the organization. When staff is made to take individual responsibility for change, then the difference can be maintained as it will be easy to identify who is not doing their part in driving the change. Therefore, evidence-based practice initiatives support evidence-based practice in organizations.

Reference

Hashemzadeh, M., Rahimi, A., Zare-Farashbandi, F., Alavi-Naeini, A. M., & Daei, A. (2019). The transtheoretical model of health behavioral change: A systematic review. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 24(2), 83.

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1. Samantha

An evidence-based initiative implemented in a care setting was the adherence to newly developed infection control policies and procedures developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to protect healthcare workers exposed to the COVID-19 virus. These policies and guidelines directed healthcare employees exposed to COVID-19 to use standard precautions, contact precautions, eye protection (face shield, goggles), PPE, N95 respirators, and negative pressure rooms (CDC, 2021). However, due to the global shortage of PPE, it was difficult for healthcare workers to adhere to the CDC guidelines completely. As a result of the PPE shortage, healthcare workers were reusing isolation gowns, N95 masks, and face shields. Although staff members were voicing concerns to management about being endangered and potentially exposing their family members at home, they could find ways to make the most of the available resources.

Kotter and Cohen’s Model of change can be applied to the issue of COVID-19 due to the rapid changes in healthcare driven by COVID-19. Kotter and Cohen’s model contains eight steps to guide leaders in implementing effective changes within a change-resistant organization. The eight steps include: (1) create urgency, (2) form a coalition, (3) create a vision for change, (4) communicate vision, (5) empower action, (6) create quick wins, (7) build on the change, and (8) make change stick (Melnyk, 2019). In addition to the eight steps, the model focuses on fundamental principles relating to how individuals approach change, react to change, and accept change (Aziz, 2017). In this case, the healthcare team must create a sense of urgency in its operations based on the rapidly increasing infectious rates causing a state of emergency. Therefore, resources had to be mobilized immediately since there was little time for preparation. This would be followed by forming powerful guidelines, coalitions, and the development of treatment protocols. The model would then guide the medical team toward developing a strategy and a vision. For example, short-term goals were formed to help treat patients, while the vision was to create preventive measures such as proper hand hygiene and PPE. Communicating the vision to the affected organization is key to forming common goals and resourcing PPE without overwhelming the healthcare system. By removing obstacles, healthcare workers are more able to undertake the challenges in their duties. This included communicating to the staff with the necessary updates to understand what they were confronting. In addition, continuous COVID-19 training and education can empower employees with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle the challenges of the pandemic. Therefore making them more able to adapt to the change. Finally, supporting and accommodating the healthcare team members is critical to maintaining the needed healthcare changes to overcome the pandemic.

2. Amanda

Evidence-based practice (EBP) initiatives are used as a way to sustain EBP within an organization. The EBP initiative that will be discussed is taken from a research study article. The study involves an actual hospital with real data. For this assignment, the name of the hospital will be changed to “Healthcare Hospital.” The EBP initiative at Healthcare Hospital began because of increased incidents of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) in immunocompromised patients on multiple units. A nurse-led committee at this organization formed an EBP team to explore the increase in C. difficile cases further. The members of this committee used the Johns Hopkins Nursing EBP Model as a guide to their research. This model uses the PET process: practice question, evidence, and translation (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2019). Through research, the committee was able to find current practices, current policies, and new best practices from the literature reviews.

The “five by five initiative” was ultimately created through all of this research. According to Nielsen et al. (2019), “the name of the initiative represents wiping down the five high-touch areas by 5 am or 5 pm (day shift versus night shift)” (p. 484). These areas include the bedside table, bed rails, telephone, patient television/nurse call remote, and IV pump and pole (Nielsen et al., 2019). A documentation sheet was used to check if adherence to this initiative was maintained. Staff members were required to sign the sheet once the cleanings were performed for each shift. The results were an overall reduction in C. difficile rates in all units where this initiative was implemented. The industry was successful. The sector could be sustainable if all the detected barriers are addressed. The authors noted that some of the biggest obstacles were culture change, lack of staff engagement, and time constraints. The sustainability of this initiative could occur through breaking down barriers. Another way to ensure sustainability is through changing the culture and getting everyone involved in the change.

There are four models of organizational change. For this discussion, the focus will be on the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change and how it can be used in the APN role. The following are the five stages in this model: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. This model is sustainable for EBP initiatives and could be used in the APN role because it tailors to the stage that an individual is in. In the pre-contemplation location, the individual has no intention of taking action for six months or longer. In the contemplation stages, the individual has the intent to take action within the next six months. In the preparation stage, the individual does have a plan to take action within thirty days. In the action stage, changes have taken place within the last six months. The final step is maintenance, where actions or changes took place more than six months ago. According to Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2019), “matching the intervention to the stages of change will also allow individuals to participate in the initiative, even if they are not ready to take action” (p. 492). This model allows the APN to help implement change by assisting individuals regardless of what stage they are in. This model can enhance the sustainability of the EBP initiative because it recognizes different stages of action.