Workarounds in Nursing
Workarounds are actions that are taken by professionals like nurses to achieve a work goal. However, this process is delayed by activities that consume a lot of time or events that nurses see as mistake-proofing (Bianchi & Ghirotto, 2021). Nurses use workarounds to solve challenges in procedure or when unfamiliar with them, to avoid standards, achieve other goals, or save time. Workarounds are considered essential because they can be objectionable and irrelevant to daily work conduct as they can be undesirable, unethical, dangerous, and illegal violations of responsibilities and procedures (Bianchi & Ghirotto, 2021). Nurses have been in the spotlight for finding alternative solutions for evading the strictness of procedures, regulations, or protocols. Workarounds have become noticeable and widespread because of healthcare strategies of being cost-efficient and reducing patient care resources (Bianchi & Ghirotto, 2021).
The increased number of workarounds in healthcare can be associated with forces in the technological, healthcare, and social environment. Workarounds can be classified into three in relation to work strains, technology, and policies (Bianchi & Ghirotto, 2021). Depending on the situations and various factors that workarounds are done, they can have positive or differing effects in the clinical practice. In addition, workarounds can improve workflow efficiency and increase patient safety, but they can also create unreliable or unstable working procedures that can negatively influence safety efficiency and effectiveness in patient care (Bianchi & Ghirotto, 2021).
Furthermore, workarounds can have a negative impact by forming short-term hazards. For instance, when workarounds are used to overcome an intentional barrier, they may bypass a key and appropriate safety procedure, thus creating a hazardous situation for a patient (Deutsch, 2017). Long-term hazards may arise when healthcare providers, such as nurses, use workarounds to deal with a current problem without exactly addressing the source. Failure to communicate further reduces the chance of noting system weaknesses, inspecting the problems, and solving the underlying causes. Moreover, the superiority of a workload to the set standard practice makes it hard to discuss its elimination (Deutsch, 2017).
Overall, workarounds have useful information. Workloads are seen as problem-solving processes; therefore, they can be useful in flaw identification, providing key evidence about system function and susceptibility, and acting as contributions for user-centered plans and alignment between available resources and work context. Organizations should look into adopting the system into clinical practice rather than clinical practice to the system. Subsequently, this would ensure effective, integrating design, function, and workflow availability. Investigating, identifying, appreciating, and sharing improved practices can improve overall performance (Deutsch, 2017).
Workaround Example
I have encountered a workaround by a nurse. The nurse is a registered nurse who worked in a large healthcare system for three years before he transferred to another hospital as an ICU specialist. In the hospital, the new system uses an enterprise-wide health information system, which is integrated with all hospitals in the same health system. This enables the sharing of basic electronic ordering, administration, and charting medication systems. The nurse found it easier to navigate the system because he was familiar with it. Nevertheless, he was unable to print labels for lab specimens using his staff ID and passkey, but he managed to perform all other functions like order entry, medication administration, and clinical charting.
As a workaround, the nurse used a colleague’s passkey and ID to print the labels. However, he felt uncomfortable using the other nurse’s credentials to print labels. He had already tried to call the information technologist for support, but the problem remained unsolved. As such, the nurse had no choice but to continue using the workaround.
References
Bianchi, M., & Ghirotto, L. (2021). Nurses’ perspectives on workarounds in clinical practice: A phenomenological analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16110
Deutsch, E. S. (2017, September). Workarounds: Trash or treasure? | Advisory. Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ADVISORIES/Pages/201709_Workarounds.aspx
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Question 
Workarounds in Nursing
For the 21st year, nursing remains the most trusted profession in the United States. However, the distribution of resources within healthcare organizations is a paradox, leading to many ethical dilemmas. For this discussion, you will need to please discuss the concept of workarounds in nursing. You will also need to share an example of one workaround that you have witnessed in your nursing career. Please be mindful not to include any identifying information, such as location, name of hospital, etc. Please make sure you find and provide a scholarly source that supports your writing about the workaround.