Ever feel like you’re just a robot, going through mechanical tasks in order to survive the shift and escape the ward with spirit, brain, and body *hopefully* intact? Even those in management can feel that way too…only the ones demanding their attention are the staff below AND the administration above. Wish you could feel more effective and less frustrated with the daily nursing grind?

Sure, you answer, but what sort of superhuman device will you utilize to grant this type of wish?

Well, I’m not handing out genie lamps, waving fairy wands in your face, or selling “as seen on TV” fix-alls, but what if I said that becoming involved in investigating or implementing true evidence-based practice (EBP) has been shown to increase nurse satisfaction?

(Insert collective groan)

Really, it does! But I think the term has been so overused as an excuse for administrative cost-cutting and/or legal measures that are sometimes inconvenient (at best), that the mention of it may currently induce gagging spasms in the nurses faced with multiple changes in their day-to-day practice as a result of these measures.

The term has been beat to death, I agree. It has been abused. Adulterated to the point where we wonder if it’s really worth all the hassle. Oh, and by the way, does it really benefit the patient if the hoops we have to jump through in order to have EBP make us cranky and overwhelmed?

While my goal here is not to address all the nuances and difficulties of basing the entirety of our practice on legit research that accounts for all variables (would REALLY need that magic wand…AND an alternate universe), I hope to encourage my fellow nurses to not become complacent and fall back into robot mode, just getting through the day.

Just staying in touch with other nurses and discussing current issues, research, observations, and practice differences will contribute to our own encouragement. Getting the results of internal studies, focus groups, round tables, etc. out in the open to give all of us the opportunity to approach our respective facilities with information that has the potential to change our practice for the better—for both our patients and ourselves. Robots unite!

So, if you could change one thing about your current practice regarding patient care, what would that be? Have you researched solutions to the problem or discussed the issue with peers? What have you learned?

Tags: burnout, change management, collaboration, evidence-based practice, nursing leadership, nursing research