Abstract TP59: Cultivating Stroke Nurse Champions Through Shared Governance

Abstract

Background and Issue: Shared governance (SG) is an organized forum where bedside nurses are engaged in decision-making about professional practice, QI, and research to improve patient outcomes. Nursing engagement in SG has been linked to promoting improved nursing and patient outcomes. At a CSC, nurses did not have an organized forum to collaborate across units to develop EBP standards in the stroke population. Bedside nurses had limited knowledge of QI methodology and were unsure how to organize cross-unit projects. Purpose: To implement a SG forum aimed at improving the quality of care and patient outcomes in the stroke population through nursing engagement, collaboration, and effective communication. Methods: The Stroke Nurse Champion (SNC) Committee was assembled in November 2020. A charter was developed to organize the meeting. Members include bedside nurses, educators, managers, supervisors, stroke coordinators, nurse practitioners, and a CNS. Meetings were held monthly virtually and in person. The project outcomes were to (a) develop nurse practice standards, (b) enhance nursing education offerings, and (c) develop cross-unit stroke care QI initiatives. Results: SNCs developed and implemented local and corporate initiatives by reviewing literature, identifying barriers, recommending solutions, and identifying data to support evaluation. Initiatives included the creation of practice standards defining nursing assessments for the stroke population, implementation of the Yale Swallow Protocol, optimization of the EHR to address inefficient documentation of nursing assessments, and revision of written patient education to address literacy and grade levels. Peer-led in-hospital stroke alert case reviews prompted the implementation of a QI project to decrease time-to-treatment. To improve adoption of standards, unit-based checklists, tip sheets, stroke boards, and bedside resource books were developed. Conclusion: The SG forum provides a platform for effective collaboration across nursing units among bedside nurses and nursing leaders to develop practice standards, analyze data, identify QI initiatives, and enhance education.