An Educational Intervention to Increase Nurse Adherence in Eliciting Patient Daily Goals

Abstract

Background: The literature suggests that nurse and patient collaborative goal setting demonstrates better patient outcomes. The SMART goal evaluation method (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) is a strategy to develop effective and measureable goals. Purpose: The purpose of this educational project was to improve nurse collaborative goal-setting skills. Methods: A pre-and postevaluation of an educational intervention was accomplished by patient interviews and observation for adherence to obtaining patient daily goals. Results: Results of nurse adherence in writing SMART collaborative goal setting increased from 11% preeducation to 63% posteducation. Patients' perceptions of feeling well informed by their nurses and physicians increased from 57% preeducation to 91% posteducation. Conclusion: Nurses continued to need reminding to collaborate with their patients, but their goal writing skills greatly improved. Clinical Relevance: The results of this educational project demonstrated nurses' improved ability to cowrite collaborative patient goals which resulted in better informed patients.

Improving Efficiency While Improving Patient Care in a Student-Run Free Clinic

“…We further applied specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive goal setting for patients, which fostered more effective evidence-based patient counseling. 19 The user guide for charting in the EMR and the presence of more student-informaticists on site increased the accuracy and efficiency of medical charting. An EMR user guide is usually available in clinics, especially after a new EMR system is implemented.…”

Promoting Patient Preferences Through Nurse-prompted Elicitation of Daily Goals

“…These results were similar to Revello and Fields findings of increased whiteboard documentation and increased patient perception of goal collaboration after a nurse education intervention. 18 Consistency in the educational intervention allowed for a framework and reminder to nurses to elicit patient goals.…”

“…Overall, this study showed that the nurse educational intervention increased whiteboard documentation, articulation of goals, nurse collaboration concerning goals and patients felt more informed by nurses. 18 Although daily goals are addressed in the literature, this search revealed that many studies look at daily goals through the perspective of the interprofessional team rather than the patient. This project examined the impact of nurse prompts on documentation of goals and also measured the patient perspective of daily goals, nurse satisfaction, and perceived barriers to eliciting goals.…”

“…11,12,13 Investigations focused on interventions to improve goal elicitation and patient satisfaction regarding whiteboard usage and nurse-led initiatives provided the inspiration for this project. 18,19,20 Recording daily goals on a whiteboard facilitates a consistent plan of care, goal directed care, and provides health care providers with a daily list of patient goals to review. 19 One quality improvement study focused on whether an educational intervention for nurses improved identification of patient daily goals.…”

“…Revello & Fields (2015), performed a quality improvement study that focused on whether an educational intervention for nurses improved identification of patient daily goals. The hospital already endorsed patient daily goals, however, an audit of white boards showed low or inconsistent utilization.…”