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Blog spotlight: For nurses, now is the time to hold each other accountable

Nurse Leader Weekly, January 26, 2009

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This week, Laura Harrington, RN, MHA, CHCQM, FAIHQ, senior nurse consultant in the consulting division and director of live events and continuing education at The Greeley Company, in Marblehead, MA, peers into the crucial need for accountability in nursing:

With Tuesday's inauguration of President Obama, there is an atmosphere of hope and of new ideas that will move us toward improving our economy and planet. His inaugural speech focused on many different areas, including "a new era of responsibility" and accountability. As we move into this new era of accountability, it is important for all of us to look at where we need to step up to the plate.

Traditionally, nurses have not held each other accountable for quality of practice in the same manner that physicians have. Now, more than ever, we as a professional group need to make our presence known and we need to hold each other accountable. Now is the time to take action instead of waiting for the government or accreditation agencies to mandate that we have to hold each other accountable through various legislation or standards.

Implementing nursing peer review holds nurses accountable while identifying factors that impact the care we deliver. Why not make a difference now that will carry on for generations? And, more importantly, why not make a difference now that will improve patient safety and quality?

Today, a formal peer review process that uses an unbiased approach to objectively identify areas of opportunity and system-wide process failures is essential to evaluating nursing care.

What will be your legacy?

Learn more about nursing peer review in Phoenix in March.

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