title: Work-Arounds Observed by Fourth-Year Nursing Students.
abstract: Much has been written about the need for health care professionals to consistently promote policies and best practices that create safe, high-quality care environments. At times, nurses deviate from established policies and procedures to create work-arounds or changes in work patterns to accomplish patient care goals. The purpose of this study was to identify common work-arounds and describe what influenced the nurse to engage in the work-around as observed by fourth-year baccalaureate students in clinical settings. A descriptive qualitative approach was used to describe the findings from a Quality and Safety Education for Nurses-based assignment. Ninety-six individual student assignments were included in this analysis; the themes of infection prevention and control and medication management emerged. The theme of workload emerged as the reason why students believed nurses engaged in work-arounds. Further studies are needed to determine how work-arounds influence short- and long-term patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, USA westphaj@uwosh.edu.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westphal
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, USA.
authors.forename: Rachelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lancaster
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D009736:Nursing Process / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013997:Time Factors; D014941:Work Simplification; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: infection prevention and control; medication management; work-around; workload