Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker: Role and Evaluation

This report delves into the multifaceted role of the nurse leader as a knowledge worker, emphasizing the integration of theoretical and analytical knowledge to enhance service development. It explores the concept of knowledge workers, as initially defined by Peter Drucker, and its relevance in the context of nursing informatics. The report highlights the critical role of nurse leaders in supporting care professionals, patients, and stakeholders through their expertise in decision-making processes. It presents a hypothetical scenario involving Catheter Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) and proposes a quantitative data collection method to determine infection rates. The importance of adhering to CDC guidelines, including hand hygiene, aseptic techniques, and urine culture analysis, is stressed. The report also includes a peer post discussion on monitoring and evaluating compliance with CDC guidelines. Finally, the report provides a practical example from a previous placement where the implemented plan resulted in zero incidence of CAUTI within the acute and critical care unit.

The Nurse Leader as
Knowledge Worker
- Submitted by:

Concept of knowledge worker:
• As stated by Patalas-Maliszewska
(2013), knowledge workers are
defined as high-level workers who
integrate theoretical and analytical
knowledge in order to foster service
development
• The concept of knowledge worker
was propounded by Peter Drucker
and finds its first use in his book ‘The
Landmarks of Tomorrow 1959’
• Ducker identified knowledge workers
as the most valuable asset of the
21st century.

Nursing Informatics:
• Nursing informatics can be defined as
the speciality domain within the nursing
profession that deals with the nursing
science to manage multiple information
and apply analytical sciences so as to
recognize, define, communicate and
manage important data and knowledge
that are essential for Nursing practice
(McCormick & Saba, 2015).
• The branch of Nursing Informatics
makes use of information structures,
information processes and information
technology in order to store and
manage important data.

Role of a Nurse Leader:
Effectively motivate and
manage human resource
Maintain customer focus
Appropriately manage
finances
Ensure quality in terms of
service provision
Align resources and
workforce interests with
organizational vision

Role of a Nurse Leader as a Knowledge
Worker:
• Nurse Leaders support care
professionals, patients, service users,
multidisciplinary team of professionals
and other stakeholders with their
knowledge and expertise in the decision
making process across different roles
and settings to acquire desired outcome
(McGonigle et al., 2014).
• As stated by Nurse Leaders assist care
professionals with a clinical supervision
tool that helps in rendering holistic care
services and at the same time helps in
improving the quality of the services
provided.

Evaluation of a hypothetical scenario:
• The hypothetical scenario has been chosen as the increased prevalence of Catheter Acquired Urinary
Tract Infections (CAUTI) among the hospitalized patients. In order to determine the incidence of the
infection rate, a quantitative data collection method could be used. Observation and documentation of
patients with catheter placement and indication of catheter placement could be documented for
reference. The nursing professionals must determine the length of catheter placement and
communicate it to the physician and the multidisciplinary team of professionals. The catheters must be
placed as per the CDC guidelines and care professionals must comply with the infection control
protocol that comprise of hand hygiene, knowledge about catheter placement using the aseptic
technique, ensure maintenance of unobstructed urine flow and collect urine sample for culture. The
culture analysis would help in determining the potential risk of CAUTI in patients. I had successfully
been able to implement my proposed plan in my previous placement and the six month data suggests
no incidence of CAUTI within the acute and critical care unit.
• Peer Post: How would you monitor and evaluate compliance with CDC guidelines?
• Regular workshops could be conducted to impart education and disseminate awareness in relation to
infection control guidelines recommended by CDC. Nurse Leaders could monitor the quality of service
delivery by the care professionals and encourage reporting from fellow colleagues in case of non-
compliance. In case of non-compliance, identified professional could be penalised in terms of
salary/leave balance deduction depending upon the frequency of non-compliance. This would ensure
stringent compliance with the CDC guidelines on infection control.

References:
McCormick, K., & Saba, V. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics.
McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from:
https://lib.hpu.edu.vn/handle/123456789/32430
McGonigle, D., Hunter, K., Sipes, C., & Hebda, T. (2014). Why nurses need
to understand nursing informatics. AORN journal, 100(3), 324-327.
Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=I4GHCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=nursing+informatic
s&ots=7om4h8yfaW&sig=BXJ55vOvN3LomnaanuX3UNnByhE#v=onepag
e&q=nursing%20informatics&f=false
Patalas-Maliszewska, J. (2013). Managing Knowledge Workers. Value
Assessment, Methods, and Application Tools. Retrieved from:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-642-36600-0

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