Justification

Date: 10/09/2015

Dear OMB Clearance Board:

Below is the justification for using the survey:

We are trying to do things to align our care more with the patient. I recently heard that the VA is also trying to do more with patient-centered care, so hopefully this will help the VA achieve their goal as well. Also this project stemmed from nurses working at the bedside based on evidenced-based practice. They had the drive and determination to want to make a difference and make things better for our patients and staff. This survey is just one part of a huge project/ process about to be implemented on 6B at Audie L. Murphy VA. We would like to use this survey because it was developed by a nursing great, Dr. Jean Watson who has already met with VA Leaders in Colorado where she lives. Her institute developed this survey based on evidenced-based best practice. This Caritas process has shown great success in other institutions for increasing caring behaviors of staff to their patients. That is why we would like to use this survey.

The project will involve a voluntary assessment by 6B nursing staff and a voluntary survey by 6B patients, a Gratefulness Tree posted at the entrance of the ward that all who enter the ward can place a heart listing something that they are thankful for on the tree; the tree will then be there for all who enter the ward to view the notes and share in the attitude of thankfulness and gratefulness.    The “Breathe and Focus” signs that will be posted at the gel stations will be read by all staff that enter a patient’s room to remind them that nothing else matters when they enter that patient’s room except THAT patient, with the intention to make the care more focused on the patient at hand. 

The main objective/goal is to bring the focus of care more toward the patient and to help the patient feel that they are being cared for in a more holistic manner.  With the time spent with patients getting shorter and shorter, the time spent needs to be more focused on that patient alone and not on thinking about other things and other patients.  Staff needs to be more fully present for the individual patient and thus, to better meet their needs during the interactions at the bedside.  It has been shown that an attitude of gratefulness sets the energetic body up for a better healing environment within. 

The project stemmed from the idea that we are asked to do more and more with less and less time spent at the patient’s bedside and we wondered how we could maximize the caring focus for our patients.  Jean Watson’s Caritas processes address this and the ideas that we came up with are based on them and on the practice of mindfulness.  A group of us began to discuss ideas and this is what we came up with.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best Regards,

Renada Rochon MSN, RN, ACNS-BC

South Texas Veterans Health Care System

210-617-5300 X18880