Creating a positive work environment: implementation of the nurse-friendly hospital criteria.

The nursing shortage is negatively affecting the quality, effectiveness, and timeliness of patient care, which warrants a transformation of the nursing work environment. The Nurse-Friendly (NF) Hospital Project assisted 30 rural or small hospitals implement 12 NF criteria into hospital policies to create a positive work environment. The NF criteria represent organizational attributes necessary for ensuring quality patient care, positive work environment, professional development, and nurse satisfaction. The authors discuss nurses' perception of presence of NF criteria before and after they were incorporated at each hospital and the implementation outcomes.

Nurse-Friendly Hospital Project: enhancing nurse retention and quality of care.

The present shortage of nurses in the United States is expected to continue. Nurse shortage, the nature of the work environment, and employers' expectations and attitudes, among other factors, influence both nurse retention and quality of patient care. The Nurse-Friendly Hospital Project was designed to improve nurses' work environment in rural and small hospitals in Texas. Findings demonstrate improvements in nurse retention, nurse staffing, and quality of care.

Safe patient handling.

No, this is not yet another story about the danger of back injuries among nurses and the numbers of nurses forced to leave the bedside due to limitations resulting from a back injury. A new twist has presented itself in the area of ergonomics, "Safe Patient Handling," which offers a solution to the problem rather than just an identification of the burden it presents to the health care industry. The new approach recognizes that patient transfers present clear risk for both the patient and the nurse; and that these risks are costly and could be significantly decreased or eliminated to the benefit of all concerned.