Leveraging the Purchasing Power of the Staff Nurse
Article Outline
The beginning of a new year is a time when many of us commit to personal change initiatives; however, my track record for sticking to my New Year's resolutions is mediocre at best. Perhaps my goals are too extreme to achieve overnight, simply by saying I will make them happen. I believe the best course to follow is one that evolves over time and builds on lessons learned throughout life. Discovering I had power over my personal practice was not something I achieved by making a New Year's resolution. It was a journey.
Most of you have expertise in perioperative patient care, but you may not recognize the degree of personal power your expert skill and knowledge provides. As AORN members, you are committed to lifelong learning and evidence-based practice. This commitment, combined with a wealth of patient care experience, results in a level of expertise that is unrivaled. Your journeys are launched and well underway!
My September President's Message, “Finding the Voice of Nursing,” addressed the use of the nurse's expert power in influencing health policy legislation. This month, as we rapidly approach the 56th Congress, I would like to point out the expert power of the staff nurse in relation to purchasing influence.
Members with Influence
AORN conducted a member survey in April 2008, which revealed that 83% of our members influence purchasing or make purchasing decisions about preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative supplies, capital equipment, and services. That translates to 35,000 nurses! The survey results indicated that
The same survey showed that only 30% of the respondents are in management. That indicates the majority are staff nurses or educators.
Challenges in health care make the expertise of the perioperative nurse a growing force in providing cost-effective, high quality, safe, patient care. Halverson and Chinnes2 explored the influence of perioperative nurses in product evaluation. They believe that with today's emphasis on outcome tracking, safety, and financial constraints, the expertise of perioperative nurses is invaluable. In addition to clinical expertise, perioperative nurses possess leadership and communication skills that they use as resources to share information on safety, new technology, and evidence-based models of care.
Staff interviews in my place of employment determined that when nurses participate in product evaluation, they quickly determine whether the product fits into their practice. If a product is difficult to use or too complicated, staff members quickly become frustrated, valuable time is lost, and there may be a serious threat of user error. These types of products will not be successful. If, however, the evaluation proves to be seamless, the product of high quality, and the cost reasonable, the nurse will promote its integration to the entire team. Nurses understand the power of this influence and use it very well. Anyone who has spent time in the OR understands how staff members influence decisions about purchasing through positive or negative overtones in their conversations.
Learning Opportunities at Congress
Congress offers perioperative nurses an opportunity to exercise this expert influence and enhance their knowledge base in the Exhibit Hall. Attendees may take advantage of the exhibitors' educational sessions to help in product evaluation and recommendations. This year, an area of the Exhibit Hall is devoted to innovative new products and services that will highlight future technological advancements and offer various product comparisons. Nurses should take time to network with industry representatives to offer their opinions on product performance and cost implications so companies can determine whether there is a need to make modifications or improvements. In this manner we will learn from each other and ensure quality patient outcomes.
Managers who elect to delegate product searches on the Exhibit Floor to a staff nurse should first determine the comfort level that nurse has with the organization's purchasing processes. Before attending Congress, staff members should acquaint themselves with any major group purchasing agreements or limitations regarding sole-source product requirements. This level of understanding mitigates the chance that staff members will request products that impinge on contractual obligations or become frustrated because their recommendations are not considered.
Past AORN Presidents Patricia C. Seifert, RN, MSN, CNOR, CRNFA, FAAN, and Donna S. Watson, RN, MSN, CNOR, ARNP, FNP-C, wrote about the significance of staff influence in purchasing decisions in President's Messages in 1999 and 2002, respectively.3, 4 The recent economic crisis in the United States reconfirms the importance of perioperative staff nurses sharing in accountability for the financial health of their workplaces as well as quality patient care.
As a director, I will ask those attending Congress to bring product information and recommendations back to our workplace. I will rely on the experience and knowledge of these nurses to drive product evaluation and practice integration. I will leverage their expertise in order to ensure positive patient outcomes, patient and staff member safety, and cost-effective care.
For industry partners reading this, I ask that you reach out to our perioperative nurses, educate them, and learn from them. Perioperative nurses, I ask you to accept your personal influence and use it wisely as you visit the Congress exhibits. Your patients will thank you!
References
- . AORN member audience . http://www.aorn.org/ExhibitorsAndAdvertisers/AORNMemberAudience Accessed November 21, 2008.
- . Collaborative leadership in product evaluation . AORN J . 2007;85(2):334–352
- . Let's talk about purchasing power [President's Message] . AORN J . 1999;69(6):1092–1095
- . The power of influence [President's Message] . AORN J . 2002;76(3):392–396
PII: S0001-2092(08)00822-3
doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2008.12.001
© 2009 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
