Rules are sometimes implemented by people who may not actually be a staff nurse to observe and see what a family’s needs are. In most hospitals these days there are more times that can be spent with families in intensive care units, however they are probably limited to 1-2 people. As a staff nurse, changing a policy that is not implemented is not a good thing, because if something were to happen while the family is there, the nurse may be reprimanded for not following protocol. What the staff nurse can do is collect information by asking a foreground question that is more specific (Rubenfeld & Schaeffer, 2014).
An example of a foreground question can be which visiting hours work best for families that have patients in the hospital? The nurse should look for the answers by recording the hours that the families are able to come in to see their loved one. Once this is determined, then the nurse can speak with the manager and bring the evidence that was collected, specifically how many families were questioned, what hours they were visiting, what is the majority of the time that families selected. Once the manager has had a chance to review the statistics provided, then this information can be taken to the decision makers of policies to review and come up with a better outcome. Making changes in the workplace can only take place when the staff genuinely cares about work place practices that will benefit their patient and the staff (Mitchell, 2013).
References
Mitchell, G. (2013, April). Selecting the Best Theory to Implement Planned Change. Nursing Management, 20(1), 32-37. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4ba42c53-9a6d-4ec5-b6bb-2f078e04b7c7%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4204
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, B. (2014). Critical Thinking Tactics for Nursing Achieving the IOM Competencies (3rd ed.). [P2BS-11]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781284059571