Home Health & Hospice Week

Looking for ways to keep staff satisfied with their jobs and able to do their best for patients? Start by encouraging them to toot their own horns, which can get everyone working to a more upbeat tune, according to Diana Waugh of Waugh Consulting in Waterville, Ohio. To do that, Waugh uses the "Positive Incident Report," which asks care providers to describe what they did in the past week that made a helpful difference in a patient's life (see the form, p. 181).

Waugh finds that when caregivers complete the form, "they don't say, 'I did a great job starting an IV.' It's more about how the nurse had a talk with Mrs. S about end of life care and Mrs. S seemed to feel better" as a result.

Goal: The purpose of using the form is to teach people to reward themselves, says Waugh. "I think people hesitate to do this sometimes due to the belief that you shouldn't brag." In her view, however, saying, "'I did this and that means I'm better than you are' is bragging. But if you say, 'I was caring for Mary and did this and she spoke for the first time in months,' that's simply telling a good story."

As the form indicates, Waugh encourages people to share what they put on the positive incident report form with their managers. She also suggests people complete the form on a regular basis. Doing so "helps people see what they are doing and gets rid of the 'I'm just a nurse aide or a nurse, etc.'" mindset, says Waugh.

Another incentive could be to have a drawing or competition to periodically give a reward to an extraordinary report, experts suggest.

Potential solution: What consistently works well in dealing with negative staff is to ask them to come up with a solution to their complaints, says registered nurse Cheryl Boldt, a consultant with Maun Lemke in Omaha, Neb. "Anybody can find problems but it takes talent to think of a solution," she says.

Boomerang effect: Managers should also keep in mind that spending a lot of time with negative staff members "sends a message that you have to be negative to get attention around here," Boldt warns providers.