Effects and impacts of Productive Ward from a nursing perspective

The Productive Ward: releasing time to care (PW) initiative is predominantly a nurse-led quality improvement (QI) offering, designed to streamline ward work processes and clinical environments in an attempt to 'release time to care'. It has been implemented widely in the UK, recently attracting international interest. This paper systematically reviews the literature relating to the PW initiative, highlights and ranks the reported effects and impacts from a nursing perspective. Nine themes emerged from our content analysis. This paper examines the three most reported themes-empowerment, leadership and engagement-exploring how they may influence the opportunities for implementing and sustaining the initiative. This study brings some experience, learning and insight from the PW initiative to those currently involved in implementation. It also highlights some elements of change not being delivered by PW. The comprehensive list of reported impacts and effects, from a nursing perspective, adds value to senior nurses attempting to cultivate a culture of QI.