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Published on: February 16, 2011
Asking for Feedback: Clinical Nurses' Perceptions of a Peer Review Program in a Community Hospital
Helene Bowen-Brady1, Barbara Haag-Heitman, Valerie Hunt
1Author Affiliations: Co-Magnet® Program Director (Former Associate Chief Nurse) (Dr Bowen-Brady), Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Consultant (Dr Haag-Heitman), Nursing Consultant Partners, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin; Associate Dean and Associate Professor (Dr Hunt), Professor (Dr Oot-Hayes), School of Nursing, Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to understand clinical nurses' perceptions of their participation in a formal, annual peer review process at a metropolitan community hospital.
Background:
Peer review is an essential component of professional nursing practice for self-regulation of the practice and promotion of quality and safety. Robust empirical evidence of formalized and effective peer review nursing processes is not evident.
Methods:
A descriptive qualitative study with focus group interviews was used.
Results:
Study results validate that peer review is a meaningful and valuable process used by clinical nurses to support professional growth and development. Nurses reported using their specific peer feedback as part of their annual goal setting.
Conclusions:
Results validate the importance of implementation of a structured, formal peer review process at the organizational level. The study findings identify that the essential components of an effective peer review process include education for peer facilitators and clinical nurses; dedicated time, space, and privacy to conduct peer reviews; and leadership support.
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