Increasing Outpatient Clinic Healthcare Provider Engagement Through Nursing Leader Communication

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Engagement
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Declining engagement scores among healthcare providers posed a challenge in a multi-specialty outpatient clinic.
• Low engagement can negatively impact patient care and staff retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate structured, evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions aimed at enhancing healthcare provider engagement.
• To increase nursing leader communication, visibility, and feedback.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was undertaken in a multi-specialty outpatient clinic.
• The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17) was used to measure engagement scores pre- and post-intervention.
• Interventions focused on improving nursing leader communication, visibility, and feedback over an eight-week period.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in engagement scores was observed.
• The interventions led to a 7.4% improvement in the pre-UWES-17 scores.
• The study confirmed the positive impact of the implemented strategies on overall healthcare provider engagement.

Conclusions:

• Structured, evidence-based practice interventions are effective in improving healthcare provider engagement.
• Enhanced nursing leader communication, visibility, and feedback are key drivers of staff engagement.
• This quality improvement initiative provides a scalable model for other healthcare settings facing similar challenges.