Implementing the Productive Ward: Releasing Time to CareTM programme. A case study exploring nursing staff experiences.

Abstract

Background Globally, health care services are facing continuing financial pressures. Lean thinking has been adopted from the automotive industry to tackle inefficiencies within health care services. Founded on Lean thinking, the Productive Ward programme was developed in the United Kingdom. Aiming to increase the proportion of time that nurses are able to spend in direct patient care, this programme enjoys tremendous popularity. Nonetheless, little is known about the impact on nursing staff experience. Aim and research question This research aims to explore the impact of the Productive Ward programme on nursing staff experiences in a provincial general hospital. Results will help to improve future implementation of this nursing led programme in the long term. The research question stated: How do nursing staff experience the Productive Ward programme with regard to staff well-being, empowerment and ownership? Method This case study design used a purposeful sample on a pilot ward leading the PW programme initiative at a provincial general hospital in the Netherlands. The general strategy for analyzing evidence relied on examining rival explanations, pattern matching logic was used as specific analyzing technique as described by Yin. Results Nursing staff experiences with the PW programme were positive. The programme had a significant impact on staff well-being, empowered and ownership to create the desired changes necessary. Though the appetite for the PW programme may be dwindling. Conclusion This study put forward that implementation of the Productive Ward programme positively affected nursing staff experiences, staff well-being, empowerment, and ownership. The sustainability of the programme is a key consideration Recommendations Future research should focus on different study designs and different setting, using robust process and outcome measurements since most of the evidence at present is not rigorous.