Newsletters improve morale, communication
Newsletters improve morale, communication
Publications should be tailored to meet needs of individual departments
Newsletters can be an inexpensive way to improve communication and boost morale. "Communication is very time-consuming, and a newsletter facilitates that," says Lindy Rose, RN, BS, director of the ED at Harris Methodist-Fort Worth (TX).
When Harris Methodist’s ED was undergoing a customer service improvement process, the newsletter was used to announce progress to the staff. "We tried a lot of different approaches to reach our patient satisfaction goal, and we thought if we published the results in the newsletter, it would help to get the scores up," recalls Rose. "ED people are very motivated to meet targets, and they anxiously awaited the latest results."
The newsletter delivers pertinent information to staff in a readable format. "Staff can get so overwhelmed with the constant flow of information. The idea is to make even the driest material, such as Joint Commission updates, interesting to read," says Rose.
Timely info makes newsletters a must-read
To be effective, newsletters should be fun and eye-catching. "It has to be something people want to read," says Joan Mertz, RN, an emergency nurse at Harris Methodist who puts together the 10-page monthly newsletter, "News and Views," at home. "I make the format interesting, so it’s not pages of type without a break, and I put in plenty of pictures to break it up so it is not boring to read." Cartoons, crossword puzzles, brain teasers, limericks, and graphics are printed alongside the "hard" information.
The ED’s committees submit monthly write-ups on their meetings and report on all decisions that concern the ED. "If a doctor wants to change the protocol of the way we do things, they’ll put it in the newsletter so everybody can discuss it," Mertz says.
Although the newsletter is an open forum, published topics need to be relevant. "I don’t include anything that is just one person’s gripe; it has to be something of significance," notes Mertz. "If somebody has a suggestion for improving something, I’ll publish it as long as it’s feasible."
The entire ED staff is invited to contribute. "People know their opinion will get attention and be given a certain amount of importance by being in the newsletter," says Mertz. "Even the housekeeper may have a suggestion worth printing."
Contributions are also solicited from departments that have an impact on the ED, such as radiology and the laboratories, and this practice has cleared up several misunderstandings. "The ultrasound people always asked a zillion questions when we sent them patients, which made our staff feel they didn’t trust that we’d ordered appropriately," says Rose. After an article was published that explained why the ultrasound department needed the information, the ED staff was more understanding.
Tailor newsletter to specific goals
The newsletter is also a good vehicle to inform staff about problem areas in clinical practice. "After urine cultures were missed on several patients who had already taken antibiotics, we talked to the doctors several times and gave up that they’d remember to take them every time," says Rose. An article was published asking staff to always remind physicians to take the culture before an antibiotic is given.
Here are examples of topics covered in News and Views:
• announcements of new staff;
• a monthly calendar with staff members’ birthdays;
• recruiting for a volunteer program;
• recognition of staff achievements;
• CEN review questions for nursing staff;
• updates on clinical practice;
• task force updates, such as needle safety;
Other newsletters have more specific goals. At Loma Linda (CA) University Medical Center’s ED, a survey asked staff what management could do to improve their morale. The No. 1 answer was acknowledgement. To address this need, a newsletter called Pride in Professionalism was created with the goal of honoring individual staff members.
"We wanted to come up with some way of acknowledging the staff and decided a newsletter would best achieve that goal," says Alice Kissinger, RN, CCRN, who creates the quarterly newsletter on her own time working out of her home. "Evaluation is a yearly thing, but the newsletter is published on an ongoing basis, so it’s a more immediate reward."
Articles focus on staff members’ professional accomplishments, patient thank-you letters, promotions, and newly hired clinical staff and their backgrounds. "Its whole focus is to highlight employees," says Kissinger. "Our philosophy is the best of the best’ in skill, attitude, and customer service, and the articles [are about] staff members who have achieved that." A recent issue congratulated ED staff for being honored by a local police agency because of the care given to their colleagues.
The newsletter’s focus goes beyond the ED into employee’s personal achievements, such as being part of the national disaster team. A section called "Getting to Know You" features interviews with nurses or physicians outside of work, including an ex-Navy SEAL who worked his way into emergency services, and a woman who skydives in her spare time. "It has really helped the staff bond, and people love to see their names in print," says Kissinger.
That desire spurs on other clinical staff to achieve. "Listing the staff members who have made clinical advancements has encouraged others to go after them too," says Kissinger. "We’ve seen an increase in obtaining national certifications such as MICN [mobile intensive care nurse] that is difficult to obtain."
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