You are a registered nurse (RN) in a medical-surgical unit. The safety committee has identified an increased number of medication errors when nurses are working 12-hour shifts. A recent study showed that nurses working 8 hours rather than 12 hours made fewer medication errors; based on those results, the administration is considering having RNs work only 8-hour shifts. Some nurses are happy about this possible change, while others are not. Your supervisor has asked you to lead a task force to examine the feasibility of having RNs work a combination of 8- and 10-hour shifts.

Discussion Prompts

• How would you assist the team in using decision-making strategies?
• What measurement tools would you use to assist the decision-making process? Why?