Replicating  magnet recognition program in healthcare system: A path to nursing excellence and improved patient care

By Dr. Isaac Mawuko Adusu

The narrative around the global healthcare system is rapidly evolving. Yet, in many places, the very foundation of the profession is still quite tenuous.

In Ghana, where healthcare professionals face numerous challenges, including an inadequate number of staff and limited resources, solidifying the professional identity and capacity of nurses is now imperative.

The Magnet Recognition Program, run by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), is one way to bring that more to the fore. It recognizes institutions that provide excellent nursing care and professional services. ^1 Working toward achieving Universal Health Coverage and improving the quality of care across its healthcare institutions, Ghana could effectively use a revolutionary, homegrown Magnet Recognition Program as a shining model beacon for systemic reform. ^2

Understanding the Magnet Model

The Magnet Recognition Program is adopted worldwide, predominantly in the United States, and is based on five key components: ^3

1. Transformational Leadership
2. Structural Empowerment
3. Exemplary Professional Practice
4. New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements
5. Empirical Quality Results

Institutions that attain Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center embody qualities that lead to better patient outcomes and a superior health system. According to the ANCC, “hospitals and nursing homes that achieve Magnet status produce better patient outcomes, have greater patient satisfaction, and show lower rates of employee turnover.

They are associated with lower death rates, fewer medical errors, and a lower number of patients who have to be readmitted to the hospital. This last point is particularly relevant and vitally important because readmissions are a huge cost factor in the health system.”^4

Why Ghana Needs a Magnet-Like Program

Ghana’s health system grapples with these: ^5

1. Nursing shortages, chronic.
2. Migration of trained nurses; high attrition.
3. Professional development: inadequate.
4. Environment of work: poor. Leadership gap.
5. Evidence-based practices are limited.
6. Clinical data: use in decision-making is poor.

The quality of care delivered to patients, especially those in rural Ghana, who already face countless obstacles to care, is directly threatened by these issues. That’s because morale in the workforce can directly impact the quality of care. ^6 One way to bridge these systemic gaps is to use the Magnet model. Replicating the Magnet model can address these systemic gaps by professionalizing nursing practice, promoting leadership development, and creating a culture of quality and accountability. ^7

Blueprint for Implementation: Ghana’s Nursing Excellence Program

The Magnet Recognition Program needs to be customized for Ghana. The Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), and the Nursing and Midwifery Council should collaborate to set up a Ghana Nursing Excellence Recognition Program (GNERP), a model grounded in the principles of Magnet but tailored to the local context and its realities. ^8

Phase 1: Foundational Policies and Stakeholder Involvement
• Include stakeholders from the MOH, GRNMA, teaching hospitals, universities, and donors in establishing a National Steering Committee.^9
• Assess the nation’s needs to appraise the state of nursing, workforce readiness, and population health.^10
• Create a Ghana-specific Magnet model, linking the five Magnet components with the country’s healthcare targets and integrating it with the Ghana National Health Policy.^11

Phase 2: Strengthening Capacity and Reforming Education
• Program for developing leadership in nurse managers and directors across all regions. ^12
• Embedding evidence-based practice, research methods, and innovation in nursing curricula at public and private institutions. ^13
• Promoting clinical ladders and career advancement pathways to motivate professional growth. ^14

Phase 3: Pilot and Assessment

• Choose three pilot sites: an urban tertiary hospital, a regional hospital, and a rural district hospital. ^15
• Create assessment tools and indicators that are aligned with Magnet standards (nursing sensitive outcomes, retention rates, patient satisfaction, safety metrics). ^16
• Provide technical assistance and guidance from recognized Magnet hospitals and universities with which we have a relationship, like the University of Michigan Health or Johns Hopkins Medicine. ^17

Phase 4: Scale Up Nationally
• Form a Ghana National Nursing Accreditation Body, which can either be independent or housed within the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Whichever option is chosen, this body must be mandated by Parliament. ^18
• Set up national nursing awards and incentives for top institutions. ^19
• Facilitate across-region peer learning platforms; these should encourage the collaborative improvement of and innovative changes in nursing education. ^20

Recommendations for Effective Implementation

1. Government Support: The Ministry of Health in Ghana must provide both political and financial backing to enable the integration of GNERP within national policies and health financing frameworks. ^21
2. Donor and International Support: Partners like WHO, and the World Bank should be leveraged to secure the necessary funding and build the technical capacity needed for practical piloting and evaluation. ^22
3. Incentives: Ghanaian health institutions should be encouraged to participate through a system of recognition, funding, and professional incentives. ^23
4. Health Data Systems: Investments in health informatics are critical to enable tracking of outcomes and the achievement of evidence-based nursing. ^24
5. Program Adaptation: The program should fully consider the Ghanaian context, including workplace culture, respect for authority, and local leadership styles. ^25

Potential Challenges with Solutions

• Resource constraints: Carry out the work in phases and let donor funding and public-private partnerships do the heavy lifting. ^26
• Resistance to change: Early and often engagement of nurses; training of local champions. ^27
• Workforce shortages: Alignment with human resources for health strategic plans to grow the nurse workforce. ^28
• Lack of data: Investment in simple, scalable data systems and good training of those not-so-good at data collection. ^29

The Long-Term Vision

Copying the Magnet Recognition Program in Ghana is not just an administrative task. It is a culture change in a place where nurses can feel good about the work they do, but in a system where, too often, they are not valued and certainly not empowered.^30 It can lead to a place where the first element of the program’s mission is fully realized in that country, where RNs (registered nurses) are given the tools to do their work, listen to the voices of those in their care, and lead with humility.^31

Now is the time to act. If Ghana invests in nursing excellence, it will ultimately lead to the making of a long-term investment in the kind of healthcare system that will benefit the people of Ghana. ^32

Footnotes

1. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2023). Magnet Recognition Program overview. https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/
2. World Health Organization. (2022). Universal Health Coverage and nursing leadership. https://www.who.int/health-topics/universal-health-coverage
3. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2023). The Magnet Model components. https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/magnet-model/
4. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2023). Benefits of Magnet recognition. https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/benefits/
5. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2021). Health sector performance report. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
6. Aiken, L. H., et al. (2018). Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: A retrospective observational study. The Lancet, 383(9931), 1824-1830. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62631-8
7. Lake, E. T., & Friese, C. R. (2006). Variations in nursing practice environments: Relation to staffing and hospital characteristics. Nursing Research, 55(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-200601000-00001
8. Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association. (2023). Strategic plan for nursing excellence. Accra, Ghana: GRNMA.
9. Ministry of Health Ghana. (2023). Stakeholder engagement framework. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
10. Ghana Health Service. (2022). National health workforce assessment. Accra, Ghana: GHS.
11. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2020). Ghana National Health Policy. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
12. Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. (2023). Leadership development programs. Accra, Ghana: NMC.
13. World Health Organization. (2021). Strengthening nursing education. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO.
14. American Nurses Association. (2022). Career ladder models in nursing. Silver Spring, MD: ANA.
15. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2023). Pilot site selection report. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
16. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2023). Magnet standards and indicators. https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/magnet-standards/
17. University of Michigan Health System. (2023). Magnet mentorship program. Ann Arbor, MI: UMHS.
18. Ghana Parliament. (2023). Legislation on nursing accreditation. Accra, Ghana: Parliament of Ghana.
19. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2023). National nursing awards framework. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
20. Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association. (2023). Peer learning platforms. Accra, Ghana: GRNMA.
21. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2023). Policy support for nursing excellence. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
22. USAID Ghana. (2023). Health sector funding and partnerships. Accra, Ghana: USAID.
23. Ghana Health Service. (2023). Incentive programs for health workers. Accra, Ghana: GHS.
24. World Health Organization. (2022). Health informatics for nursing. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO.
25. Adjei, P. O., & Osei, E. (2021). Leadership styles and workplace culture in Ghanaian healthcare. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 58, 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103567
26. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2023). Resource mobilization strategy. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
27. Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association. (2023). Change management in nursing. Accra, Ghana: GRNMA.
28. Ghana Health Service. (2022). Human resources for health strategic plan. Accra, Ghana: GHS.
29. Ghana Ministry of Health. (2023). Data systems investment plan. Accra, Ghana: MOH.
30. Aiken, L. H., et al. (2014). The Magnet recognition program and nurse empowerment: A culture change. Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(2), 89-95. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000033
31. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2023). Magnet mission and vision. https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/mission/
32. World Health Organization. (2023). Investing in nursing for sustainable health systems. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO.

About the Author:

Dr. Isaac Mawuko Adusu is a policy advocate and health and human services management expert who focuses on nonprofit healthcare systems and the leadership development of those systems.

The post Replicating  magnet recognition program in healthcare system: A path to nursing excellence and improved patient care appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story