You are a nurse working to implement a new electronic health record (EHR) system at your hospital. According to Lewin’s Change Theory, what is the most critical aspect of the ‘unfreezing’ stage for staff who are resistant?

Choice A reason: Competing involves asserting one party’s viewpoint at the expense of another. While it may resolve conflict quickly, it often disregards collaboration and can compromise patient-centered care. It risks escalating tension and does not foster teamwork.

Choice B reason: Negotiation is the most appropriate strategy because it seeks a mutually acceptable solution that prioritizes the patient’s needs. By encouraging dialogue, compromise, and collaboration, negotiation ensures that both providers’ perspectives are considered while keeping the patient’s best interest central. This approach aligns with interprofessional practice and promotes safe, coordinated care.

Choice C reason: Smoothing minimizes conflict by emphasizing areas of agreement while ignoring differences. While it may reduce tension temporarily, it does not resolve underlying issues. Patient-centered care requires addressing disagreements directly to ensure the best outcomes, not simply glossing over them.

Choice D reason: Avoidance delays resolution and leaves disagreements unresolved. This can negatively impact patient care by allowing confusion or inconsistent plans to persist. Avoidance undermines collaboration and fails to meet the patient’s immediate needs.

Choice A reason: Placing a computer physically between the nurse and the client creates a barrier that emphasizes task completion and documentation rather than interpersonal connection. This action signals that efficiency and data entry are prioritized over therapeutic communication. In clinical practice, nonverbal cues such as positioning of objects can strongly influence the perception of empathy and attentiveness. By focusing on the computer, the nurse unintentionally conveys that communication is secondary, which can hinder rapport and trust.

Choice B reason: While the action may appear impersonal, it does not necessarily mean the nurse lacks compassion or empathy. Compassion is demonstrated through tone, eye contact, and active listening. The presence of the computer alone does not prove an absence of empathy, though it may reduce the perception of warmth.

Choice C reason: Being focused on the client’s needs would involve direct engagement, maintaining eye contact, and ensuring the client feels heard. Placing a barrier between them contradicts this principle, as it shifts attention away from the client and toward the device.

Choice D reason: Professionalism involves maintaining respect, confidentiality, and therapeutic communication. Blocking the client with a computer does not align with professionalism, as it diminishes the quality of interaction and can be perceived as dismissive.