CSI Nurses: Do You Have What It Takes? - An Interview With Fiona Winterbottom

Clinical Scene Investigators (CSI) are nurses who utilize the CSI format to solve a problem. Fiona Winterbottom, DNP, MSN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, CCRN recently discussed this topic at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses with allnurses.com's Content and Community Manager, Mary Watts, BSN, RN. Dr. Winterbottom is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Ochsner Health System.

How can nurses be innovators and change agents?

Mary asked, "In what ways are nurses ideally positioned to be innovators and leaders of positive change?” Dr. Winterbottom replied,

"Nurses are able to make change happen on the units. At Ochsner we have a lot of activities that empower nurses, especially with the practice councils. Practice change is so very important. About 2-3 years, I got involved with CSI so that nurses can make changes so that things that bother them can be changed.”

What is CSI Academy?

CSI is Clinical Scene Investigation Academy is a structured program that empowers nurses to look at something in their practice that bothers them and gives them tools to address the problem by creating solutions and lead change.

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The "pebble in their shoe" is what drives them

Fiona got a grant to look at new ways to look at CSI and get more tools and add structure to some of the projects they are working on. AACN has booklets and stats to provide a structured plan to look at ways to change - it's a problem-solving process. She had 9 ICUs participating in the project - they had a lot of problems with staffing and turnover which has been challenging. She credited her leaders with stepping up to remove barriers to practice.

Why is the CSI process important?

Mary then asked why was this process so important to Ochsner? Dr. Winterbottom discussed that "Nurses have all the problems and all the solutions.” Creativity is stressed for the solution. Then this creativity is moved to the next step in an orderly manner. Ochsner Health System is an organization of 9 hospitals. They had to design solutions that worked for many different sizes of facilities and situations.

Nurses can and do make a difference and can affect change. Utilization of CSI provides a methodical roadway from problem to solution.

Here is the full interview in which Dr. Winterbottom discusses the CSI program in greater detail.