A transtheoretical model of behavior change is a model that is pertinent in changing diverse behaviors among a set of people. The model is usually applied in organizations where managers want to effect behavioral changes among employees. Dishman, Vandenberg, Moti, and Niqq state that in the process of change, people go through a series of stages, namely, “pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.” Hence, I can utilize the transtheoretical model in educating nurses to enable them acquire hygienic skills and practices, which aid in prevention of nosocomial infections in a healthcare environment.
Mere education of nurses is not effective in preventing nosocomial infections because one cannot assess progress of nurses in learning. Dishman et al. assert that transtheoretical model is very effective in assessing progressive behaviors of nursing students as they adopt preventive practices of nosocomial infections. Hence, I would institute behavioral change among nurses in the aspect of preventing nosocomial infections using education and assessment progressive behaviors using transtheoretical model.
Since the transtheoretical model holds that individuals go through the series of six stages of change, I would assess their respective stages and account for their progress using questions. Randhawa argues that the assessment of attitudes, knowledge, and skills of healthcare providers is important in planning change because it guides the management in implementing policies and strategies. In this view, assessment of attitudes, knowledge, and skills of nurses is imperative because it aids in the planning and implementation of an educational program aimed at preventing nosocomial infections in the healthcare environment.
Randhawa states that the transtheoretical model enables managers to assess behavior change and learning outcomes so that they can design and customize instructions to meet the needs of learners according to their stages of behavior change. Therefore, I would design questions whose answers differentiate nurses, according to different stages of behavior change, and thus provide the basis of categorizing them basing on their stages of behavior change.