Interview with Dr. Jodie Gary, author of “Exploring the Concept and Use of Positive Deviance in Nursing” (August, 2013)

Clinical managing editor Karen Roush speaks with Dr. Jodie Gary, assistant professor at Texas ANM Health Science Center College, and author of the article “Exploring the Concept and Use of Positive Deviance in Nursing.” She describes the difficulty nurses encounter providing patient-centered care while remaining within strict policies in a complex environment. Nurses who extend care beyond these policies know that they’re deviating, but are doing so in a responsible way with honorable intentions that benefit the patient. She suggests increased flexibility through guidelines rather than rules under circumstances that require the adaptation of care to suit the patient and their immediate needs.