Competency Assessment Research Paper
Role of Health Policy and Organizational Structure on Quality Improvement within Health Care Environments
Overview
Quality improvement within the healthcare sector has remained an integral undertaking towards improving the different ways in which care is delivered to patients. In an effort to improve healthcare quality different policies have been adopted in different systems whereby organizational structures have been aligned with increasing quality demands in the field. According to Pinkney (2013), healthcare systems over the nation face different pressing issues such as hospital-related infections, discrimination, and delay in inpatient discharge. In an effort to remain relevant and effective healthcare settings, management and leadership, environment and the overall structure has been subjected to continued innovations in order to address issues while improving the quality. Healthcare policies and organizational structures are indispensable tools key to developing and sustaining quality services. This paper provides an evaluation of the role of health policies together with organizational structure towards quality improvement within the healthcare environments, in line with the role of nurses as leaders in quality care delivery.Competency Assessment Research Paper
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Current Nursing Issues Related to Globalization of Healthcare
Nurse practitioners’ role has over the years remained key regarding the transformative aspect in healthcare delivery addressing unmet healthcare needs globally. However, despite increased access to services, the globalization of healthcare has resulted in a lack of standardized roles regarding conducting translational research and transform healthcare. Additionally, despite the advancement in the nursing field, there have been cases of shortage in nurses in different fields hampering effective service delivery. Bowden & Smits (2012), in his research, identified that, as healthcare organizations focus towards greater efficiency and in turn shifting their focus from volume to value, quality improvement policies have become more important than ever among the nurses, as well as other key players in the field. Globalization has in turn resulted in the need for a balance between nurse roles and personal development. With the increased focus being on quality, more nurses have been called to quality-driven strategies to achieve the desired outcome as well as to deliver the best, nurses’ personal needs and patient needs ought to be balanced. Competency Assessment Research Paper
Through globalization, it has been a challenge in synthesizing as well as summarizing the increased volume of information to precise and applicable information. Other issues include the development of successful collaboration and or improvement teams within healthcare organizations. Globalization in nursing results in multidimensional issues that require equally multifaceted collaboration between healthcare professionals’ organizations, resources all of which are deployed with commitment and vision (Houlston, 2012). With the increasing demand for quality healthcare services, there is a clear need to increase nurses’ awareness and education concerning the impact and innovation impacted by globalization such as emerging infectious diseases, maternal care, among others. Professional nurses can in turn be contributing towards global leadership of change by becoming active in communities and develop quality improvement policies.
Proposed Policy Change
The proposed policy change entails the collaboration between the nursing practices and the nursing professionals with the organization’s structures towards quality care delivery. According to Vanteddu & McAllister (2014), nurses are the primary caregivers, and in turn, the proposed policy change would empower them (nurses) with the needed knowledge and tools to deliver quality care to patients at all levels. The policy change puts the nurses at the helm of caregiving; ensuring patients’ needs are well addressed. Through globalization in healthcare, continuous quality improvement is a concept that entails quality assurance which refers to the aspect of nurses providing the services or care that meet the appropriate standard, problem resolution which entails the pooling of all involved departments and stakeholders in healthcare (Milstead, 2004). In summary, the policy change advocates for the recognition and empowerment of nurses are key players in healthcare today, as well as essential professionals towards the delivery of quality care. The role of nurses today can hardly be overlooked more so in times of pandemic and emergencies such as it is the case with COVID-19. Both developed and developing, and underdeveloped nations ought to revolutionize the role nurses to become leaders in ensuring access to not only healthcare but quality healthcare services (Higgins, 2003). In summary, the policy is focused on strengthening health systems, deliver quality care to the communities as well as address the unequal access to services.
Agenda Setting Strategies
Popularizing the proposal, within the healthcare sector and among the players plays an integral role in defining how it is adopted by the system and the public. The policy implementation process in every healthcare sector is directly dependent on provider commitment. With the common goal of the policy change being on positive outcomes concerning the quality of care given, the goal should be shared by the providers and consumers. Regarding the proposed quality policy, the nurses will take the center stage in deliberating through collaboration in implementing the policy (Franx et al, 2012). Investing in community health, this would entail financing the community health at the lowest level. This would make both patients and nurses need to be addressed, hence adopting the best suitable education programs for nurses towards embracing the new quality care models proposed by the policy.
Secondly, the policy would prioritize the social media; while hospitals more so in the underdeveloped nation are slow in adoption social media tools, the channels have proved a remarkably effective tool in reaching patients, hence devising care programs and services that are patient-based, and would, in turn, led to the improvement of the overall care given. Organizational training coupled with community-based public forums would focus on ensuring the policy is well understood not only by the intended primary caregivers but also by the community getting the services (Milstead, 2004). To achieve this, the policy will adopt three change pathways namely, the providers (nurses for quality care), practice (healthcare care delivery through integrated diagnosis and patient treatment), and policy (equitable and evidenced) Competency Assessment Research Paper
Model/ Theory Used to Bring About the Change
Adopting the quality care services and turning the practice into the organizational culture ought to be by a defined model that will enable for offering guidance in making the changes, navigating through the process, and ensuring any challenges are addressed effectively. Mckinsey 7-S model best defines the change process regarding improving the quality of the care provided in healthcare organizations. The model is defined by seven S’s namely, structure, strategy, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. However, the model doesn’t dictate any order of addressing the seven elements, but instead, the relationship between each one of them to the others is identified, weaknesses highlighted and hence addressed to make and overall effective integrated system of quality care delivery (Higgins, 2003). The models help in identifying relevant skills needed, the right staff, effective systems, strategy, and structure which would in turn help in changing the healthcare system towards quality care delivery culture
Design & Implementation Strategies
Policy or change implementation model will be presented in phases, however, the financial ability of the country and organizations would be the primary factor in determining how the change will be presented. Globalization has itself impacted healthcare in different ways. One way has been increased focus on the quality of the care provided to patients. With the proposed change, not a one-time change, but a basis for constant change as nurses systems and organization respond to both internal and external factors, it, in turn, means healthcare facilities; systems as well as strategies ought to unremittingly change and evolve for the quality care delivery to remain effective and competitive. Regarding implementation strategies, the proposed change will adopt; management support for change. This is whereby the healthcare leaders and overall national decision-makers concerning healthcare support the change process (Sripathy et al, 2017). Others entail, justification case for change, the involvement of the employees, change communication, providing effective training, developing and implementing a support structure implementation, follow-up, solving challenges, and or barriers to successful change implementation, and finally, benefiting from improved national and global quality of healthcare services given. Competency Assessment Research Paper
Evaluation Strategies
Evaluation strategies will form the last section of the change policy implementation. These strategies will define the models and ways in which the progress and effectiveness of the policy change are measures and evaluated. One primary approach to determine the success of the policy is the determination of patient satisfaction levels regarding the service offered. With an adequate definition of the intended change, the care recipient will define the evaluation tools, with their demand being first addressed by the policy modern proposal. Secondly, with the long-term focus of the model, to change the overall country’s healthcare system for the better, annual reports will serve and indicators failed or achieved change over time (Lowe, Plummer & Boyd, 2013). Other indicators would involve the rate of adopting new models over the last ones. Finally, an evaluation will be determined via assessing of lasting impact on the professionals through training and in-service training?
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Conclusion
Nurses have become integral professionals in healthcare systems. Not only do they determine the success of the healthcare service delivery, but also define quality care and its delivery to patients at all levels. Globalization has shifted healthcare service delivery from volume to quality, hence revolutionized, the quality control and delivery models. With competition for limited finances, increased access to patient information, inequality in care delivery, strengthening the world healthcare service delivery from volume to quality has remained an integral undertaking. However, the change models towards sustainable quality care can be realized through a collaborative model. This is whereby nurses among other players in the healthcare system work together in devising patient-centered care models which in turn improve the overall care quality.
References
Bowden, D. E., & Smits, S. J. (2012). Managing in the context of healthcare’s escalating technology and evolving culture. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 26(2), 149-57.
Franx, G., Oud, M., de Lange, J., Wensing, M., & Grol, R. (2012). Implementing a stepped-care approach in primary care: Results of a qualitative study. Implementation Science, 7, 8. Competency Assessment Research Paper
Higgins, A. (2003). Leadership and change: The developing role of the consultant nurse. Nursing Management (through 2013), 10(1), 22-8.
Houlston, C. (2012). The role of a research nurse in translating evidence into practice. Nursing Management (through 2013), 19(1), 25-8.
Lowe, G., Plummer, V., & Boyd, L. (2013). Nurse practitioner roles in Australian healthcare settings. Nursing Management (through 2013), 20(2), 28-35.
Milstead, J. A. (2004). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett.
Pinkney, L. M. (2013). Healthcare reform: Innovative and other proven strategies for successfully managing and implementing organizational change (Order No. 3608771).
Sripathy, A., Marti, J., Patel, H., Sheikh, J. I., & Darzi, A. W. (2017). Health professional education and universal health coverage: A summary of challenges and selected case studies. Health Affairs, 36(11), 1928-1936.
Vanteddu, G., & McAllister, C. D. (2014). An integrated approach for prioritized process improvement. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 27(6), 493-504. Competency Assessment Research Paper