Discuss an example of how a nurse leader was successful in spearheading change within an organization, institution, or the government that impacted healthcare policy. What driving forces led to the nurse leader’s success? What obstacles were encountered and how were they addressed?
Expert Answer and Explanation
System Change
Healthcare changes can be difficult to implement focus on how the facility is associated with several stakeholders each focused on different roles. As a nurse leader, successfully implementing change can have an impact on how the organization operates. An example of how a nurse leader was successful in spearheading change in an organization is during the shift to using the Electronic Health Record (EHR) from the traditional system of operations (Solomon & Kanter, 2018). The nurse made use of different strategies to ensure that the system has been successfully implemented and all the ley variables addressed.
The first step used was the communication with proper stakeholders on what is expected and how the process will be conducted. The leader communicated with the nurses and informed them of the importance of the new system and how it will impact the nature of care and company culture (Gottwald & Lansdown, 2021). The nurse leader also organized training sessions before the system was implemented to ensure that each key person was familiar with the interface and how it worked to reduce chances of errors and other issues. Data migration was done to ensure that all the previous information was placed in the system to enable continuity of care delivery.
These strategies were effective in ensuring that the nurse leader was successful in implementing these strategies. The support from both the management and the staff was effective in motivating the nurse leader to perform the roles and successfully implement the policies. While there were various obstacles such as some staff objecting to the idea due to time and age constraints, the proper communication helped to create a mutual understanding (Durks et al., 2017). The nurse was able to improve the performance of the organization, solve any issues through dialogue, and successfully led the implementation of the EHR system.
References
Durks, D., Fernandez-Llimos, F., Hossain, L. N., Franco-Trigo, L., Benrimoj, S. I., & Sabater-Hernández, D. (2017). Use of intervention mapping to enhance health care professional practice: A systematic review. Health Education & Behavior, 44(4), 524-535.
Gottwald, M., & Lansdown, G. E. (2021). 4 Change management and implementing quality improvement programmes. Ebook: Clinical Governance: Improving the quality of healthcare for patients and service users, 84.
Solomon, L. S., & Kanter, M. H. (2018). Health care steps up to social determinants of health: Current context. The Permanente Journal, 22.