Change Initiative: Implementation, Evaluation, and Sustainability

Introduction

A new generation of leadership in healthcare has proven the need for constant evolution. Realizing the importance of efficient communication as a critical driver of patient care, this essay suggests a change initiative within our organization. Based on the HEALTH Model, the initiative intends to improve healthcare community members’ communication and coordination practices. Focusing on the inadequacies in the current state of affairs, the proposed changes will attempt to improve the situation, reduce the delays at the clients’ disadvantage, and close information gaps between different groups of customers, making the healthcare system more patient-centered. This initiative contributes to improvements in internal organizational processes and achieves our organization’s significant mission and the society’s benefit. We can use these two targets by associating them with the properties of transformational leadership and involving various stakeholders.

The issues and the current outcomes as a result of the issues

The aspect of operational performance that we identified as requiring a change from the healthcare organization is communication and coordination processes among healthcare professionals. In this domain, the problems are a lack of responsiveness, information gaps, and the need for more consistency in patient care provided by the healthcare service providers. Nowadays, these difficulties lead to the marginalization of patient experiences. Hence, the patient members are only partially satisfied with the overall quality of care. Poor communication, both in quality and quantity, has led to inappropriate outcomes for patients and increased nurses’ frustration and complaints (Wune et al., 2020). These issues need to be tackled with great attention since they significantly improve the effectiveness of health services to be more efficient and patient-oriented.

The external and internal driving forces

Internal and external factors determine the urgency of change in the communication process in our healthcare organizations. Internally, there is constant pressure to ensure high efficiency in patient outcomes and communication quality per external regulatory demands. The three main reasons the change should be implemented internally are the growing staff frustration and the rise in the number of patient complaints, as well as the requirements for improved organizational image. Better placed are patients, carers, healthcare givers, and administrative personnel. Better communication is necessary not only to meet the legal standards but also to increase job satisfaction among the health care providers and staff specialists and, finally, to provide people who need health care with a more comfortable and practical experience.

The stakeholders involved

The stakeholders include patients, doctors, administrative staff, and regulatory bodies. Revolutionizing the establishment is relevant for all the teams, having a powerful influence on each. Enhanced communication will ensure that patients enjoy good treatment and satisfaction (Drossman et al., 2021). When agents tasked with improving communication processes finally succeed, job satisfaction for healthcare providers and administrative staff will be significantly enhanced as feelings of frustration will be eliminated. Regulatory bodies providing higher compliance with communication standards will reach the standard adherence level, which corresponds with external requirements. Summing up, the change initiative should mainly benefit all the stakeholders, with the quality and effectiveness of patient care at the center of its values – a collaborative and communicative healthcare environment.

My role and responsibility as a change leader

As the change leader, I focus on building a transparent and collaborative environment within the organizational setting while promoting the patient-centeredness philosophy. I shall be the driver of change, shepherding the change initiative to success and longevity. My approach includes inspiring and motivating healthcare professionals, engaging them intellectually to get interested in the novel communicational processes, granting the individual consideration to their concerns, and providing a social idealized influence to ensure positive transformation using the transformational leadership theory. This leadership theory is also applicable to the change process, for it involves setting empowered, inspired leaders and focusing on a shared vision for the improvement of patient care.

It would help if you recruited the change agents to implement your change successfully.

The change agents that need to take the leadership to successfully implement our communication enhancement initiative are unequivocal as the path to nurture the transformative process. As change agents, clinical champions will support the cause by promoting positive attitudes among other front-line staff and serving as a bridge between leadership and the front-line staff. Communication experts will have an essential role in specifying goals and developing strategies, conducting training sessions, and ensuring the quality of information flow. Technology integration practitioners will assist in supportive integration for all communication tools, take care of technology needs, manage successful integration, and provide ongoing technical assistance. Such change agents as individual physical-chemical situations, the physical health of individuals, and the health of worker performance will cumulatively apply their knowledge to ignite and perpetuate the desirable changes necessary for enhanced communication procedures in our healthcare organization’s environment.

Developed strategies using the change model

Relevance of this model

The HEALTH Model is highly applicable to our organization because it is ideally in line with our approach, which is patient-centric. This model is centered on health assessment, engagement, alignment, learning and development, transformation, harmony, and sustainment as a change perspective but guides professional development and helps navigate change. Our communication enhancement initiative is patient-centered and focuses solely on the interests of the people we hope to benefit.

1. Strategic Aspects Using the HEALTH Model
2. Health Assessment – Assess the current communication processes among patients, administrative staff, and healthcare providers to identify implementation gaps and areas that require upgrading.
3. Engagement – Encourage healthcare providers by involving specialists in communication, where the medical team will be delivered with the benefits of efficient communication, including improved patient outcomes.
4. Alignment – Tailor communication instruments and approaches to the needs of the patient targeted by the organization and the staff nurse or clinician who may be serving him or her.
5. Learning and Development – Supply customized training sessions held by technology integration specialists, allowing healthcare professionals to improve the best use of innovative communication tools.
6. Transformation – Introduce new communication routines, championed by health professionals, that introduce a seamless transition to the new practices and a complete assimilation into routine practices.
7. Harmony and Sustainment – Analyze the culture of continuous improvement and communication excellence to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in sustaining such positive changes over time.

The potential barriers to change

The possible barriers to change that are visible in our communication enhancement project are staff resistance, technological obstacles, and time limitations. Change management training that addresses the needs and concerns will be conducted to create a positive culture and overcome resistance. Technology challenges will be mitigated through continuous technical support and progressively staged implementation. Realistic time scales and priorities will mitigate these time limitations. When planning the unexpected, it will be of the utmost importance to stay flexible with the implementation plan, create a feedback method, and have contingency plans. In advance action against these barriers leads to flexibility, which means that the reception of our significant implementation of the process regarding communication improvement is smoother in implementation.

The evaluation methods

To evaluate the effectiveness of our communication upgrade program, we will utilize all-encompassing evaluative approaches, including patient satisfaction scores, response time metrics, and staff feedback, to obtain a gauge. Surveys will be carried out routinely to understand the perceptive changes about enhanced communication, and focus groups will present qualitative leads. New communication practices, in turn, will be evaluated using key performance indicators (KPIs) (Kwee et al., 2021). A system of continuous monitoring through the use of feedback loops will facilitate making adjustments in real time. These metrics and determinants will help us assess this initiative’s impact both quantitatively and qualitatively in terms of patient experiences, employee satisfaction, and the efficiency of communication processes.

Strategies to anchor change or support continuous change

1. Ongoing Training Programs – As skills do not remain static and all the communication tools and practices are dynamic, conduct regular training sessions to keep staff members updated about the different communication practices, tools, knowledge products, and technology-based resources in today’s professional realm.
2. Communication Audits – Perform regular audits to evaluate the impact of new communication procedures, take steps to improve when needed, and learn how to deal with new challenges that crop up.
3. Recognition and Rewards – Launch reward programs to commend those persons or groups displaying sound communication aspects or exemplary behavior, thereby culturing positivism that will leave a positive impression.
4. Feedback Mechanisms – Implement feedback loops, which will enable the collection of feedback from the stakeholders to make mid-course corrections quicker and require fewer actions and time.
5. Adaptive Strategies – Formulate contingency plans and adaptive strategies to give you a way to maneuver through unknown circumstances to keep flexibility when dealing with circumstances you did not anticipate.

Change a plan that supports the organizational mission/goal.

The change strategy we developed also fits nicely with the organizational purpose of delivering effective and patient-centered healthcare. We are suitable to improve communication by supporting better overall patient experiences and outcomes. The engagement, training, and continuous feedback following engagement are intended to address stakeholders’ concerns about the security of the initiative to the needs and aspirations of all needy stakeholders, healthcare providers, staff, and patients. First, the initiative helps to broaden community equity since it takes a characterized healthcare system that is efficient and transparent in terms of medical treatment. As a result, society benefits in the long run through enhanced healthcare access and streamlined processes.

References

Drossman, D. A., Chang, L., Deutsch, J. K., Ford, A. C., Halpert, A., Kroenke, K., … & Sperber, A. (2021). A review of the evidence and recommendations on communication skills and the patient–provider relationship: a Rome foundation working team report. Gastroenterology, 161(5), 1670-1688.

Kwee, Z., Yaghmaei, E., & Flipse, S. (2021). Responsible research and innovation in practice: an exploratory assessment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a Nanomedicine Project. Journal of Responsible Technology, p. 5, 100008.

Wune, G., Ayalew, Y., Hailu, A., & Gebretensaye, T. (2020). Nurses to patients communication and barriers perceived by Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2018. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 12, 100197.