Managerial Excellence in Healthcare- Strategic Insights and Ethical Leadership
Healthcare managers in any healthcare facility must know how to track healthcare outcomes and enhance safety and quality. By collecting healthcare-related data, managers can be aware of the results of improvements and implementations. They can also know how these improvements affected the quality of services. The primary function of a healthcare manager is to organize the collected data in an orderly manner that can be presented to stakeholders. Healthcare managers must be aware of the impact of external and internal standards on healthcare quality, the objectives of continuous improvement, and the effect of technology on safety and quality. They must also know how to plan for employees’ professional development.
Impacts of External and Internal Standards
Internal and external standards are primary aspects of any healthcare organization. Internal standards include the working environment in which the healthcare services are offered to the patients and clients. Facilities and resources required to provide quality healthcare services are considered internal standards (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Internal standards include hospital policies that determine how outcomes in a healthcare organization are tracked and, in turn, affect the quality of healthcare services. External standards include the external environment, which includes elements influencing the general performance and quality of healthcare services. These external elements include patient socio-demographics and collaboration among healthcare service providers (Mosadeghrad, 2014). These factors can positively or negatively impact patient outcomes. Patient-related factors such as illness and patient cooperation influence how healthcare services are delivered and how outcomes can be tracked.
The Role of Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement can be defined as a systematic approach to implementing proactive plans to enhance and advance the quality of healthcare services and patient outcomes (Bailie et al., 2017). Continuous improvement should be governed by data and evidence-based practice to allow for constant identification and address areas needing improvements. Continuous improvements motivate the healthcare team to be always keen on improving service delivery and identify the various aspects of service delivery that require improvement.
Continuous improvements allow healthcare managers to comprehensively understand the impact of continuous change on the quality of services delivered. This enables adjustments to be made to accommodate the ever-changing healthcare landscape. The healthcare delivery industry is very diverse, and hence, some aspects keep evolving. Healthcare managers must thus be vigilant and identify any changes and implement any innovations. Continuous quality improvement is critical in healthcare since it helps in the realization of change (Bailie et al., 2017). Due to the ever-constant healthcare innovations and advancements, healthcare managers must regularly implement quality improvement initiatives to develop the most effective solutions to improve the safety and quality of healthcare.
Plan for Employee Development
The employee development plan can be defined as the action plans vital to ensure that employees have a personal and professional group. This equips them with the relevant capabilities to be efficient and attain the organization’s objectives (Sendawula et al., 2018). Healthcare managers must offer continuous growth to employees in their organizations to avoid employees’ career stagnation. These opportunities allow employees to pursue career advancements. They can implement training programs that offer employees a new perspective concerning new technologies and healthcare advancements. Employee development is crucial in impacting the safety and quality of healthcare since it prepares them to handle new challenges that they may come across. Employee development enables them to improve their service delivery to enhance patient satisfaction.
In addition, employee development maximizes employees’ performances and enhances their engagement with patients (Sendawula et al., 2018). Training enables employees to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to bridge gaps in their skill steps. This gives the healthcare organization a competitive advantage. Employee development also fosters teamwork n the healthcare organization resulting in efficient utilization of resources to deliver quality healthcare services. Employees who feel supported are inspired to deliver quality healthcare services. They will be more dynamic, improving their job satisfaction and retention (Sendawula et al., 2018). Healthcare managers must thus offer opportunities for career growth to their employees, which will enable them to be involved in the decision-making processes. This will result in the improvement of the safety and quality of healthcare services.
Role of Technology
There are many types of technology available for healthcare organizations to improve their service delivery, advance quality patient care, and transform the healthcare delivery industry. Every day, there are new technological discoveries. The advancements in health information technology have improved patient safety by minimizing medication-related errors, which has improved patient care and efficiency (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). An example of such technology is the electronic health records in which patient medical record is safely stored and can be retrieved and shared promptly. This improves safety and quality of care. This also increases the efficiency of data collection in quality improvement processes. Technology also enables healthcare professionals to collect patients’ diagnostic results, record vital signs, and any critical patient information in a centralized location (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017).
Furthermore, technology is vital in ensuring accessible and quality treatment. Health information technology has opened multiple research areas, which has enabled healthcare professionals to implement efficient and patient-centered quality healthcare services. The technological innovations have enhanced compliance and adherence to evidence-based practice, which guides the decision-making process during patient treatment. One of the most game-changing technological advancements is the use of clinical decision support, which filters information and presents critical information to healthcare professionals to enable them to institute patient-centered care to their patients (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017).
Technology is also crucial in ensuring patient safety and quality of healthcare since it can be used in disease control. Disease control has been made efficient through the use of software that classifies healthcare conditions and their etiology. This enables simple retrieval and use of the information to control the condition and improve patient outcomes. Technology has improved billing systems, minimized paperwork, and thus improved the efficiency of the healthcare delivery industry (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Technology is at the center of improving the safety and quality of healthcare services. Healthcare managers must thus be up to date on the current technological advancements.
Conclusion
Healthcare managers must be aware of the safety and quality of healthcare services in their organization. They should collect data from the day-to-day operations and use this information to implement quality improvement initiatives. They must also promote employee development and be aware of the external and internal factors that affect the quality and safety of healthcare.
References
Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi Medical Journal, 38(12), 1173-1180. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631
Bailie, R., Bailie, J., Larkins, S., & Broughton, E. (2017). Editorial: Continuous quality improvement (CQI)—Advancing understanding of design, application, impact, and evaluation of CQI approaches. Frontiers in Public Health, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00306
Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 3(2), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.65
Sendawula, K., Nakyejwe Kimuli, S., Bananuka, J., & Najjemba Muganga, G. (2018). Training, employee engagement and employee performance: Evidence from Uganda’s health sector. Cogent Business & Management, 5(1), 1470891. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2018.1470891
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question
Assignment Content
Imagine you are being vetted for a managerial position at a local healthcare facility. As part of the process, they have provided prompts for which you must write a response.
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing the process for tracking outcomes and improving quality and safety. Include the following in your paper:
Impact of external and internal standards
Role of continuous improvement in quality and safety
Plan for employee development in quality and safety
Role of technology in quality and safety
Use this template for your Week 3 paper:
Outcomes and Quality Template
3 peer-reviewed references are required, one of which may be the course textbook. (Do not use Wikipedia).
Format your assignment according to APA guidelines.