Category: Innovation

In medical context, innovation refers to the development of new services, technologies, and ways of working within the healthcare settings (Edwards & Grinspun, 2011). Over the last century, the expansion of service sectors has been attributed to the increase in the adoption of innovations and technologies. From the early 1980s, the adoption of innovation in hospitals has resulted in numerous healthcare benefits.

In most hospitals, innovation in healthcare has reduced costs, enhanced development of new ideas, and provided employees with outstanding career advancement opportunities through continuous training. Equally, through the adoption of innovative technologies most hospitals can now collect and evaluate accurate data (Edwards & Grinspun, 2011).

In general, innovation in healthcare service delivery is essential in improving the value of care services and reducing the ever-increasing cost of treatments. Despite its effectiveness, health organizations experience numerous challenges in adopting and diffusing innovations into their healthcare systems. This paper focuses on trends of innovations, nature, and challenges of innovations in healthcare delivery services.

Innovative ideas in healthcare delivery service are achieved through the efforts of creative individuals. Healthcare systems are complicated and integrated necessitating skilled personnel (Edwards & Grinspun, 2011).

This implies that the minds of individuals working in the healthcare service have to adapt to the complex systems. Psychologists suggest that most healthcare experts have higher chances to be innovative due to continuous rearrangement of their thoughts to meet the new developments.

Benefits of innovations in healthcare systems

One needs to evaluate how the adoptions of innovations have affected the delivery of services across our healthcare institutions to understand the benefits of innovation in healthcare (Griffith, 1999). As such, innovations have changed the way treatments and healthcare delivery services are administered in our hospitals.

For instance, with the invention of stents the treatment of clogged heart arteries has improved significantly. Unlike in the past when treatment relied on surgery, treatment of clogged heart arteries can now be administered using invasive radiology procedures (Bali, 2006).

Similarly, innovations in health information technology have improved on the efficiency, storage, cost, and transmission of medical data (Griffith, 1999). Because of these, activities relying on health information technologies have been greatly enhanced. In addition, improvements in the health information technologies have enhanced healthcare management.

For this reason, hospitals have been able to provide better care services through the adoption of better health care practices. These benefits are evidenced from the gains realized through the adoption of telemedicine. With the adoption of telemedicine, physicians can work as a team. By being connected together via a common network and technology, physicians’ roles have been demarcated leading to better provision of care services.

Several stakeholders are experimenting with innovative methods to improve on the value, cost, and effectiveness of health care services. Among these stakeholders are hospitals, physicians, insurers, and government research institutions.

With these initiatives, new delivery systems will be developed. Through these, health care service providers will be encouraged to manage patient care. Similarly, rigorous tests are ongoing to determine how caregivers can lessen undesirable events and errors.

The US health care system can significantly reduce on the cost of medical care far faster than the current efforts put in place to control the medical practice through innovation (Boslaugh & McNutt, 2008). In health care service, unlike other industries, innovation has received little attention. More often, innovation in health care has been viewed with suspicion, and in some extreme cases restricted by the providers.

Notably, in healthcare the adoption and use of new technologies without appropriate evidence to support on the technologies is viewed as a problem rather than a solution (Faltin, 2012). Similarly, as compared to other sectors, innovation in medicine is not fully supported.

In the US, it is estimated that investments in healthcare innovations, over the last two decades, in the areas of heart attack and stroke have returned $2.40 to $3.00 for every dollar invested (Faltin, 2012). As compared to other sectors, the returns in medicine are significantly lower.

In other sectors, advances in technologies have reduced production costs and improved on the quality of service and goods. On the contrary, advances in healthcare technologies have always been viewed as driving up costs because medical advances increase capabilities.

Nature of innovation

Innovations in healthcare services take many forms including advances in technology and equipment. However, the greatest opportunities lie in the new types of strategies, organizational structures, facilities and processes and partnerships. Some innovations are easy to adopt due to their ability to yield better quality and lower cost right from the start.

For instance, new antibiotics can greatly reduce nursing costs allowing patients to be discharged from the hospital quickly. Similarly, new invasive surgeries have significantly reduced costs and recovery time.

On the contrary, other innovations in healthcare service delivery have increased costs while increasing on the quality of service provided. For instance, physicians assert that thrombolytic drugs administered after an attack increases drug costs but lower the rate of hospitalization.

Spurring Innovation in healthcare service delivery

Stakeholders should develop a culture of innovation, focus on the culture, provide high quality data, provide incentives, and let physicians guide innovation to enhance the use of innovation in the hospitals (Boslaugh & McNutt, 2008). Hospitals must advocate for innovation starting from their top positions.

To achieve this, hospital leaders must adopt appropriate and effective structures to encourage innovation among their staff members. Similarly, hospitals should recruit additional clinical leaders to achieve this objective. These leaders should be provided with suitable training, for them to manage their fellow physicians and ensure that suitable leadership styles are implemented (Nicholson, 1999).

According to medical experts, healthcare service leaders should be paired as much as possible. For instance, an administrative leader could be paired to work with a physician leader.

Through this, dual leadership model will be realized to supervise longitudinal service lines. In the same way, hospitals can appoint chief innovation officers to supervise clinical and non-clinical tasks. By doing so, a hospital will in a position to prompt and integrate innovation.

Although hospitals can spur innovation through innovative leadership, they should also ensure that they develop a favorable environment for innovation to thrive (Nicholson, 1999). It is a fact that most people resist change, so every organization should strive to create an environment that promotes change.

Contrary to the past healthcare service cultures where doctors and other physician were allowed to work under minimum supervision, the developed environment should allow physicians to uphold the culture of transparency. Even though most hospitals have reported that it is challenging to achieve a culture of transparency, healthcare stakeholders should always advocate for transparent workforces.

According to Dr. Fickenscher, hospitals should resort to the use of financial incentives to encourage their physicians to offer value care and services (Mlitwa, 2011). If the use of financial incentives is appropriately applied, within the healthcare service delivery will eventually be triggered leading to reduction in costs and improvements in the quality of services.

Therefore, physician leaders are urged to use incentives to alter the organizational environment. According to medical experts, innovations are triggered through rewards. Psychologists assert that through incentives people can be encouraged to think, hence come up with solutions to complex challenges in their daily tasks (Mlitwa, 2011).

In this essence, hospitals and other medical stakeholders should come up with appropriate compensation methods. For instance, innovative physicians can be rewarded through bonuses and job promotions.

Another approach hospitals use to spur innovation is through the provision of high quality data (Melnyk & Overholt, 2005). After changing the personnel structure, the hospital should supply their personnel with appropriate information on how to change and on the need for change. Failure to provide this information may jeopardize the hospital initiative of stimulating and integrating innovation.

To achieve this target, hospitals must provide their physicians with accurate information. Similarly, hospital administrators should be cautious to ensure that the provided data are understandable (Melnyk & Overholt, 2005). In most hospitals, the accuracy of their data is a major medical challenge. Therefore, hospitals should adopt suitable measures to ensure the accuracy of their data.

Medical experts assert that with inaccurate data, physicians cannot only come up with appropriate clinical decisions, but also deter their innovations. Since the validity of data is a challenge to most healthcare systems, hospitals are encouraged to invest in analytic cultures. Through analytic cultures, physician leaders will advocate for accurate data-driven initiatives (Bali, 2006).

Conclusion

In conclusion, hospitals should let their practitioners guide innovation in their organizations (Lim, 2011). To achieve this aim, hospital administrators should create a favorable environment, encourage innovative culture, and work with physicians to ensure that innovations are triggered. Similarly, in the quest to enhance innovation, hospitals should ensure that their physician leaders are well trained to identify changes needed to generate value from the resources spent.

If innovations are fully adopted in hospitals, patients will be able to interact with their physicians via telemedicine facilities (Edwards & Grinspun, 2011). Through this, patients will be able to take photographs detailing their medical conditions and send them to their doctors for evaluation. Improvements in data analysis systems will enhance cost effective health care services.

Though the new practices in healthcare have proved to be effective in improving care and reducing errors in hospitals, some hospitals and physicians have been slow in adopting them (Lim, 2011). In this regard, the government should step in and be part of the solution.

The government has to advocate for innovations in healthcare. By doing so, the government should work with healthcare stakeholders to identify, replicate, and adopt effective innovations across the country (Edwards & Grinspun, 2011).

As the innovators struggle to come up with appropriate ways of improving healthcare services, consumers should also try to be innovative and identify resources within their reach, which can help them maintain healthier lifestyles (Lazakidou, 2012). This implies that the society should invest more on building sidewalks, sporting facilities and encourage schools to adopt physical exercises for their children.

References

Bali, R. K. (2006). Healthcare knowledge management: issues, advances and successes. New York: Springer.

Boslaugh, S., & McNutt, L. (2008). Encyclopedia of epidemiology. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale.

Edwards, N., & Grinspun, D. (2011). Understanding whole systems change in healthcare the case of emerging evidence-informed nursing service delivery models. Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.

Faltin, F. W. (2012). Statistical methods in healthcare. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.

Griffith, J. R. (1999). The well-managed healthcare organization (4th ed.). Chicago, Ill.: Health Administration Press.

Lazakidou, A. (2012). Quality assurance in healthcare service delivery, nursing and personalized medicine technologies and processes. Hershey, PA: Medical Information Science Reference.

Lim, T. (2011). Nanosensors: heory and applications in industry healthcare & defense. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Melnyk, B. M., & Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Mlitwa, N. (2011). IT/ICT research and innovations: a transdisciplinary approach. Cape Town : Tvk Ennovations.

Nicholson, L. (1999). The Internet and healthcare (2nd ed.). Chicago, Ill.: Health Administration Press.

There is no doubt that the world never stops changing since each achievement of humanity usually involves a range of opportunities for further development. There are plenty of examples of disruptive innovations in different spheres, and each of them has been able to completely change peoples’ assumptions concerning technology. Such examples include the introduction of personal computers, mobile phones, or new and effective medicinal drugs.

When it comes to the sphere of healthcare, disruptive innovations are usually represented by the transition from one healthcare model to another that provides both specialists in the sphere and clients with extended opportunities. More than that, to be called a disruptive innovation, the novelty should help to improve the quality of healthcare services. The particular innovation that this paper will focus on is ATP, which promises to become an important practice in the future.

ATP is an abbreviation for asynchronous telepsychiatry, which is a practice that involves providing patients with psychiatric help using digital devices that most modern people possess. The use of ATP therefore does not require any special equipment, and it can be stated that there is no need for the development of special equipment and it can reduce the costs of implementation of the method significantly. To begin with, it is important to note that ATP can be used to accomplish a wide range of tasks related to psychiatric care. In reference to the proposed savings, ATP allows providing high-quality services involving positive health outcomes. At the same time, ATP does not involve threats to patient safety; instead, patients with particular disorders such as anxiety feel safer while having online conversations with their healthcare providers. As for costs, implementation of ATP will also help to save money as it decreases the need to build special facilities for violent patients.

It cannot be denied that ATP provides healthcare specialists with an opportunity to shift away from traditional healthcare venues such as hospitals. Instead, the use of ATP allows specialists in psychiatry to conduct consultations with a larger number of patients since the latter do not need to spend time traveling to the hospital or other healthcare facilities to get help. More than that, holding online consultations with those people whose mental conditions are not critical can be regarded as an additional factor allowing healthcare providers to pay increased attention to other patients who need their help. In addition, it is important to note that there is a significant reason explaining the rapid development of ATP. In fact, it is reported by healthcare specialists in different parts of the country that there is a lack of qualified psychiatrists, whereas the number of people who have problems related to mental health is increasing.

The second goal that ATP makes possible is related to the quality and accessibility of service. In fact, the use of ATP helps to provide increasingly affordable and conveniently accessible services to consumers. Importantly, it needs to be mentioned that the use of ATP will not lead to a decrease in the quality of service. First, most specialists holding online consultations are supposed to be working at medical facilities, which means that they have access to any tools or information they need. Also, their work can be supervised by other specialists to ensure a higher quality of service. As for increasing the accessibility of service, the development of ATP can solve problems for many people who are disabled or have special circumstances preventing them from visiting usual consultations.

ATP can be applied in different countries due to the fact that it does not involve the use of equipment that is hard to find. In fact, to provide patients with services using ATP, healthcare specialists only need such equipment as personal computers or laptops, cameras, and microphones. Nowadays, this system of healthcare service delivery is used in California and other states; if the use of ATP results in improved mental health outcomes for patients, it will be important to introduce this system in other areas as well.

Nowadays, the specialists whose work is related to studying and improving ATP claim that it has a range of advantages over common psychotherapy. For instance, it mitigates the risk of negative emotional reactions in patients (such as fear, anger, or anxiety) during consultations. Also, there are many situations in which the use of ATP can be regarded as the best alternative, and this fact helps to define the beneficiaries of the given delivery method. They include children, elderly people, and physically challenged citizens having mental problems (Hilty et al., 2013). Besides, this method of service delivery is particularly good for those with anxiety disorders or post- traumatic stress disorders.

Ultimately, ATP can be considered to be an important healthcare innovation because it extends opportunities for both healthcare providers and patients with mental disorders. Its significance cannot be overestimated: it is beneficial for many categories of patients who have special needs, and its implementation helps to reduce costs related to special facilities for violent patients and to improve the quality of service. As for the latter, it becomes possible as practitioners using ATP are supervised by other specialists.

Reference

Hilty, D. M., Ferrer, D. C., Parish, M. B., Johnston, B., Callahan, E. J., & Yellowlees, P. M. (2013). The effectiveness of telemental health: A 2013 review. Telemedicine and E-Health, 19(6), 444-454.

Today, owing to advances in information technology, the healthcare sector has experienced an explosion of innovations aimed at not only improving life expectancy and quality of life of patients, but also diagnostic and treatment options, disease control, as well as the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the healthcare delivery system (Omachonu & Einspruch, 2010).

However, opinion about the rate of innovation in the healthcare industry seems divided, with some researchers suggesting that innovation is woefully lacking (DeWolf, 2010), while others acknowledge that inefficiency still exists in the healthcare system due to lack of innovative ways in dealing with health issues (Thakur, Hsu & Fontenot et al., 2012).

The present paper aims to describe an innovative way of ground source heating and cooling that could be used in health facilities to control internal temperatures, hence providing in-patients with a favorable environment for total healing and comfort.

DeWolf (2010) defines innovation “as creating value through viable business concepts” (p. 3). Omachonu et al (2010) define innovation as “the intentional introduction and application within a role, group, or organization, of ideas, processes, products or procedures, new to the relevant unit of adoption, designed to significantly benefit the individual, the group or the wider society” (p. 3).

In this regard, the proposed ground source heating and cooling system will definitely create value and benefits to patients admitted in healthcare institutions.

The solar-powered system will provide heat during the winter and cooling during the summer, with a view to maintaining constant temperature which is favorable for optimal patient healing and comfort.

Each piece of the heating and cooling equipment will have its unique monitoring and control system, which will be designed to be self-controlling and adjusting, not only to provide flexibility but also efficiencies in operation. It is imperative to mention that the proposed innovation is a product innovation as it will introduce a new type of good for the external market (Omachonu et al., 2010).

Available literature demonstrates that “product innovations are essential to the life of any organization since they provide the most obvious means for generating revenues” (Omachonu et al., 2010 p. 2). The ground source heating and cooling equipment will come with innumerable benefits owing to the fact that it will be developed around market-oriented and customer-focused strategies. Thakur et al (2012) are of the opinion that market needs as well as customer demands and expectations drive the innovation agenda forward.

This equipment, for instance, will benefit in-patients with various respiratory diseases as it will be able to maintain constant room temperature, hence shielding them from vagrancies of weather. It is common knowledge that respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma worsen during the winter. The quality of life of in-patients will also be enhanced as the equipment offers comfort by controlling extreme temperatures.

Patients will also benefit in reduced hospitalization costs and lesser patient trauma due to the equipment’s capacity to prevent disease progression and relapses. Again, it is worth mentioning that sharp discrepancies in room temperature may worsen various cardio-pulmonary diseases such as pneumonia and heart disease. Additionally, healthcare institutions will benefit from energy savings as the equipment is powered by solar energy.

The proposed innovation is transformational and will definitely improve patient outcomes while decreasing healthcare spending.

DeWolf (2010) acknowledges that what is needed today “are transformational innovations that involve significant change and provide differentiation and/or disruptive innovations that can reshape the competitive landscape and, thus, have a profound impact on economics and customer preferences” (p. 3). When the equipment stabilizes room temperature, in-patients with various cardio-pulmonary complications will not be exposed to cold, and hence will not suffer from disease relapses or deteriorations.

Healthcare spending will therefore decrease in terms of reduced hospital stay, reduced spending on medications, and reduced overhead costs in energy savings. The innovation will also be transformational as it will disorder old heating and cooling systems, create new players and new markets in terms of patients who value comfort, and deliver dramatic value to the management of health institutions which will adapt to the innovation in terms of increased revenues (Omachonu et al., 2010).

The proposed innovation, in my view, will become a trend as we progress into the future. Thakur at al (2010) acknowledge that “innovation is driven by strategic implementation and/or assimilation of information technology (IT) and/or information systems (IS)” (p. 563).

In the same measure, it can be argued that the innovation, which is the ground source heating and cooling system, will be driven by the strategic implementation and adoption in health institutions as well as the accruing business and economic benefits. More explicitly, the proposed innovation will become a trend in the future as it is effective and easy to use, not mentioning that it is useful in contemporary times.

The technology acceptance model (TAM) demonstrates that people plan or intend to adopt new technologies and innovations if they perceive that these technologies and innovations are useful and can be used with ease (Thakur et al., 2010). The ground source heating and cooling system meets the threshold of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, hence it is expected that the innovation will become a trend that will be adopted by many other health institutions into the future.

References

DeWolf, L. (2009). Understanding innovation in healthcare. Journal for Healthcare Quality: Official Publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality, 31(1), 3-4.

Omachonu, V.K., & Einspruch, N.G. (2010). Innovation in healthcare systems: A conceptual framework. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 15(1), 1-20.

Thakur, R., Hsu, S.H.Y., & Fontenot, G. (2012). Innovation in Healthcare: Issues and Future Trends. Journal of Business Research, 65(4), 562-569.

Introduction

The field of nursing has changed dramatically in the recent century, with many changes tracked directly to the innovations initiated by Florence Nightingale. Therefore it is likely she’ll be delighted to see the progress made since the time she worked as a nurse. However, upon realizing the time we needed to make progress as well as the number of issues still left unaddressed, her second thoughts on the state of modern nursing would be far less optimistic than her first impression.

Main body

It should be acknowledged that some aspects of the nursing profession improved greatly and would likely be praised by Nightingale. First, today’s nurse is a respectable profession, especially in comparison to her contemporaries. More importantly, today’s nurses face a far greater range of responsibilities and a higher level of standards which means the quality of care is much higher than what Florence was dealing with (Fulton, Lyon, & Goudreau, 2014). Next, the design solutions for hospitals and other healthcare facilities are immeasurably better than those available more than a century ago, with most of them being built upon and consistent with components of optimal healing identified by Nightingale, such as pure air and water, sanitation, and light (Lee, Clark, & Thompson, 2013).

In addition, nursing practice is evidence-based and incorporates research and statistical analysis to support the practice, which is in line with Nightingale’s approach. Another area that saw a change for the better and would likely be praised by her is modern nursing education which is capable of producing great specialists. Finally, the expansion of nursing roles is a change that cannot be overlooked. In today’s system, a nurse is a care provider, a counselor, an educator, a leader, a policymaker, and a manager, which again aligns with Florence’s ideas (Fraher, Spetz, & Naylor, 2015). However, we should not forget that it also introduced ambiguity and vagueness into the list of responsibilities and created new barriers that would undermine the positive impression.

Interestingly, the diversification of responsibilities coupled with the enhancement of criteria for quality patient care created an additional workload for nurses. As a result, the shortage of practitioners and the heavy workload changed so little that she would likely see no difference. Next, despite our best efforts, we still strive to achieve holistic care, so this factor also shows little improvement. Finally, while safety rates in the sector definitely improved over the years, the change is so insignificant that it would likely be considered a lack of progress by such a progressive mind as Florence Nightingale.

Despite the unsatisfactory results in the field of nursing, I would say the prognosis is relatively optimistic. Current trends suggest an improvement, and upon my understanding, the setting is favorable to positive improvements. The only concern is the same I ascribed to Nightingale – the time frame. The change is taking off slowly, and there is no reason to expect it to speed up. So all of the outlined fields will definitely see improvements, but the extra effort must be made to boost the change.

Conclusion

In this regard, Nightingale’s determination and commitment should serve as an example. While each of her individual contributions is incredible, it is their cumulative effect that affects my practice the most. The simple fact that she managed to contribute to policy development, social activism, nursing education, and design standards while at the same time providing exceptional care to patients can be used as inspiration for modern nurses with diverse responsibilities. I can say with certainty that it is her leadership qualities that helped me to push my boundaries further in my nursing practice.

Learning Outcomes

My gifts are fairly good memory, the ability to effortlessly recall the information I found interesting or relevant, good reading skills, and, to some extent, the ability to systematize information. My greatest barrier is the inability to effectively work as a part of the team and, to a lesser degree, the inability to use spatial understanding to aid learning. Upon my understanding, this results from my personality traits. I consider myself an introvert which means I am good at self-study but not social enough to effectively interact with others. Thus, my preferred learning style is verbal, since I best receive information that is formulated in writing, and logical, since I rely on systematizing and reasoning in processing information.

Knowing this, I can organize my notes more effectively by incorporating schemes and tables and adjust my learning process by choosing preferred sources of information. For instance, I can concentrate on written and spoken information and allocate more time for visual and spatial tasks. My intrapersonal skills, on the other hand, would be helpful for organizing self-directed learning. I will be able to maintain productive solitary learning sessions that would hopefully be enhanced by my reasoning skills. Therefore, self-directedness will allow me to identify and address gaps in my knowledge. The effect can be further boosted by an internal locus of control, which can be directed at promoting self-reliance and, by extension, the acknowledgment of responsibilities. Combined with self-directedness, locus of control will eventually contribute to empowerment and lead to personal growth.

References

Fulton, J. S., Lyon, B. L., & Goudreau, K. A. (Eds.). (2014). Foundations of clinical nurse specialist practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Fraher, E., Spetz, J., & Naylor, M. D. (2015).Nursing in a transformed health care system: New roles, new rules. Web.

Lee, G., Clark, A. M., & Thompson, D. R. (2013). Florence Nightingale–never more relevant than today. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(2), 245-246.

Overview

Doctors Without Borders (DWB) (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)) is a self-regulating international remedial charitable association that offers emergency assistance to inhabitants suffering from armed conflict, plagues, natural or man-made calamities, or elimination from health care in nearly 60 states.

Every year, MSF experts depart on more than 4,700 aid missions. They work alongside more than 25,800 locally hired employees to supply medicinal care.

In disasters and their consequences, MSF offers fundamental health care, recovers and manages clinics and health centers, offers surgical treatment, takes care of people being infected because of epidemics, performs inoculation campaigns, and proposes mental health care. When it is required, DWB also creates water supplies and bestows clean drinking water, and offers shelter stuff like covers and plastic tarps.

By the means of longer-term courses, MSF indulgences patients with transferable maladies such as tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, and offers medical and mental care to marginalized groups such as street children.

DWB was established in 1971 as the first nongovernmental association to both provide emergency medicinal help and bear observations openly to the troubles of the population it helps. A confidential nonprofit organization, MSF is a worldwide network with segments in 19 countries.

Custom-created by MSF for precise field circumstances, geographic situations, and climates, a kit for an association contributor may enclose a total operating scope, for instance, or all of the materials and tools required to treat about five or six hundred cholera infected people. MSF kits and medicinal procedures have been duplicated by reprieve associations all over the world.

DWB has confirmed proficiency in the field of epidemiology and is often entitled to observe, identify, and control outbursts of sicknesses, such as cholera, meningitis, and measles.

Successes

Over the previous two years, the MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign has progressed beyond discussion to attain several achievements that are of essential advantage to patients. Production has been resumed or protected for several drugs to treat sleeping sickness. Costs for AIDS drugs have decreased significantly. Landmark legislation has been exceeded or asserted in Kenya and South Africa, making admission to convinced medications more likely for some of the poorest states and inhabitants. Nevertheless, for lots of people infected with diseases usual in developing states, available medication alternatives are still not viable or do not subsist.

A key achievement has been the protected creation of medicals for trypanosomiasis, a painful sickness that intimidates 60 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Just two years ago, the manufacture of four out of the five drugs required to treat the illness had either been left or was on the edge of being terminated. Today, due to community anxiety, manufacturers Aventis and Bayer will contribute enough of the drug product for the World Health Organization (WHO) to satisfy worldwide requirements for the following five years and have entrusted to looking for long-term explanations. DWB will maintain this scheme by charging requirements of stockpiling and distribution of the remedies.

The two corporations will also contribute funds to maintain the WHO’s projects for illness observation and study. Donors, state administrations, and NGOs must all discover new sources to consign to the challenge, and well-arranged equipped study is still required to expand simplified healing projects. But receiving the drugs back into fabrication was a fundamental step; it provided optimism to circumstances that appeared dreadfully depressing just a year before.

When remedies are more reasonable and available, and when states can make use of accessible upholds in worldwide legislation, treatment will still only be probable if effectual drugs subsist. Unluckily, research and development (R&D) for new medicals for lots of illnesses has come to a fester. In September 2001, DWB aimed to motivate discussion and action in this sphere by the means of issuing a special report, “Fatal disparity: The Disaster in Research and Development for remedies for Mistreated Infections.” The report is the outcome of two years’ research under the auspicious “Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working Group”, a company of self-regulating specialists from developed and developing states collected by Doctors Without Borders in 1999 to investigate the matter of Research and Development.

“Critical Disparity” discovered that the channel for drugs for the infections of the poor — the “neglected” and “most neglected” sicknesses that chiefly concern people in developing states — is approximately draining. Out of the 11 participants in a study of the top 20 pharmaceutical corporations, eight evolved nothing for Research and Development for remedies to take care of African human trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, or Chagas sickness, all diseases that completely touch people in poor states. None of the 11 corporations has offered a production for these three infections for the previous five years, and only two of them have offered remedies for malaria. The details also pointed how state administration operating and modifying public investigation priorities are mixing this disaster.

To react to this disaster, MSF has originated several suggestions: that a well-stated and requirements-directed investigation plan be stated at the international level; that country administrations become unswervingly and proactively engaged in the exploration for explanations; that augmented and long-term financial support be protected for R&D into neglected infections; and that an original not-for-profit venture is discovered as one way to tackle the shortage of Research and Development for the most disused infections.

The political circumstances for the discussion of access to medicines have begun to modify, with the matter now a part of the worldwide health care plan. Convenient successes have provided clear optimism to some patients. Yet, after two years of strong performance, it is obvious that much work stays to be done to interpret these achievements into permanent resolutions.

Shortcomings

Along with the essential circumstances that are still obstructing the sphere of tuberculosis remedy discovery, the requirement to considerably advance admission to data and instruments appeared as a major theme throughout the working group conversation. Professor Carl Nathan, of Weill Cornell Medical College, classified the malfunction of current sponsoring methods to line up improvement, enticements, and admittance as the structural grounds for the matters in the treatment development pipeline of tuberculosis. He classified the restrictions with existing advances taking into account contributions, communal and charitable foundations to trounce the structural difficulty and argued on the notion of “open admission drug corporations” as a probable way onward.

The effort to create productive cooperation among industries can be obstructed by awkward legal practices associated with technology transmission matters. Scientific technology transmission offices should differentiate between “for income” and “not-for-income” activities of the pharmaceutical production and concern various processes for each one.

Rather a significant failure of the Doctors Without Borders association is the failure of recent financing instruments to line up originality, inducements, and admission can be regarded as the reason of arrangement for the matters in the drug development pipeline for tuberculosis. Two organizational reorganizations could permit for the enhancement of a better Research and development where novelty, incentive, and access would be equally supporting: 1) the accomplishment of optional motivation methods to encourage Research and Development to be used in equivalent to up-to-date market enticements; 2) the enhancement of “open access drug corporations” applying an original model for scientific-production cooperation. Optional patent pathways and incentive methodologies would encourage Research and Development not by the means of high pricing of medical care, but rather in the course of recompensing the impact of innovations on health care products.

The foundation of “open access drug discovery entities” within conventional pharmaceutical corporations might provide an attractive alternative to promote close cooperation between science and pharmaceutical production. “Open access drug discovery entities” can be imagined as contract-grounded frames and locations for teamwork among researchers, production, and corporations. Pharmaceutical companies would be procured as congregations in a few geographic regions and, on fee-for-service grounds, open divisions of their Research and Development capacities to supported researchers or other drug producers. This would propose a crucial logistic resolution, permitting definite collaboration among researchers and scientists and eradicating the disadvantages of managing practical drug innovation within a large global consortium.

Open admission “drug discovery entities” should also act a significant role in creating and upholding innovative chemical databases likely to be rich resources for anti-infectives.

As it may be seen from the described above matters, the key failures of the DWB are organizational issues, as its key aims are successfully performed and accomplished. Another fact is the inability of the researchers to cooperate successfully on the matters of pharmaceuticals and neglected diseases in the developing states.

Conclusion

Effective and successful tactics to resolve the gap in remedy innovation should reflect on the requirement to allocate harmonizing roles to and make the most advantageous application of the proficiency of each of the key segments included. One resolution might be the expansion of new methods to promote scientific and production cooperation and permit proficient public sector donation to drug detection. It was requested whether the challenge to reproduce industry’s skill in drug invention in detached entities within the public sector can symbolize viable tactics to deal with obtainable troubles on the essential scale.

In this sense, the “open access drug discovery entities” model was regarded as an attractive solution worth exploring. Participants broadly recognized that the need to develop new Research and Development financing patterns would also be of the key significance.

References

Brownlee, Shannon. “Doctors without Borders: Why You Can’t Trust Medical Journals Anymore.” Washington Monthly. 2004: 38.

“A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City.” USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education). 2007: 4.

Parkhouse, James. Doctor’s Careers: Aims and Experiences of Medical Graduates. New York: Routledge, 1991.

“Doctors without Borders Awarded 1999 Nobel Peace Prize.” International Journal on World Peace 16.4 (1999): 85.

Medical institutions planning to maximize the health outcomes of their respective patients must embrace the power of innovation. Organizations that want to benefit from the aspects of innovation should implement the process using an efficient model (Alsolami, Cheng, & Twalh, 2016). Individuals should develop specific qualities, competencies, and strengths to become advocates of innovation. This discussion gives a detailed analysis of my SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results) analysis.

Strengths

My current role is to ensure the targeted institution implements and benefits from the attributes of innovation. Most of my strengths will definitely support the major roles undertaken by different teammates. My creativity will inform some of the best innovative ideas to support the targeted goals. Innovation requires a sense of creativity in order to deliver positive results. I am an ambitious individual whose goal is to ensure quality results are realized in a timely manner. Time management, effective decision-making, ability to empower others, and critical thinkers are critical strengths that support my new roles. I have always worked as a team. I apply my leadership philosophy to support, mentor, and guide me teammates. This practice should be considered throughout the innovation implementation process (Slimane, 2015). I have developed unique skills in information and technology. The concept of meaningful use supports my care delivery process. These strengths will make it possible for me to achieve every objective.

These strengths have always guided me to come up with new aims. Every activity is then designed in such a way that it focuses on the targeted aims. In order to deliver positive results faster, it is necessary to use the abilities and dexterities to influence others. My leadership philosophy is guided by different competencies such as effective time management, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Individuals who use adequate competencies find it easier to empower, guide, and mentor their respective followers (Kaya, Işık, & Bodur, 2014). A person who uses his or her strengths can influence the behaviors of others (Slimane, 2015). My obligation is to develop the best plan and use it to implement the needed innovative idea. By doing so, the members of the team find it easier to focus on the designed plan. The application of an efficient change model can guide different followers and teammates to support the targeted behavior or practice. Collaboration is an evidence-based practice that supports the establishment of a friendly environment capable of delivering positive outcomes.

My strengths have guided many people to take up a wide range of roles that can drive performance. It is notable that my strengths can be applied in different settings to promote specific leadership practices. The ability to design and come up with an effective change model guides different followers to support the targeted goals. Throughout the process, the use of personal strengths can result in a leadership behavior (Davies & Harty, 2013). The established culture will definitely echo different attributes of leadership. For example, decision making emerges as a critical process that ensures various ambitions are matched with the resources and opportunities (Davies & Harty, 2013). Decisions can be made to make sure the innovation implementation process is guided by the issues facing the organization. Consultation and persuasion are taken seriously whenever empowering others to deliver tangible results. A change model entails the application of different functions such as planning and organizing (Lizarondo, Grimmer, & Kumar, 2014). The concept of envisioning becomes a guiding principle to support every organizational goal.

Opportunities

The preferred future of Assessment One is to ensure the University of Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) integrates the use of information communication technology (ICT) in its operations. Being part of this new role or transition, it will be possible to record new opportunities and achievements that can support my future objectives. The existing challenges can equip me with suitable competencies and make it possible for me to pursue my career goals. The emergence of challenges can become an opportunity to develop better strategies to deal with them in the future. For example, the institution lacks adequate ICT infrastructure to support the proposed innovative technology. This gap will encourage me to identify specific technologies and resources that can guide the transition process. The implementation of the innovative idea can create an environment for empowering, training, and mentoring different employees (Martin, McCormack, Fitzsimons, & Spirig, 2014). The occurrence of these challenges will be analyzed in an attempt to delivery positive results.

A number of roles will be executed to ensure every outlined aim is achieved. The first one is training every worker in the medical organization. The emergence of modern technologies has transformed the manner in which various responsibilities are undertaken by different workers (Martin et al., 2014). The complexity of the working environment explains why training is needed to advance employees’ dexterities (Martin et al., 2014). Efficient leadership will be taken seriously throughout the process in the referral medical organization. The role will become a powerful principle for mentoring, motivating, and guiding the targeted workers (Crowell, 2015). They will be equipped with specific resources to ensure the implemented change is managed successfully. The proposed change will empower me to become a technological expert. Another meaningful role that might be required is that of a change agent. This responsibility will ensure every stakeholder is equipped with evidence-based concepts to support the sketched innovation agenda. Leadership duties should be taken seriously to deliver evocative results.

The objectives of the facility can create room for improvements and subsequently ensure quality medical services are available to more patients. I will use this opportunity to advance my objectives. Several processes will be undertaken to support every goal. The first one will be implemented as a change (Alsolami et al., 2016). Personally, I will advocate for Kurt Lewin’s model of freeze-change-refreeze to support the suggested innovation. This process will succeed due to the use of potent leadership styles, resources, and guidelines. This practice will support the institution’s agenda. The second process that must be considered in the facility is that of training. This is a powerful initiative whereby different stakeholders receive timely concepts, skills, and mentorship (Moen & Knudsen, 2013). Monitoring is relevant since it ensures every undertaking is clearly analyzed. Evaluation is another commanding process that can be considered to address emerging challenges and support the implemented change. These initiatives will make it possible for me to appreciate the power of ICT. The approach will eventually result in improved performance. More people will be encouraged to support the innovation process.

Aspirations

The goals of the institution present an effective environment that can support my aspirations as a leader of innovation. It will be necessary to consider the opportunities and strengths described above before taking up different roles as a manager. The first thing will be to leverage my strengths as a leader to progress each opportunity. The application of my strengths such as creativity, knowledge of ICT systems, and leadership will ensure different players in the facility focus on the identified aims. The inclusion of different individuals and employees will support the entire process. The competencies will be used to analyze the unique challenges and problems that might disorient the implementation process. The ability to use different skills as a change agent can address every hurdle in the facility (Awuor, Rabah, & Maake, 2013). The identified goals will inform every activity undertaken by different players and stakeholders. The concept of teamwork will guide different followers and technological experts to implement the suggested change. Consequently, I will be able to benefit from the positive attributes of ICT.

My strengths can be considered in order to do more in the institution. For instance, my leadership style focuses on the most appropriate behaviors and practices that can ensure a given result is realized. I can go further to use my style to support the targeted change process. I will mentor others using evidence-based concepts, address emerging challenges, and make decisions to meet the diverse needs of the followers. A skilled leader is always ahead in terms of mentorship and empowerment (Slimane, 2015). The inclusion of different individuals from diverse backgrounds in every team will guide the process. My knowledge in ICT can be leveraged to guide the targeted objectives. I will be willing to liaise with different players in order to widen my dexterities. This initiative will ensure evidence-based ideas are made throughout the implementation process.

The ability to interact and collaborate with others can enhance teamwork (Awuor et al., 2013). The environment will definitely create an opportunity for associating with different persons. Teamwork will be taken seriously throughout the process. I will share ideas and exchange concepts with my colleagues. The focus on similar roles with different stakeholders will strengthen my leadership style.

My ultimate objective is to become a skilled leader who is capable of supporting every innovative idea. I will achieve this aspiration by widening my competencies and acquiring new concepts that can make me successful. As a change agent, I will develop new abilities and prepare myself for future managerial roles. This kind of ambition can support a leader’s professional and career goals (Crowell, 2015).

The best underpinning metaphor that informs my leadership of innovation is “intentional failure”. The concept guides me to identify specific gaps affecting organizational effectiveness. The metaphor is used to analyze an environment whose dynamics can foster creativity (Martin et al., 2014). The idea guides me to promote positive interactions, trials, and experimentations that can deliver sustainable innovation. Failure is treated as a critical factor in the field of innovation.

Results

The aspirations identified above can be embraced to maximize my personal goals. The idea of teamwork will make it easier for me to realize my aims and objectives. The application of the categorized metaphor will create a new environment whereby every individual is willing to support the innovation process. This journey will be steered by the major concepts and dexterities associated with my philosophy of leadership. The consideration of such aspirations will definitely deliver pleasing results. For instance, the use of effective managerial procedures will ensure the implementation of ICT is successful. Every colleague will be mentored to focus on the most appropriate outcomes. This strategy can hearten different individuals to focus on the unique goals of the organization. The aspiration will definitely result in improved performance. The stakeholders and employees will be endowed with exemplary skills to reshape their practices. The initiative can guide different players to engage in evidence-based exercises and eventually advance organizational effectiveness (Gehani, 2013). The gaols will also empower me to develop a better model to support my leadership approach. The development will guide me to continue supporting the health needs of more persons.

Leaders of innovation utilize the best ideas and concepts to ensure desirable goals are realized in a timely manner. I expect to develop better practices and strategies that can add value and support every client’s expectations. The first aim it to establish a new workforce characterized by teamwork, collaboration, and interaction. The employees should be ready to liaise with one another, solve emerging stumbling blocks, make informed decisions, and promote sustainable behaviors. I am focusing on an innovative team that is aware of the power of creativity. This development can support my agenda and eventually make me successful. I will definitely be on the right path towards becoming a skilled provider of high-quality care to different patients. The followers should be heartened to empower one another, engage in critical thinking, and make evidence-based decisions. The successful adoption of ICT will be a clear indication that the fruits of innovation have been realized (Kaya et al., 2014). Such developments and processes can foster a positive organizational culture capable of supporting the changing needs of different members of the community.

Change processes are usually characterized by different malpractices that can eventually disorient the anticipated objectives. However, this goal might be marred by specific issues such as disunity, decreased morale, and resistance. These challenges occur during the first phases of change implementation (Gehani, 2013). I also expect to see less of conflicts, ineffective communication, and reduced morale in every unit. These difficulties can affect the leadership process and disorient the outlined innovation agenda.

Leaders of innovation must implement powerful processes and support systems to ensure their facilities are on the frontline towards becoming leading providers of high-quality health care (Kaya et al., 2014). My expectation is that the level of resistance to change will diminish significantly in the targeted team. These achievements will eventually support my personal and professional goals. I will identify new concepts that can deliver meaningful outcomes.

References

Alsolami, H. A., Cheng, K. T., & Twalh, A. A. (2016). Revisiting innovation leadership. Open Journal of Leadership, 5(1), 31-38. Web.

Awuor, F. M., Rabah, K., & Maake, B. M. (2013). Hindrance of ICT adoption to library services in higher institution of learning in developing countries. Computer Science and Information Technology, 1(4), 252-256. Web.

Crowell, D. (2015). Complexity and leadership. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.

Davies, R., & Harty, C. (2013). Implementing ‘Site BIM’: A case study of ICT innovation on a large hospital project. Automation in Construction, 30, 15-24. Web.

Gehani, R. R. (2013). Innovative strategic leader transforming from a low-cost strategy to product differentiation strategy. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 8(2), 144-155. Web.

Kaya, H., Işık, B., & Bodur, G. (2014). The relationship between in-service training nurses’ attitudes toward computer in health care and computer anxiety in Turkey. Journal of Human Sciences, 11(2), 1-9. Web.

Lizarondo, L., Grimmer, K., & Kumar, S. (2014). Assisting allied health in performance evaluation: A systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1), 572-589. Web.

Martin, J., McCormack, B., Fitzsimons, D., & Spirig, R. (2014). The importance of inspiring a shared vision. International Practice Development Journal, 4(2), 1-14. Web.

Moen, A., & Knudsen, L. M. (2013). Nursing informatics: Decades of contribution to health informatics. Healthcare Informatics Research, 19(2), 86-92. Web.

Slimane, M. (2015). Relationship between innovation and leadership. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 181(1), 218-227. Web.

Introduction

Today, many people are obsessed with an idea of innovation and consider it as the main driver of personal and professional well-being. Innovation is used to promote growth and success, to identify and eliminate weaknesses, and to increase the number of positive outcomes. Each field requires certain innovations from time to time to demonstrate a portion of the progress achieved. In the field of healthcare, innovation plays an important role due to the possibility to introduce new practices, improve human life, and promote an understanding of change (Khanassov, Vedel, & Pluye, 2014).

It is necessary to understand that innovation in healthcare is not a new kind of technology only. Healthcare innovation is a concept that may be used in various health management programs, processes, and services to improve the existing system and find a solution to an existing problem. In this paper, the goal is to introduce, develop, and discuss an innovation strategy in healthcare, its peculiarities, and key outcomes. Talent management is one of the strategies that have already been used in different countries and healthcare facilities. However, there is no definite structure and plan on how to implement this innovation in healthcare. Therefore, the quality of Middle East healthcare may be considerably improved with the help of crossover learning, and this paper will examine different aspects of this strategy, evaluate several experiences, and prove that government schools are ready to elaborate the relationships between patients’ and healthcare practitioners’ lives, the working environment, and the promotion of lifelong learning (Vishwanath, 2015).

Unit Background

Dallah Hospital is the focus of the current report. The organization has been known for providing various healthcare services for twenty-five years. Dallah Hospital has gained an impressively positive reputation over the years of its existence by providing consistently good service and focusing on the needs of patients by identifying culture-specific characteristics thereof. As a result, the opportunities for efficient management of a disease or disorder form in which a patient suffers are located and explored extensively. The active promotion of multiculturalism and the importance of addressing the unique needs of customers should be viewed as one of the primary assets of Dallah Hospital (“Dallah Hospital starts treating speech and swallowing disorders,” 2013).

Problem Description

Managing changes in the healthcare setting is a challenging task, primarily because of the necessity to balance the needs of patients and those of staff members. Herein lies the issue regarding the introduction of innovations in the context of healthcare institutions; while serving as the foundation for a massive improvement in the quality of the provided services, they also imply that staff members should accept new responsibilities and acquire a range of new skills. Therefore, it is possible to face significant resistance from the staff members. By introducing the principles of transformational leadership combined with the communication strategy grounded in the idea of compromise and negotiation, one will be able to manage change in the healthcare setting successfully

Even though the company’s values include handling the unique needs of patients as efficiently as possible, the organization has been experiencing significant issues with the management of their human resources. Particularly, the issues associated with the management of the staff’s schedule and the enhancement of their motivation levels should be viewed as two primary issues that need to be addressed. While Dallah Hospital provides the services of excellent quality, it needs to reconsider its current policy toward its staff by rearranging the roles and responsibilities among them. Thus, the issues associated with unreasonable workload, including workplace burnouts, can be avoided successfully, and the quality of the provided services will remain consistent. To attain the identified goal, the company will have to introduce innovative solutions to the area of HR management.

Innovation Focus

Description

As stressed above, it is imperative to make sure that the necessary changes should be made to the existing approach toward managing innovations that Dallah Hospital adopts. Therefore, the current focus on innovation must be geared toward exploring new opportunities for communication between managers and staff members. Particularly, it is essential to address the issues associated with the tools for encouraging employees to accept the suggested changes, the leadership framework that will allow keeping them motivated, the strategy for reducing the levels of resistance toward change among the target population, and the active use of the time management strategies that will contribute to the further improvement in the staff’s schedule. Moreover, Dallah Hospital must consider viewing the principles of talent management as the foundation for its relationships with its staff members. As a result, the very idea of innovative thinking can be fostered among the employees and promoted to them as the basis for decision-making in the context of the organization. The identified change is bound to affect the quality of the employees’ performance to a considerable extent, thus, contributing to a significant improvement in the number of positive patient outcomes, as well as the satisfaction levels among staff members (Erickson et al., 2015).

Implementation

The implementation process will require the active use of transformational leadership strategies. Particularly, the employees will have to be provided with a set of innovation-oriented values and a role model that they can follow to meet the company’s expectations. Furthermore, the tools for enhancing the communication process between the staff and the managers will have to be used.

For this reason, the use of the services of a coach should be deemed as paramount in the identified situation. It is important to make sure that the progress of the employees should be coordinated and controlled by coaches will help create the environment in which a homogenous professional growth of the target population will become a possibility. Furthermore, the sue of coaches’ services will allow collecting the feedback from the staff and, thus, spotting the points at which problems in the perception of the innovative techniques, the development of the relevant skills, the acquisition of essential knowledge, etc., will be hampered. As a result, it will be possible to pinpoint the exact moment at which the process of rearranging the staff’s perspective is stalled and, thus, introduce the tools for managing the emerging issues (Ratanawongsa et al., 2014).

Key Outcomes

It is expected that the application of the identified technique will lead to a massive improvement in the quality of services. Indeed, with the emphasis on communication and the development of talents in staff, one will be able to create the foundation for refocusing the corporate values and viewing the improvement as the basis for the company’s development. Thus, both the proficiency of the staff and the number of positive patient outcomes will increase (Adams, Smart, & Huff, 2016).

Risk Management

As stressed above, it is expected that Dallah Hospital will have to face several obstacles. The resistance among the employees should be viewed as the key one. therefore, the current risk mitigation strategies will have to be aimed at promoting loyalty among the staff. For instance, benefits for the target population will have to be provided. Furthermore, training opportunities will showcase the organization’s willingness to cooperate and invest in its personnel (Bowers & Khorakian, 2014).

Incremental Plan

People

Seeing that people are viewed as the primary focus of the innovation, one will have to reconsider the current approach toward human resources that are used at Dallah Hospital to manage the relationships between staff members and managers. As stressed above, it is expected that eh employees are going to be against the changes that will be implemented in the context of the organization due to the changes in the responsibilities and tasks that they will have to meet and accomplish. While the innovative approach based on a redesign of time management techniques and the values of the organization is aimed at reducing the pressure experienced by the employee, the rearrangement of roles and responsibilities may cause dissatisfaction among the target population. Therefore, adopting the principles of transformational leadership along with the active support of the employees is required. Furthermore, the communication between the company and its employees must be enhanced. Thus, the staff members will realize that their voices are heard, and the levels of tension among the target group will be reduced significantly (Schippers, West, & Dawson, 2013).

Culture

It should be borne in mind that the identified changes will only become possible once the enhancement of a specific corporate culture will occur in the target environment. Therefore, the active promotion of the values associated with the consistent improvement and the enhancement of communication between the stakeholders involved should be deemed as a necessity. The specified elements of the corporate culture will lead to the process of uninhibited communication between the employees and the managers and, therefore, allow resolving the conflicts that occur in the workplace much more efficiently than they are handled at present. Consequently, the satisfaction levels among the staff will increase systematically. Furthermore, the focus on the unceasing development and lifelong learning will trigger a rapid rise in the quality of the services provided by the staff. Remarkably, the two elements are intertwined. Indeed, by investing in the progress of the employees, Dallah Hospital will contribute to not only their professional growth but also the rise in their trust toward the organization. Consequently, the opportunities for further improvement in the performance of the target population can be expected (Birken et al., 2015).

Resources

The redesign of how technology is currently used at Dallah Hospital must be deemed as a necessity. The first and most obvious, the devices for maintaining consistent communication between managers and employees should be introduced into the company’s design. For instance, the creation of a corporate network within which the essential data will be transferred will allow for a significant improvement in the security of the patients’ personal information. Also, the incorporation of hand-off communication tools for healthcare staff members will allow carrying out a range of procedures much more efficiently; for instance, bedside handover will improve extensively with the addition of the devices that will contribute to a more efficient hand-off communication among healthcare staff members.

Furthermore, the introduction of innovative technologies allowing for a faster and more accurate transfer of the necessary data will lead to a significant drop in the amount of workload with which the members of the hospital staff have to deal regularly, especially as far as the management of the crucial data is concerned. Thus, the pressure experienced by the staff will be reduced successfully. Consequently, the opportunities for rearranging the roles and responsibilities among the target population will be open for managers.

However, the shift toward the importance of talent management is going to be by far the most essential innovation in the setting of Dallah Hospital. By focusing on fostering the importance of the consistent acquisition of new knowledge and skills among employees, one will enable them to engage in the process of consistent lifelong learning. As a result, the quality of the services provided by the staff members will remain high, and the motivation levels will be kept at the required level (Godfrey, Andersson‐Gare, Nelson, Nilsson, & Ahlstrom, 2014).

The focus on talent management, however, will require massive changes in the company’s HR system. For instance, the introduction of extra options for improving the employees’ abilities and helping them develop new competencies will have to be designed. It should also be borne in mind that the connection between the talent management framework and the corporate philosophy must remain transparent. Thus, the foundation for promoting trust in the relationships between the employees and managers at Dallah Hospital will remain a possibility.

Structures

Apart from addressing the current approaches toward time management, talent management, and communication processes, one will also have to consider the specifics of the corporate hierarchy and the structures that are currently used in the realm of Dallah Hospital. For instance, the importance of providing staff members with personal coaches that could guide them toward achieving better results should be recognized by Dallah Hospital’s managers. Consequently, the reconsideration of the existing corporate hierarchy and the introduction of a group-based structure, where the communication process and knowledge-sharing will occur at a faster pace, must be deemed as essential.

Disrupting the structures that currently exist in the environment of the Dallah Hospital does not seem reasonable, though. The rearrangement of its elements is likely to disrupt the system to the point where the participants will not feel comfortable enough sharing the relevant data. Therefore, one should consider reinforcing the existing framework and improving it by adding the elements that will serve as the mediation mechanisms. Coaches, for example, will become not only the agents of change among the employees but also the link between the staff and managers. Thus, a more active transfer of essential information concerning the needs of the employee, and the requirements of the company will become a possibility.

Results and Expectations

It is assumed that the active promotion of the talent management approach rooted in the enhancement of communication and supported with the adoption of the latest technological innovations will contribute to a significant improvement in the overall quality of the employees’ performance and the number of positive patient outcomes. Particularly, it is expected that the staff members will be encouraged to accept the philosophy of lifelong learning and, thus, engage in the process of unceasing knowledge acquisition and the development of new skills.

The focus on talent management as the foundation for the improvement of healthcare quality is assumed to lead to a significant rise in the levels of understanding of multiculturalism as the foundation for efficient service delivery among the staff. While the gravity of failing to recognize the specific needs of patients is currently recognized by the staff of Dallah Hospital, the healthcare experts seem to lack the cross-culture communication strategies that allow meeting the needs of patients in the most efficient manner possible. Therefore, the focus on the subject matter is bound to lead to a significant rise in the recovery statistics at Dallah Hospital. Furthermore, the efficacy of the communication process between the staff members and the patients is expected to occur.

Conclusion

Creating additional opportunities or the staff members at Dallah Hospital is a crucial step toward improving its performance. The active use of talent management must be deemed as an essential step in enhancing the employees’ willingness to engage in lifelong learning and, thus, improve their performance. As a result, a massive rise in the number of positive patient outcomes is expected. As soon as the staff members develop the abilities required to improve their skills and abilities regularly, rapid growth in the number of positive patient outcomes is expected. For this purpose, a change in corporate values will have to occur. Dallah Hospital will have to place the emphasis on talent management and the process of fostering the necessary qualities, including lifelong learning and the appreciation for patients’ needs, in employees.

References

Adams, R. J., Smart, P., & Huff, A. S. (2017). Shades of grey: guidelines for working with the grey literature in systematic reviews for management and organizational studies. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(4), 432-454.

Birken, S. A., Lee, S. Y. D., Weiner, B. J., Chin, M. H., Chiu, M., & Schaefer, C. T. (2015). From strategy to action: how top managers’ support increases middle managers’ commitment to innovation implementation in healthcare organizations. Health Care Management Review, 40(2), 159-168.

Bowers, J., & Khorakian, A. (2014). Integrating risk management in the innovation project. European Journal of Innovation Management, 17(1), 25-40.

Dallah Hospital starts treating speech and swallowing disorders. (2013). Saudi Gazette. Web.

Erickson, H. L., Erickson, M. E., Southard, M. E., Brekke, M. E., Sandor, M. K., & Natschke, M. (2016). A proactive innovation for health care transformation: health and wellness nurse coaching. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 34(1), 44-55.

Godfrey, M. M., Andersson‐Gare, B., Nelson, E. C., Nilsson, M., & Ahlstrom, G. (2014). Coaching interprofessional health care improvement teams: the coachee, the coach and the leader perspectives. Journal of Nursing Management, 22(4), 452-464.

Khanassov, V., Vedel, I., & Pluye, P. (2014). Case management for dementia in primary health care: a systematic mixed studies review based on the diffusion of innovation model. Clinical interventions in aging, 9, 915-928.

Ratanawongsa, N., Handley, M. A., Sarkar, U., Quan, J., Pfeifer, K., Soria, C., & Schillinger, D. (2014). Diabetes health information technology innovation to improve quality of life for health plan members in urban safety net. The Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, 37(2), 127.

Schippers, M. C., West, M. A., & Dawson, J. F. (2015). Team reflexivity and innovation: The moderating role of team context. Journal of Management, 41(3), 769-788.

Vishwanath, A. (2015). The psychology of the diffusion and acceptance of technology. In S.S. Sundar (Ed.), The handbook of the psychology of communication technology (pp. 313-331). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Introduction

Healthcare organizations have received a very dramatic explosion of innovation that targets the enhancement of excellent service delivery. This is mostly in the context of diagnosis, increasing life expectancy, increasing the number of treatment options, and ensuring that the service itself is efficient and supports the concept of ‘quality service for your money. Innovativeness is very essential in healthcare in order to come up with new services that are better and enhance human health. The description of innovation encompasses such aspects as novel routines, characteristics as well as processes of working. In this case, the intention is to help realize better outcomes in the delivery of services within the health sector. This also entails the experiences of patients and the administration. There are several issues or matters that have to be considered to ensure the innovation process in an organization is successful. These factors are discussed in this paper as follows.

Appropriate Structure

Innovation in the healthcare organization remains a very big driving force that is propelling the pursuit for a balance between cost control and healthcare quality (Omachonu & Einspruch, 2010, p. 4). Therefore innovation is a very critical element in the production business and it’s necessary for competitive existence.

Compatibility is a very important element to consider since this could be a major opportunity for success. It has been found that those innovations that exhibit a high rate of compatibility with the intended use or function of the services, its principles, the standards, or the perceived needs get strongly adopted (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). If at all the assimilation process within an organization is to succeed, there is the need to ensure that there is compatibility between, on the one hand, the principles and professional values that a firm holds dear and on the other hand, the organization itself. An example of such concerns is the introduction of IT technology, though the It sector provides the greatest opportunity for progress in better service delivery, its compatibility with existing is usually a major setback. Many facilities usually commit a lot of time to ist adoption some taking years to effect the transformation from paper documentation and manual prescriptions to IT-based or electronic documentation and prescription.

Complexity: this is a crucial factor to consider since only those services that are perceived as easy to use by the key players because of being simple are the ones that get faster acceptance and consequently successful adoption (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). Simply, the perceived complexity can be decreased by the level of practical experience that the parties involved have and also the extent and simplicity of the demonstration process. Studies reveal that if it is possible to break down the process of demonstration into parts that are manageable as well as incrementally, the adoption of these services would be easy and successful (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). If there are very few barriers in the process of assimilation that have to be faced, then assimilation will be easy and faster. Accordingly, it is important to ensure the setting up of interventions measures with a view to lowering the degree or number of reaction impediments, in effect helping to enhance a successful adoption process by an organization (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). An example is the introduction of robotics and nanotechnology. Basically, this is a very complicated technology that requires a deep understanding of surgery and the technology. This is the reason why despite the success that these services portend, they have not been widely adopted in many organizations.

Trialability: this is also very crucial and it deals with the level to which the intended users can be able to experiment on a limited basis. Those services that can be experimented with easily get faster adoption (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). In order to achieve these kinds of experimentation, it is important to make allowance for ‘trialability space’. The germ cell technology is an example. The technology presents a solution to infertility; however, its trial is usually very costly. There are a lot of embryos that get destroyed and so far only very few have been successfully done. E.g Successful cloning of a sheep in Scotland was attained but a lot of embryos about 600 had failed.

Benefit Observability: when the innovation of the services has very observable outcomes to the intended users, then its adoption is can be guaranteed based on the outcomes. Nonetheless, if the benefits are not evident, there would reluctance in adopting the novel set of values of the new service (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 596). When the visibility initiative of an assimilation effort is increased, this in effect acts to augment the actual process of assimilation. For instance, very many benefits can be attributed to information technology in diagnosis, documentation, and prescription. Diagnosis is faster and accurate as well as the process of prescription. Documentation is clean and the paperwork is greatly cut down. Furthermore distance prescription and service delivery can be possible. This is the reason why though the process was slack in adoption because of the cost and knowledge, it’s picking up steadily.

The Risk: this is a very strong factor to consider since some services can portend grave risks that outweigh the benefit. Setting interventions that improve the relevance of the anticipated risk is likely to improve the chances that adoption will be a success (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 597). The innovation process has to be workable, feasible, and simple for it to be adopted easily. In most cases, the benefit and the risk are usually not balanced or evenly distributed, however, if a balance can be obtained, then the organization’s power base is able to be reflected through this means. As a result, assimilations will be very easy (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 597).

Skill and Knowledge: essentially, the amount of knowledge or the type of skills that are required for the innovation is very critical since when there is no person with relevant skills then the innovations are useless. However is the needed knowledge could be codified and transferred from one contest to the next the adoption process would be very simple (Greenhalgh et al, 2004, p. 597). An example here is the use of new technologies in the diagnosis of diseases. This usually involves a lot of ‘unknowns’ as practitioners try to adopt the technology. It hence needs further training and this can take a while.

The barrier to the Adoption Process

Several setbacks can stand in the way of the adoption of a new process or service delivery model. Some of the barriers to be considered include:

Lack of adequate resources for investing in the new service: New technology can be very costly and when an organization lacks the resources like personnel necessary for implementing the new technology and lack of time can be a major problem (Robert, et al, 2009, p. 18). Examples include the treatment of diseases that were previously untreatable like end-stage renal illness and diabetes. Great advancement like managing an acute condition like bypass graft on the coronary artery or developing finer procedure like using erythropoietin to manage anemia is very costly.

Lack of strategic management in the healthcare organization could be a problem. A process that is somehow fragmented is not easy to work with; having organizational leadership that is strategic is therefore very important since the decision can be reached very easily (Robert, et al, 2009, p. 18). Lack of incentives for the practitioners: service providers sometimes do not actually discern the benefit of having a new service when the older ones are still working and they are so much used to them. For these reasons, they need to be provided with spur that will make them appreciate the new service (Robert, et al, 2009, p. 18).

Organizational Characteristics

There are some very important characteristics that the healthcare organization should have in its attempt to adopt new services. The resources – include personnel, cash, and other resources (Omachonu & Einspruch, 2010, p. 6). Specialization – this is when the organization had clear defined roles where departments do not meddle in each other’s work too much (Becker, 2004, p. 658). The management should be decentralized allowing semi-autonomous units that need not get a decision made by top management. The staff should also be able to access the new knowledge through sharing, training, and so on.

Conclusion

The changes in the healthcare organization are very necessary and inevitable. This is because there is a consistent betterment of care delivery. Nonetheless, some obstacles need to be eliminated for the successful adoption of new services. As discussed above, the factors are very numerous. Other issues like the problem of routine are a setback. People tend to be reluctant to change since what they are used to gets characterized by recurrence, processual nature, and mindlessness.

Reference List

Becker, C.M., 2004. Organizational Routines: A review Of the Literature. Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 13 No. 4 pp. 643 – 677

Greenhalgh, T. et al., 2004. Diffusion of Innovations in service Organization. Systematic Review and Recommendations, Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 581-629

Omachonu, V. K & Einspruch, N. G. 2010. Innovation in Healthcare Delivery Systems: A Conceptual Framework, The Innovation Journal: the Public Sector. Innovation Journal, Vol, 15, No. 1, pp. 2 – 16

Robert, G. et al., 2009. Organizational Factors Influencing Technology Adoption and Assimilation in the NHS: A Systematic Literature Review, Report for the National Institute Health Research Service Delivery and Organization Programme

Everett Rogers developed the theory of diffusion of innovations in 1962 when he discovered that social systems, communication, time, and innovations are four key elements that are central in transforming organizations. The theory of diffusion of innovations holds that human capital is critical in sustaining transformations by allowing diffusion of innovations in an organization. In the theory, the term diffusion refers to the gradual process through which people adopt innovations and utilize them when performing their respective duties. Adoption of an innovative practice, idea, or a product is a gradual process that entails different categories of adopters. “Rogers distinguished five categories of adopters of an innovation: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards” (Kaminski, 2011, p. 1). The number of the adopters in each level over a given time determines the rate of adoption and implementation of an innovative idea, practice, or product. Therefore, this essay examines education as an innovative idea of reducing prevalence of nosocomial infections in an intensive care unit or a health center.

The rationale for choosing the diffusion of innovations theory is that, although massive evidence regarding elimination of nosocomial infections in the ICU exists, the health care professionals are unaware or have ignored their implementation. As ignorance and neglect are factors that contribute to the occurrence of nosocomial infections, education is an imperative solution. According to Cozanitis and Kel (2008), “education, awareness, and compliance should be ongoing in order to somehow reach a state where nosocomial infection is brought onto some level of control” (p. 63). When the education of the healthcare professionals reaches a saturation point, they will have the capacity to reduce nosocomial infections significantly. In this view, the diffusion of innovations theory fits the education as an intervention of reducing nosocomial infections because it increases teamwork and enhances compliance with evidence-based practices.

The theory of diffusion of innovations supports the proposed solution of reducing nosocomial infections by use of education. Medical researchers have made numerous innovations aimed at reducing nosocomial infections, but their adoption and application is minimal. Hence, the theory of diffusion of innovations enhances adoption and application of the interventions in the ICU because it is a model that shows how individuals contribute to the overall objective of eliminating nosocomial infections. Individual skills and practices such as insertion of catheters at the least infective sites, use of impregnated catheters, effective antisepsis of skin, and maintenance of catheters are some innovations aimed at reducing the prevalence of nosocomial infections (Hollenbeak, 2011). For health professionals to adopt and implement these innovations, they require education, which promotes diffusion of innovations. Thus, the theory of diffusion of innovations provides an appropriate model of reducing the prevalence of nosocomial infections in the ICU.

Incorporation of the diffusion of innovations theory into the project will enhance the adoption and implementation of the evidence-based innovations. The theory will aid in the assessment of the ability of a health center or an ICU to adopt and implement the evidence-based practices stipulated in the literature review. The theory is important in the assessment of different categories of healthcare professionals that fall into “innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards” (Kaminski, 2011, p. 1). Increasing the proportion of innovators and early adopters will have a concomitant impact on the proportion of early majority and late majority, thus improving the capacity of a health center or an ICU to overcome the menace nosocomial infections. Therefore, the theory is helpful in combating nosocomial infections because it categorizes healthcare professionals into various categories that reflect their capacity to adopt and implement innovations.

References

Cozanitis, D., & Kel, P. (2008). The infected peripheral intravenous catheter: A degree of ignorance, neglect and indifference. Acta Anaesthesiologica Belgica, 9(2), 59-63.

Hollenbeak, C. (2011). The cost of catheter-related bloodstream infections. The Art and Science of Infusion Nursing, 34(5), 305-313.

Kaminski, J. (2011). Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Canadian Journal of Nursing Bioinformatics, 6(2), 1-8.

Summary

Because of the rapid expansion occurring within the realm of public health care, the need for both public and private organizations, whether they are charity-based or the ones acquiring annual benefits, to align their actions and cooperate. A major improvement of the public health services provision is the expected result of the specified collaboration.

The IOM organization was not the first one to coin the term “population health” (Bialek, Moran & Kirshy, 2015), yet it has clearly broken new grounds in the designated area. It has been proven that, when combined, the efforts of nursing organizations lead to the most efficient results (Bialek, Moran & Kirshy, 2015). Moreover, the long-term goals of the communities involved can be reached within a shorter amount of time once the existing nursing organizations join their efforts.

Herein the Population Health Driver Diagram (PHDD) factors in. Created and tested by the Public Health Foundation, the specified concept creates the premises for the organizations in the domains of public health and health care to collaborate productively. The concept is defined as the framework that helps identify and planning the measures that must be undertaken for successful attainment of the community’s objectives (Bialek, Moran & Kirshy, 2015).

The significance and effects of the PHDD was proven in 2012, when the reconsideration of the usage of antibiotics was on the agenda of both healthcare services and the services for public health provision. The diagram was applied in three locations (Missouri, Connecticut and Maine) and returned rather fruitful results. The success of the outcomes can be explained by the fact that each state approached the issue from a different angle; when combined, the perspectives pointed at an original and unique solution.

Application

Being a groundbreaking concept in the provision of additional opportunities for nurses, the PHDD has been employed quite successfully in the realm of nursing. To be more specific, the above-mentioned concept has been employed in several nursing programs. First and most obvious, the diagram has been used widely as a basic tool for educating nurses (Bialek, Moran & Kirshy, 2015).

More to the point, the PHDD approach is a perfect example of solving a problem with the help of a complex solution. Despite the fact that the PHDD Indeed, the PHDD displays the means of linking several areas into a single framework, therefore, teaching nursing specialists to search for every possible solution to a specific problem. As a result, nurses are not limited to a single model of addressing a complicated medical issue and are capable of collaborating with the representatives of healthcare and public health services.

At this point, the issue of information transfer must be addressed. Living in the era of the 21^st century means being capable of receiving, processing and transferring information fast so that all those concerned could retrieve the necessary data as soon as possible. The aforementioned issue of data transfer is especially significant for healthcare and nursing specialists, seeing that human lives often hinge on the speed of delivering a certain message. Therefore, the incorporation of the PHDD approach is essential to the provision of consistent and flawless nursing services, as the quality of the latter are dependent on the information provided by the corresponding healthcare or public health facilities. A major improvement in the coordination of nursing, public health and healthcare workers’ actions, the introduction of the PHDD into the nursing setting is clearly going to have a vast impact on the success of patient treatment and interventions.

Reference List

Bialek, R., Moran, J. & Kirshy, M. (2015). Using a population health driver diagram to support health care and public health collaboration. Institute of Medicine. Web.