Health Policy and Organizational structure
The health sector involves various stakeholders driving on the common objective in achieving high-quality care delivery. Policies are developed to guide the practice of a particular
organization; they aim to address the needs of a large population and generate a swift flow of activities. Any policy intends to improve collaborative and coordinated services provision among all interdisciplinary professions, including patients and family (Abel-Smith, 2016). The issues surrounding health policy circumnavigates around the implications triggered in the light of its implementation.
Nursing issue
Medication errors involving patient safety programs are the issue deemed to encompass
health policy in any hospital setting. The problems occur mostly in the inpatient department in
care units where patient are admitted for some days to receive continuously and close monitored
care. Medication errors result from a poor communication system with the hospital. The
exchange of patient data in the hospital may be interrupted during the hand off communication
between health professionals. Poor interdisciplinary coordination in the care of patients may also
result in errors that threaten patient safety and health outcomes. An overwhelming number of
patients seeking healthcare against a small number of healthcare providers serve as the cause of
the issue. For instance, a low nurse to patient ratio means that one nurse is obliged to care for a
large number of patients within a limited time (Saposnik, Redelmeier, Ruff, & Tobler, 2016).
In this case, patient-centred care modality cannot be provided, giving room for medication errors.
Negative patient feedback has also propagated the issue while expressing their dissatisfaction.
Proposed policy
Healthcare delivery should be revolutionized under the influence of technological
advancement. A computerized system should be introduced in the hospital settings to improve
communication pathways within the practice environment to minimize incidences of medication
errors. In this case, patient information and physician orders are entered into an online system.
Any correction can be made, and interventions changed to avoid the mistakes. Also, healthcare
providers quickly access the system for references to avoid confusion (Arditi, Rège‐Walther,
Durieux, & Burnand, 2017). The system could too safe time wasted in the documentation on
manual records and enable the adequate provision of care. Under this policy, interprofessional
teams could coordinate effectively and apply patient-centred care. This could allow the detection
of impending errors and make appropriate interventions. Documentation could be improved, and
all patient needs could be addressed comprehensively (Gaynor, Ho, & Town, 2015).
Agenda setting strategy
Advocacy campaigns could be initiated through a process to capture the attention of all
stakeholders and members of the public. A stepwise lobbying approach could be the most
appropriate strategy to address the majority of individuals. Professional lobbyists who represent
organization and healthcare association could be involved to offer a sense of understanding of
the policy among their members. They would provide insight to legislators and influence them to
vote for the policy in parliament. Grassroots lobbying could assist in creating a network of a
crucial individual through establishing a reliable support system for the policy. It involves
education of grassroots members to create awareness of the importance of this policy and its
impact on healthcare. It is effected through the identification of key leaders within the
organization and the society whose position influence their followers in supporting the policy (Engel, 2018). Ensuring partnership with significant organizations to facilitate financial
background in coordinating advocacy campaigns and mobilizing support from the majority of
stakeholders and public members.
Change theory
Application of change theory in the practice setting could maintain and sustain the
implementation of strategies. Roger's change theory could be the most applicable in the
integration and implementation of change because it brings about long-term change projects. The
theory could be applied in five stages, that is awareness, interest, evaluation, implementation,
and adoption. First is to create awareness through educational programs to main stakeholders and
gather support for the anticipated change. Secondly, enhancing the interest by conducting a pilot
demonstration in specific units and minimize resistance. Evaluation of the introduced change
could be done by measuring its impact against the set standards. Implementation could follow
after setting budgetary allocations and purchasing the necessary equipment in support of the new
system. Finally, adoption could come as the last stage in which all stakeholders collectively
participate in embracing and sustaining the change (Batras, Duff, & Smith, 2016).
Design strategies
The organization should conduct an internal and external audit to identify its
competencies, competitive advantages, and business practices. Through the policy, it should
conceptualize its mission and vision to align with anticipated outcomes. The organization could
then clearly define the goals and objectives for addressing the priority problem. Establishment of
an action plan that sets utilization of time and human resources (McMillan, 2018). It should
develop a regular schedule for formal review to ensure the programs operates as intended.
Implementation strategy
The budgetary allocation should be considered to cover for the purchase, integration and
maintenance of the new system. Through the selected members of the multidisciplinary team,
workshop training would be conducted to equip organizational members with the technical
capacity to operate the digital devices. A group of information and technology (IT) experts
would be hired to oversee the maintenance of the system and provision for data security. Thus,
every care unit could be having an interdisciplinary team that propagate the execution of the
change (Winnubst, 2017). Distribution of digital equipment and integration of the system will be
established across all departments in the organization. Close monitoring and supervision of
operations could be set to ensure all stakeholders conform to the change implemented.
Evaluation strategies
Conduction of a survey study within the organization could serve as an evaluation
strategy. Distribution of questionnaires among patients, healthcare providers, and all relevant
stakeholders could gather feedback on the impact of the implemented program. The questions in
the survey would target the effect of the policy on transforming healthcare services delivery.
Analysis of the responses could generate a perfect comparison of the situation before and after
the adoption of the policy change and recognize the significance of the strategy implemented.
Conclusion
Healthcare policies provide a foundational framework for improving and transforming
healthcare systems. A policy in the technological context is fundamental with current
revolutionization of healthcare. Most errors in the clinical settings emanate from routine-based
practices that impair the implementation of changes. Introduction of a technological policy
HEALTH POLICY AND ORGANIZATION 6
complement research-based activities that support the management of patients using evidence-
based practices.
HEALTH POLICY AND ORGANIZATION 7
References
Abel-Smith, B. (2016). An introduction to health: policy, planning and financing. Routledge
Arditi, C., Rège‐Walther, M., Durieux, P., & Burnand, B. (2017). Computer‐generated reminders delivered on paper to healthcare professionals: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (7).
Batras, D., Duff, C., & Smith, B. J. (2016). Organizational change theory: implications for health
promotion practice. Health promotion international, 31(1), 231-241.
Engel, A. (2018). Cancer Council New South Wales Policy and Advocacy Report: Community Insights to Inform the Policy Positioning of Smoke-Free Legislation Reform in NSW, Australia.
Gaynor, M., Ho, K., & Town, R. J. (2015). The industrial organization of health-care markets. Journal
of Economic Literature, 53(2), 235-84.
McMillan, C. (2018). Organizational Identity, Corporate Strategy, and Habits of Attention: A Case
Study of Toyota. In Strategic Management. IntechOpen.
Saposnik, G., Redelmeier, D., Ruff, C. C., & Tobler, P. N. (2016). Cognitive biases associated with medical decisions: a systematic review. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 16(1),
138.
Winnubst, J. (2017). Organizational structure, social support, and burnout. In Professional burnout (pp. 151-162). Routledge.
