In order to successfully implement a change within an organization, the change agent must assess the organization’s culture and readiness for change. In 750-1,000 words, You will use the assessment of the organization’s culture and readiness in the Topic 8 assignment, during which you will synthesize the various aspects of your project into a final paper detailing your evidence-based practice project proposal.
Include the following:
- Describe the organization’s culture and explain to what degree the culture supports change. Consider organizational and leadership structure, mission and values, interprofessional collaboration/team engagement, communication, perception of the organization by employees, etc.
- Select an organizational readiness tool and assess the level or readiness for change within your organization. Identify the readiness tool and summarize the survey results. Discuss the degree to which the culture will support and sustain an evidence-based practice change. Consider strengths and weaknesses, potential barriers, stakeholder support, timing of the proposal, and resources. Provide rationale.
- Discuss what health care process and systems you would recommend for improving quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness for the organization.
- Propose strategies to better facilitate the readiness of the organization.
- Identify the stakeholders and team members for the project. Include what their duties will be in the evidence-based practice project proposal.
- Explain what information and communication technologies are needed for the implementation and how they will be integrated in the setting by the internal stakeholders. Explain how these will help improve nursing practice and care delivery for individuals and populations for your intervention.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In healthcare organizations, implementing evidence-based practice changes can be challenging due to various factors such as organizational culture, leadership structure, interprofessional collaboration, stakeholder support, and resources. As a medical professor, I have designed assignments and exams that assess students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in conducting research to develop evidence-based practice proposals. In this answer, I will provide detailed responses to the questions asked in the prompt about implementing a change within an organization.
1. Describe the organization’s culture and explain to what degree the culture supports change. Consider organizational and leadership structure, mission and values, interprofessional collaboration/team engagement, communication, perception of the organization by employees, etc.
The organization’s culture plays a critical role in determining the success of implementing change. The healthcare organization I have selected has a hierarchical organizational structure with a centralized decision-making process. The organization’s mission is to provide quality healthcare to patients while keeping the cost low. The organization has a culture of collaboration, and the management encourages interprofessional teamwork. The leadership style is transformational, and the leaders emphasize empowering employees to make decisions and foster innovation. Communication is effective within the organization, which aids in decision-making processes. The employees’ perception of the organization is favorable, and they believe the organization encourages new ideas and embraces change.
2. Select an organizational readiness tool and assess the level or readiness for change within your organization. Identify the readiness tool and summarize the survey results. Discuss the degree to which the culture will support and sustain an evidence-based practice change. Consider strengths and weaknesses, potential barriers, stakeholder support, timing of the proposal, and resources. Provide rationale.
The organizational readiness tool selected for this analysis is the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA). The ORCA assesses various factors such as motivation, resources, staff attributes, climate, and leadership support. The survey results indicate that the organization has high motivation and resources for implementing change. The staff attributes are favorable, and the organizational climate is conducive to change. The leadership support for change is high, and the organization has the necessary resources to support change. However, the potential barriers could be resistance from employees to change, a lack of stakeholder support, lack of time, and financial constraints. The culture of collaboration and teamwork will support and sustain the evidence-based practice change. The strengths of the organization’s culture include innovation, open communication, and collaboration, which will aid in implementing change. The potential weakness is resistance from employees to change, which can be addressed by involving stakeholders early in the change process and providing training and support to employees.
3. Discuss what health care process and systems you would recommend for improving quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness for the organization.
To address quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness in healthcare processes and systems, I recommend implementing hospital computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems and using electronic health records (EHRs). These systems provide real-time access to patient information and aid in decision-making processes. CPOE systems reduce errors in the prescription of medications, tests, and diagnoses. EHRs ensure continuity of care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient outcomes. These systems can also aid in measuring quality and safety indicators, which can help the organization to optimize healthcare delivery.
4. Propose strategies to better facilitate the readiness of the organization.
To facilitate the readiness of the organization, I propose the following strategies:
(a) Involve stakeholders early in the change process to identify potential barriers and facilitate their engagement.
(b) Provide training and support to employees to enhance their knowledge and skills in implementing evidence-based practices.
(c) Leverage the organization’s culture of collaboration and teamwork by establishing interprofessional teams that will work together to implement change.
(d) Develop a communication plan that promotes transparency and fosters trust among stakeholders.
(e) Align the change process with the organization’s mission and values to enhance its commitment to change.
5. Identify the stakeholders and team members for the project. Include what their duties will be in the evidence-based practice project proposal.
The stakeholders for the project include the organization’s leadership, medical staff, nursing staff, and administrative staff. The team members will include medical and nursing professionals, health informatics specialists, project managers, and data analysts. The leadership will provide strategic direction and support for the project. The medical and nursing professionals will provide clinical expertise. The health informatics specialists and data analysts will ensure the integration of information and communication technologies in the project. The project managers will ensure the project’s timelines and milestones are met, and the administrative staff will provide administrative support.
6. Explain what information and communication technologies are needed for the implementation and how they will be integrated in the setting by the internal stakeholders. Explain how these will help improve nursing practice and care delivery for individuals and populations for your intervention.
The information and communication technologies needed for implementation include CPOE systems, EHRs, clinical decision support systems (CDSS), and data analytics tools. The stakeholders will ensure the successful integration of these technologies into the organization’s workflows and processes. The CPOE system will provide clinicians with real-time access to patient information, enable standardized prescribing, and reduce medication errors. The EHRs will ensure continuity of care, improve care coordination, and enable the exchange of patient information between clinicians. CDSS will improve diagnostic accuracy and improve clinical decision-making. Data analytics tools will be used to measure quality and safety outcomes and identify areas for improvement. The integration of these technologies will improve nursing practice and care delivery by enabling clinicians to make evidence-based decisions, improve patient safety, and increase healthcare efficiency.