Assignment: Transformative Initiatives

Assignment: Transformative Initiatives

NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:Assignment: Transformative Initiatives

Before undertaking transformative initiatives, the following guidelines should be understood:

· Leadership must take the lead and create a case for transformation.

· Establish a vision for the end point.

· Allow those persons with specific expertise to provide the details.

· Think about the most optimal experience for both the patient and the clinician.

· Do not replicate the current state.

· Focus on those initiatives that offer the greatest value to the organization.

· Recognize that small gains have no real impact on transformation.

Optimization

Most of what has been and will be discussed in this chapter is related to workflow analysis in conjunction with technology implementations. Nevertheless, not all workflow analysis and redesign occurs prior to the implementation of technology. Some analysis and redesign efforts may occur weeks, months, or even years following the implementation. When workflow analysis occurs postimplementation, it is often referred to as optimization. Optimization is the process of moving conditions past their current state and into more efficient and effective method of performing tasks. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary ( 2016 ) considered optimization to be the act, process, or methodology of making something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible. Some organizations will routinely engage in optimization efforts following an implementation, whereas other organizations may undertake this activity in response to clinician concerns or marked change in operational performance.

Furthermore, workflow analysis can be conducted either as a stand-alone effort or as part of an operational improvement event. When the process is addressed alone, the effort is termed process improvement. Nursing informatics professionals should always be included in these activities to represent the needs of clinicians and to serve as a liaison for technological solutions to process problems. Additionally, informaticists will likely become increasingly operationally focused and will need to transform their role accordingly to address workflow in an overall capacity as well as respective to technology. As mentioned earlier, hospitals tend to operate with smaller profit margins than other industries and these profits will likely continue to diminish, forcing organizations to work smarter, not harder—and to use technology to accomplish this goal.