Proposed Change
In an increasingly changing healthcare landscape, adoption of technological devices can impact healthcare providers in numerous ways. Executing change within such an environment can generate fear of failure or anxiety in nurses, resulting in a rebellion against the planned change. Medication mistakes in healthcare facilities cause detrimental effects for both patients and nurses. Errors can be reduced substantially by applying modern technologies, which seek to increase patient care while saving time for the predominantly busy care providers. One such technology is bar-coded medication management that utilizes a scanning machine to match bar code recorded on the identification bands on patients with those figures on prescribed medications [1]. The process electronically verifies the medications against records, leading to reduced faults in care provision. The paper proposes introducing bar-coded medication technology while using Lewin’s model as the preferred framework to manage the change process. The theory can cause an enhanced comprehension of how change influences the organization, detects challenges for prosperous execution, and remains resourceful in recognizing rebellious forces reflected in human behavior. The theory suggests innovative ways of overcoming opposing powers.
The Goal of the Change
Medication error refers to any avoidable circumstance that may result in patient harm or wrong medication, although the prescription control remains controlled by a medical professional. Faults may result from procedures, systems, health care products, professional practice, order communication distribution, and administration. Medication culpabilities are prevalent globally in health facilities, with severe effects such as death, lengthy patient stays in hospitals, mistrust between healthcare institution and consumers, and economic expense. While medication mistakes can happen at any phase in care provision, nurses are always in the last stage of defense due to their duties of medicine administration at the patient’s bedside. Therefore, the goal of the proposed change is to embed technology in the administration of medicine by nurses to avert mistakes and enhance the safety of patients [4]. The introduction of bar-coded medication technology would present challenges to the status quo that might cause anxieties among nurses. The process seeks to elaborate and create awareness on the benefits of using this technology within patient care and attain common discourse known to all relevant stakeholders.
Lewin’s Framework
Many institutions use Lewin’s model to comprehend human behavior and its relations to change and trends of agitation to change. The model includes three phases, namely unfreezing, moving, and freezing [3]. The framework’s objective is to recognize elements that can hinder change from happening, forces that restrain change, and factors that promote change. When health facilities understand the nature of behaviors that oppose or drive change, they can work to reinforce the constructive forces and fix the restraining elements to realize change [2]. In the unfreezing phase, a thoughtful comprehension of challenges linked to the pointed difficulties is pursued and tactics formulated to strengthen the positive forces and reduce the derailing elements. The identification of key players affected by the change and communication of ideas happen at this stage. In the moving phase, the actual change occurs due to the equalization of restraining forces, making the driving forces support the suggested changes. The refreezing stage occurs once the desired change has happened while taking the opportunity to evaluate the solidity of the change coupled with the net efficacy in practice by nurses.
Application of Lewin’s Framework
The first stage of unfreezing entails recognizing the changing focus. The stakeholders in this change process include patients, frontline nurses, administration, and managers. The communication should remain honest and open to establishing a sense of trust and security among them. The inclusion of stakeholders helps to create a feeling of ownership to embrace the project and its resultant benefits [5]. The stakeholders involved in the change process were included following sensitization meetings that first sought to create an atmosphere for change before selecting the change agents to spearhead the process.
The moving phase represents the stage of actual change including planning and execution. Some of the actions that will be utilized to perform the new initiative will include conducting round table deliberations to tease out promoting and opposing forces while documenting barriers that need to be addressed [6]. Another action will involve integrating key affected stakeholders such as the pharmacy department, clinical nurse educators, program managers, administrators, and clinical information services into the rollout plan. Part of the actions will also include appointing a project leader to supervise and monitor the implementation of bar-coded medication management.
The barriers to the change process include staff resistance in utilizing the digital devices, low knowledge of computer applications, mistrust in the organization, and repugnance to adopting the new bar-coding technology in medication management. These barriers have a considerable impact on the project’s success and can be resolved through extensive education and sensitization for increased understanding and acceptance of the change. Finally, the refreezing phase leads to a period of steadiness and evaluation of the executed change [6]. Adopting bar-coded medication devices and reduced medication errors are some of the pointers of the prosperous implementation of the project.
References
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