Introduction
Medication incidents present a unique challenge to the healthcare sector. While medical experts rely on their competencies to prevent errors, sometimes such incidents occur and affect the overall experiences of the patients. Theorists and professionals in this sector focus on evidence-based approaches that can help minimize or prevent sentinel events. One of the tested and practical strategies revolves around the use of effective leadership. Competent leadership presents an opportunity for health workers to identify possible risk factors, mitigate them, and provide the much needed influence. Skilled managers in healthcare understand how to acquire the relevant resources, support workers, and create an enabling environment. The presence of teamwork could allow leaders to delegate roles, introduce evidence-based practices, and help mitigate risk factors for sentinel events. The application of an effective leadership theory could help nurse practitioners to empower their followers and help minimize medication incidents.
Rationale and Significance
The World Health Organization (WHO) presents timely updates regarding the major issues affecting the global medical sector. For instance, the agency observed that around one percent of all costs incurred in health care were directly linked to medication errors (Linden-Lahti et al., 2021). This would translate to around 42 billion US dollars every single year (Linden-Lahti et al., 2021). In most of the clinical settings, medication incidents would trigger a number of challenges that could disorient the overall image of the healthcare industry. For instance, Linden-Lahti et al. (2021) observed that such errors were associated with increased injuries. Most of the victims would require re-hospitalization, thereby being compelled to incur additional medical expenses (Linden-Lahti et al., 2021). In another study, Alqenae et al. (2020) revealed that around 1.5 million people annually would report one or more cases of medication incidents.
This problem is systemic in nature since it could happen when a patient is at home alone or in the hands of health workers or pharmacists. These statistics present the rationale for this problem and helps describe why it needs to become a primary concern for all healthcare industries. The inclusion of competent medical professionals capable of applying effective leadership approaches could help improve service delivery (Linden-Lahti et al., 2021). The model would support the monitoring of all drug administration processes and make it possible for more people to overcome the challenges of medication incidents.
Design and Planning
Medication errors present a major challenge in the healthcare sector. The nature of such incidents could explain why stakeholders need to collaborate and find a shared solution. The proposed plan seeks to help eliminate these sentinel events and help patients record positive health outcomes. The intended plan is guided by a SMART goal to ensure that timely results are recorded. The objective is to introduce a transformational leadership approach whereby all stakeholders will identify possible causes of medication incidents, mitigate them, and deliver sustainable services to patients within a year. These stakeholders would include health workers, family members, pharmacists, and patients. The proposed leadership style is appropriate since it seeks to present a new change and allow more workers to be involved in the process (Sharma et al., 2018). To make the strategy successful, a feasibility study is necessary to learn more about the existing gaps in leadership and how they could be contributing to medication incidents. The involved professionals will then identify some of the risks factors, cases negligence, and cultural attributes in the selected organization that contribute to sentinel events.
To achieve significant outcomes, the inclusion of a multidisciplinary team would be considered since the professionals will shed more light about medication errors. They will provide insights for being involved and focusing on desirable outcomes. The provision of timely resources and guidelines could be appropriate to support the process. Despite the nature of these issues, it is evident that a number of risks and limitations could emerge. For example, the followers might be resistance to change (Sharma et al., 2018). Some of the customers in their home settings might encounter some challenges while trying to be part of the process.
To overcome most of these possible challenges, it would be appropriate to consider the use of an effective change theory. Such a model is capable of sensitizing all key stakeholders and helping them appreciate the dangers of medication errors. The effort could also present some insights for implementing transformational leadership more effectively to ensure that it meets the demands of all key players. A team comprised of competent individuals will ensure that all partners are willing to support the delivery of the much needed results (Alqenae et al., 2020). The concept of continuous improvement is worth considering to ensure that the change process is capable of meeting the needs of future patients.
Implementation Plan
To deliver the intended results in a timely manner, an effective implementation would be recommendable for the targeted medical facility. The inclusion of different stakeholders can support the delivery of positive results. The approach will follow clearly defined six steps. This strategy is capable of minimizing room for error and ensuring that more people or stakeholders are part of the process. The suggested phases for implementing the intended plan are described in the sections below.
Defining Goals
The first phase would be to outline the specific goals of the intended project. Specifically, the key objectives would be to introduce transformational leadership, help address the challenge of medication incidents, and make the created team part of the institution (Votova et al., 2019). The participants would need to appreciate the proposed change since it will create new opportunities for improving service delivery and ensuring that more patients record positive health outcomes.
Conducting Research
After setting the goals, the team will complete a short research to understand someof the causes of medication errors. The team members will also brainstorm and identify how they can improve the level of coordination among departments (Alqenae et al., 2020). During this stage, the analysts will consider how the project could make a difference in the selected organization. The research would also focus on some of the best practices from other medical institutions.
Mapping out Possible Risks
During the third phase, the professionals involved in the implementation will need to consider possible risks and identify how the plan could be redesigned. The team can examine additional actions to mitigate possible risks or challenges (Alqenae et al., 2020). A proactive approach would be recommendable to maximize chances of delivering desirable results. The inclusion of all key participants in the organization will support this phase.
Scheduling Milestones
The involved team members will identify and implement small activities or milestones that will help deliver the project at the very end. These milestones would also provide the best metrics to monitor the initiatives and consider whether they resonate with the targeted goals. During this phase, the professionals can use a time-plan to dictate what needs to be done after every month (Votova et al., 2019). A proper understanding of milestones can help the involved professionals to be prepared for uncertainties that might emerge.
Assigning Responsibilities and Allocating Resources
During this phase, the professionals will outline key roles and identify individuals who would need to complete them. For example, some of the participants could be guided to engage in training patients while others could focus on labeling drugs. Practitioners can receive additional insights for calculating dosages and matching drugs to patients depending on their medical conditions (Alqenae et al., 2020). Those who get leadership roles would guide their followers and ensure that they focus on the wider picture. Additionally, the participants will receive the needed resources to pursue the outlined goals.
Monitoring and Continuation
Upon the successful launch of the plan, the leaders will monitor the recorded gains and make the relevant inferences. The emerging information will form the basis for identifying areas of weaknesses and improving the initiative continuously (Sharma et al., 2018). When done correctly, chances are quite high that the organization will benefit from improved strategies. The beneficiaries will find it easier to identify the challenges of medication events and be prepared to mitigate them.
Discussion and Evaluation
The suggested implementation plan is designed in such a way that it can support the introduction of transformational leadership to help address the problem of medication errors. The process is expected to deliver desirable results within a year. However, the barriers and challenges outlined above could increase chances of failure. Based on this knowledge, it would be appropriate for the participants to have a proper strategy to evaluate the process continuously. To achieve this objective, the leaders would need a detailed approach and monitor the outcomes (Sharma et al., 2018). First, the team leaders would outline the key metrics where evaluation would be needed. Second, all key players and stakeholders will be engaged during the evaluation process. Third, key questions would help support the development of an effective framework. Fourth, the leaders will collect concrete data from the participants and analyze them to come up with timely inferences.
The outcome criteria would form the basis for determining the overall level of achievement. Specifically, the team would analyze the number of medical professionals would have been influenced positively by the emerging practices. The experts will then collect information about the number of medication errors recorded before launching the plan and the subsequent outcomes (Sharma et al., 2018). The analysts will also gather details about the overall experiences of different patients. These insights will guide the professionals to identify key areas whereby positive results have been recorded. The partners will then identify specific approaches whereby additional improvements could be necessary.
Another issue to consider is ensuring that the evaluation process is pursued as a continuum. This practice means that improvements would be considered throughout the lifespan of the implementation plan. The members of the multidisciplinary team would also monitor the recorded gains and how they resonate with their unique areas of profession (Mahmood &Khattak, 2017). The emerging observations will help the leaders support the initiative and eventually deliver the outlined goals. When done in a professional manner, the process of evaluation and analysis will help the team to achieve the outlined goals (Mahmood &Khattak, 2017). Consequently, the model will increase chances of making transformational leadership a common practice in the selected organization. The beneficiaries will also find it easier to tackle the problematic issue of medication incidents.
Some inhibiting and enhancing factors could emerge throughout the work process. For instance, some form of resistance could emerge from the involved patients and practitioners. This development could affect the overall success of the initiative. However, the enhancing forces include the need for more professionals to provide high-quality services and themove to get rid of medication errors (Votova et al., 2019). The presence of individuals with desirablecompetencies will help push the idea forward and support the entire implementation plan. Additionally, the institution will provide additional resources to support the work process.
Conclusion and Recommendation
The proposed plan seems workable and capable of addressing a major issue affecting the integrity of the healthcare sector. The initiative is capable of delivering transformational leadership in the intended facility. The managers and caregivers will find strong reasons to collaborate, identify the relevant resources, and apply their skills continuously. These efforts will help implement the plan successfully and eventually address the challenge of medication incidents in the healthcare sector. Proper monitoring and evaluation processes will increase chances of delivering the much needed outcomes. To increase the overall success and efficiency of the proposed initiative, the leaders would need to identify the possible barriers and address them from an informed perspective. These professionals can also present additional resources and guidelines to deliver positive results. People need to learn more about drug prescription, dosage calculation, and the process of matching patients to drugs. These recommendations will increase chances of supporting the implementation plan and eventually address the challenges associated with medication events.
References
Alqenae, F. A., Steinke, D., &Keers, R. N. (2020). Prevalence and nature of medication errors and medication-related harm following discharge from hospital to community settings: A systematic review. Drug Safety, 43(1), 517-537. Web.
Linden-Lahti, C., Takala, A., Holmström, A., &Airaksinen, M. (2021). What severe medication errors reported to health care supervisory authority tell about medication safety? Journal of Patient Safety, 17(8), 1179-1185. Web.
Mahmood, S., &Khattak, M. A. (2017). The role of transformational leader in developing knowledge culture in public sector hospitals. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 6(4), 511-524. Web.
Sharma, A. E., Rivadeneira, N. A., Barr-Walker, J., Stern, R. J., Johnson, A. K., & Sarkar, U. (2018). Patient engagement in health care safety: An overview of mixed-quality evidence. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1813-1820. Web.
Votova, K., Laberge, A., Grimshaw, J. M., & Wilson, B. (2019). Implementation science as a leadership capability to improve patient outcomes and value in healthcare.Implementation Management Forum, 32(8), 1-6. Web.