Type of organizational structure present within the hospital setting
Most health care institution employ a top-down format such that power and responsibility flow downward across a chain of rule as depicted in the figure below. The organization framework comprise of the following members (Green & Bowie, 2005):
- Governing board
- Administration
- Medical staff
- Department, committees, and services
- Contracted services
The governing board, Green and Bowie (2005) argue, serves free of charge, and its membership is signified by experts from the business fraternity. It holds a decisive legal command and accountability for the operation of the hospital and is answerable for the quality of care afforded to patients. The organization’s administration act as collaboration between the governing board and clinical staff, and is answerable for implementing a strategic scheme for sustaining the task and objectives of the institution.
According to Green & Bowie (2005), the medical staff compromise of accredited doctors and other accredited care providers allowed by law. For instance, doctors assistants and nurse practitioners who are entitled to medical privileges. The governing board assigns power and accountability to sustain appropriate principles of clinical care and to afford definite patient care services to the clinical staff. The staff is arranged into medical departments depending on the medical specialty, with a chairperson allocated for every department, and medical staff functions on medical staff committee.
Further, Green and Bowie (2005) assert that quality patient care provision demands the synchronized effort of hospital departments, hospital committees, and contract services. Hospital departments consist of those that offer immediate patient care and ancillary and sustenance services. Contracts services with agencies and external provide special services, counting health information management operations. The multi disciplinary hospital committees comprise of delegates from hospital departments as well as the medical staff.
Use of information systems, communication methods and a decision-making ability with culture and organizational structure in the hospital setting
According to Kanter (1983) a parallel organization may exist in comparatively more flexibility for unplanned purposes as a special malfunctional task force, an eminence working team, a lateral group with certain overarching responsibilities including quality control, or any temporary teaming for problem solving duties unlimited by the hierarchy.
Kanter (1983) argues that parallel organization operation in an organization is effective in cultivating individual creativity, unleashing unexploited potential, and exposing the challenges in teamwork. This lead to the transfer into the mainstream of the skills, energy, enthusiasm, imagination evident in ordinary persons, who as result become extraordinary without altering their function or position in hierarchy.
This model recognizes that every staff is active contributors to the organization, other than mere human resource, with capacity of contributing in an extraordinary manner through involvement in vital functions outside their line of duty. Hence, high-level skills developed are not limited to the higher echelons of management or used just in strategic decision-making, instead can be unleashed, devoid of prior description, at any position in the entire organization (Kanter, 1983).
In the above circumstance, parallel structure develops a series of concentric cycles of upward spiral that involves various benefits. First, it includes breaks from routine, renewal individual dedication and encouragement. Secondly, through interaction with the rest outside the habitual workplace, mutual learning and fresh horizon and strategies, are promoted. Thirdly, it creates increased opportunity about appreciated contribution, resulting in high self esteem. Such outcomes encourage confidence in individuals to admit and gain from errors and to desire and apply advanced education that is not inevitably connected with their ambition in the organization.
The various lines of communication and reporting
Computer utility in health organization facilitates accurate and real-time data, which are critical in decision making concerning patient care and organizational administration (Newbold, 1998, as cited in Nagelkerk, 2006). Computer usages in nursing management are tools for effective decision making in order to sustain quality patient care (Nagelkerk, 2006).
Nursing informatics involves the management of nursing information, knowledge and data in nursing care provision. Management information systems (MISs) are incorporated to gather, preserve, retrieve, and articulate data. A patient’s health data is normally compiled logically or physically in a clinical data repository. Patient’s clinical records are preserved longitudinally over a range of events of care.
The prominent purpose of data repository is to allow convenient data retrieval (American Nurses Association [ANA], 1997, as cited in Nagelkerk, 2006). Computerized information systems (ISs) are effective for clinical data collection within immediate patient as well as manage care procedures. The functions of a nursing informatics expert are to engage in the interpretation, design and execution of information and communication setup; participating in effectiveness research and; an instructing the nurses on informatics and IS (Nagelkerk, 2006).
There are for pattern of communication flow within an organization, which include upward, horizontal, downward, and diagonal. Downward flow involves conveying information from seniors to minors. It basically involves information, instructions, or verbal commands from manager to subsidiary on a face-to-face term. In addition it may be in form of speeches to staff (Shortell & Kaluzny, 1997).
Further, Shortell and Kaluzny (1997) suppose that upward flow involves providing managers with information critical for decision-making, disclosing problem points, showing the level of morale, providing facts for performance evaluation, and generally highlighting the perspective of subordinates. Horizontal flow refers to communication between interdependent care units. On the other hand, a diagonal flow involves flow of information across departments.
How do generational differences influence the organizational culture of the workplace
According to Cohen (2007), most health organization requires prompt reporting of serious adverse drug events (ADEs). On the other hand less serious events have diverse reporting criteria. Usually the best decision is usually to promptly report any event to a supervisor, regardless of the degree of its significance.
The staff of care facilities should understand both care systems’ basic inside event reporting system and the informal ways of reporting events. Formal reporting line involves the use of reporting form and telephone hotline. The informal may involve the use of direct oral reports to risk managers (Cohen, 2007).
He further affirms that informal reporting lines between reporting program personnel and reporters facilitate personalization of the program and boost reporters’ truthfulness and confidence in reports receivers. Event-reporting system must be elastic to accommodate formal and informal channels of accommodating information in electronic, written, and oral modality. For external reporting structure, reports can be presented via e-mail.
Cohen (2007) argues that reporting systems should not hold the power to impose the accomplishment of suggestion emanating from their interpretation of the ADE. Nevertheless, federal agencies, accrediting agencies, regulatory agencies, and health care purchasing teams ought to assess such suggestion and standardize them if usefulness is determined and the cost gain of implementation is impressive.
Social and cultural influence of community in St. John’s hospital adapts a prehospital community-volunteer structure in societies where the association between the community and the ambulance service is founded on a socially developed structure. Efficient community-volunteer ambulance services are prerequisite for local urgent care mechanism (O’meara, 2003)
Within the all-around complexities of the modern healthcare settings and present day workforce, intergenerational concerns pose a great challenge for healthcare administrators (Cabot, 2006, as cited in Olson, 2008). To begin with, problems that emanate from generational discrepancies hinder efficient and effective alliance between the administrators and the staff. Particularly, disparity in attitudes, principles and ideas, work ethics and behaviors, and prospects poses a big challenge for the leaders. Such complicated generational characteristics are responsible for the difference in interaction and communication. Also generational difference determines how well and fast an employee communicates and adapts to the dynamics of the team, and participates in the system.
Reference List
Cohen, M. R. (2007). Medication errors. Washington DC: American Pharmacist Association
Green, M. A. & Bowie, M. J. (2005). Essentials of health information management: principles and practices. Clifton Park, NY: Thomas Delmar Learning.
Kanter, R. M. (1983). The Change Masters. London: Unwin.
Nagelkerk, J. (2006). Leadership and Nursing Care Management. In D. L. Huber (3rd ed.), Leadership and Nursing Care Management: Study Guide. (pp. 89-94). Elsevier Inc.
O’meara, p. (2003). The prehospital community-volunteer model has a place in rural Australia. Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care (JEPHC), 1(1-2).
Olson, V. D. (2008). Generational Diversity: Implications For Healthcare Leaders. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 6(11), 27-32. Web.
Shortell, S. M., & Kaluzny, A. D. (1997). Essentials of health care management. Albany, NY: Delmar.