With the continuous introduction of challenging problems within healthcare, nurse leaders must assume the role of implementing innovative care models. Utilizing technology within healthcare has the ability to provide improved care while decreasing cost, so driving policy change to incorporate further technology is essential. Nurse leaders can do this by acting as a change agent. First, nurse leaders must create an environment that is ready and willing to change (Handzel, 2021). This can be done by sharing ideas, listening to opinions from others, involving a team approach, and acting authentically. Additionally, nurse leaders must investigate levels of risk, barriers, short-term goals, and long-term goals. Once these models have been implemented, the nurse leader has the responsibility to reflect on the outcome of the change and make further changes as appropriate.
Change is always happening to health care with so many technological advancements and evidence-based practices being developed to better patient safety and care. There are different models organizations can utilize for change, one being the ADKAR Change Management Model (Giva Inc, 2021). The acronym is as follows:
A: Awareness- The first stage in this model is that the organization has an awareness that change needs to be made; change made in order to keep the organization moving forward in a positive direction. This awareness can be observed by those who work within the organization and also those who are consumers of the organization.
D: Desire- The second stage in this model is that there is a desire for the change the organization has been made aware of. This part of the model can be tricky because it takes all parts of the team to have the desire for the change. In health care, many of us have encountered changes that were not desired by those on the floor, however, administration put it into place. On the other side, there have been desires for change on the floor; however, the administration does not have the desire to initiate the change. When all parties don’t share the desire the change, implementation can be tricky.
K: Knowledge- The third stage is to make sure all parts of the organization are informed about the change and how it will be implemented. Everyone needs to be aware of what the change is, why the change is needed, how the change is going to work, and when the change will start. Here, everyone will know what part they will play in the change, what to expect, and how to assess the progress of the change.
A: Ability- The fourth stage is that the organization has the ability to initiate the change. This means that the organization has the funds, enough employees, and the resources for the change. Furthermore, the organization has to make sure everyone has the ability to act on these changes; keeping in mind scopes of practice, paygrades, level of experience, and skill levels.
R: Reinforcement- The fifth and last stage of this model is that those who are leaders in the change are assessing the progress of the change and how effective it is. If the change yields positive results, reinforcement to employees or participants needs to be made to maintain the positive results; this is typically done with some type of reward or incentive.
Change will have each stakeholder involved in the change play a different and specific role. For example, mandating all employees on the floor to wear masks involved administration to make sure the new mandate was ethical, affordable, and plausible. Leadership on the floors needed to ensure that were enough supplies and that employees were being compliant. The employees needed to be compliant and hold each other accountable.
References:
Giva Inc. (2021). The 3 best change management models in healthcare practices. Giva. Retrieved from https://www.givainc.com/blog/index.cfm/2021/5/10/the-3-most-effective-change-management-models-for-healthcare-practices
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