Discussion Post Change Agent

How I see yourself as a change agent guiding others to move from a process focus to outcomes focus

Change is rapid, disruptive, and expected in the nursing environment. Most changes are adopted to improve healthcare processes and their efficiency to optimize outcomes, which is the primary focus of most healthcare organizations today. As care delivery becomes more patient-centered, there is a shift to outcomes rather than processes because patients are more concerned about their health outcomes than the processes adopted to achieve them. Therefore, I see myself as a change agent when I advocate for my patients and adopt positive changes like technology and evidence-based practice that are shaping the efficacy of the healthcare system (Charlotte Davis, 2019). I encourage reception to change because it is imminent and often unpredictable.

Discussion Post Change Agent

I collaborate and communicate with my team to identify barriers and actors affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare processes and people. I invite collective and meaningful engagement to develop solutions or interventions to improve processes and people to optimize patient and organizational outcomes. I also engage the public, colleagues, and policy-makers regarding healthcare policies that can help address issues such as understaffing, resource acquisition and availability, healthcare affordability, healthcare access, and adverse events that impact patient and organization outcomes (Rafferty, 2018). Driving these changes helps efforts to improve patient outcomes, including safety, satisfaction, and experience.

I am a registered nurse and see myself as an educator in the field, educating my patients, colleagues, and new nurses throughout my daily shifts. I like sharing information that can help improve service delivery and patient outcomes. I engage colleagues and patients on factors affecting care and perform environmental screening to identify these factors and potential solutions. I emphasize patient education because it is the best preventative measure that seeks to empower patients to take control of their health and advocate for themselves. I educate patients regarding healthy habits and lifestyles and attitudes towards treatment adherence and seeking healthcare services proactively.

(Discussion Post Change Agent)

The rationale behind the change from process to outcomes

Many healthcare actors, especially patients, financiers, and health insurance companies, adopt outcome measures rather than process measures to evaluate the performance of healthcare organizations and practitioners. The healthcare reforms have seen a shift to patient-centered, holistic care, value-based systems, and high-reliability organizations, all of which appreciate outcomes, the byproduct of effective and efficient processes and people (Pantaleon, 2019). There is also an emphasis on the relationship between healthcare services and health outcomes. This shift is behind the change from process to outcome.

References

Charlotte Davis, B. S. N. (2019). Change agents wanted. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy.

Pantaleon L. (2019). Why measuring outcomes is important in health care. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 33(2), 356–362. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15458

Rafferty A. M. (2018). Nurses as change agents for a better future in health care: the politics of drift and dilution. Health economics, policy, and law, 13(3-4), 475–491. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133117000482

Discussion Post Change Agent