The problem of the impoverished beneficiaries skipping their follow-up visits required a complex solution, and the practicum project was dedicated to developing a strategy for sustainable and effective intervention. Multiple objectives were set, yet the main was to decrease the number of skipped follow-ups by 75% and improve patient education practices. As several issues occurred throughout the execution and forced us to update initial strategies, reflection is a helpful tool to evaluate the outcomes and understand if the team fulfilled their roles (Clark, 2011). This post aims to reflect on the lessons learned from the project implementation and identify factors to assist in sustaining the change for improving patient outcomes for the East Orange Hospital Clinic’s impoverished beneficiaries.
Strategies the team has developed based on the evidence about the impoverished beneficiaries became relatively efficient because they aligned with current healthcare services at the East Orange Hospital Clinic. The intervention aimed to impact clients’ behavior toward skipping their follow-up visits; thus, three areas of influence were identified: patient education, communication, and notification (Sipes, 2020). Indeed, physicians taught how attendance at appointments is essential for health; administrators sent reminders, and practitioners adjusted communication to tailor the importance of follow-up visits and ensure that the client understands. The team learned lessons from each area because of the challenges which forced us to update the initial plan. For instance, the legal aspect of using clients’ data to notify them through WhatsApp and email was missed. We were forced to create a consent to sign and continue using these ways of contacting patients only if they agreed to share their data with a third party.
Moreover, we had to reconsider selected strategies and adjust them to the impoverished population’s needs because each client’s experience is unique and cannot be addressed by a pre-written protocol. Consequently, the initial plan to follow patient education and communication scenarios was evaluated and revised, and the stakeholders developed a conversation template to use instead (Kim et al., 2020). In this situation, I learned the importance of listening to the team and the value of the transformational leadership style, which enabled the stakeholders to create effective solutions (Cummings et al., 2021). Another significant lesson we obtained is that the local administration, boards, and policy-makers are unwilling to assist with the initiatives if only one healthcare organization reaches for help. Although the initial strategy has been updated multiple times, the intervention can be evaluated as efficient because patients started to attend follow-up visits and demonstrate more interest in their health. Data collection and analysis also revealed that the goals were achieved as the percentage of skipped appointments significantly decreased since the beginning of project implementation.
Several factors must be considered to make the change sustainable and help the stakeholders keep the intervention effective. Firstly, the feedback gathering and discussion we performed weekly became a valuable source of data and an engaging team-building practice. Thus, maintaining a solid data collection strategy and being open to feedback is vital for the intervention to stay efficient (Sipes, 2020). Secondly, the lack of follow-up visits attendance by the impoverished beneficiaries occurred due to external factors such as the transportation price, and the organization should be more persistent in receiving support from local boards and policy-makers. Lastly, sustaining intervention translation to a normal practice depends on the team’s willingness to provide better healthcare service to their beneficiaries. Consequently, as a leader, I should maintain strong motivation in the team and provide the stakeholders with sufficient space to make their contributions.
Practice change project implementation is a significant event that influences the quality of care, patients, stakeholders’ perception of their job, and executives’ views on internal problems. Reflecting on how the plan was developed, adjusted, analyzed, and evaluated revealed that although initial objectives might not be easily achievable, it is vital for the team to stay motivated. Working on a practice change project became a valuable period for me because I discovered my strengths and weaknesses, understood what skills I lack, and what leadership style is the most appropriate for me.
References
Clark J. (2011). Let’s reflect: What is the point? British Journal of General Practice, 61(593), 747. Web.
Cummings, G. G., Lee, S., Tate, K., Penconek, T., Micaroni, S. P., Paananen, T., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2021). The essentials of nursing leadership: A systematic review of factors and educational interventions influencing nursing leadership. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 115, 103842. Web.
Kim, M., Lee, J., & Doo, E. Y. (2020). Factors influencing healthcare provider-patient communication of patients with chronic diseases. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 26(2), 73-83. Web.
Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.