Role of Management Skill in Healthcare
In rapidly changing world, there is need of best skills and practices that ensures quality care to the patient. Patients have become sensitive and they need to be handled with care and empathy. It has been realised that there are gaps in a number of skill areas which include communication, leadership, team building, conflict resolution, and many other. These skills are necessary and basics for the healthcare professionals (Healthcaremba, 2018).
This report is discussing the importance and role of these skills in individual healthcare professional in order to deal with patients, reducing challenges in organizations, and clinical issues to provide better and enhanced services to the patients. Here, seven skills are discussed which include leadership, communication, work ethics, management, conflict resolution, and team building. These skills are inter related and lack of any skill in healthcare professional results in effecting other skills too (Nursingtimes, 2015). Below is the diagram that shows dependency of one skill on the other.
Source: (Skillsforhealth, 2018)
Role of Management Skill in Healthcare
Management skills are the most important skills that are required in almost every single business. In healthcare industry too it is very important as having poor management skills lead to the life and death of patients. Hospitals and its staff needs specialised training and professional maintenance that comes with study and implementation of management skills in healthcare. Hospitals have different departments and healthcare mangers need to oversee all the departments (Brightonsbm, 2018). Hence, it requires them to be capable of creating unique approaches for the many challenging situations so that it ensures success and profit of hospitals.
Today healthcare industry has entered into a more challenging era. Newer services in all departments put increased demand on employees of healthcare. Therefore, there is need of updated management with advanced technology that can transform healthcare services into digital era. In healthcare organizations, necessary tasks in order to produce services require coordination of various disciplines that must work together. It is the job of mangers to make certain that all the tasks are performed seamlessly and in the best way possible that ensures organizational objectives and goals to be achieved (Aiuniv, 2018).
A proper management ensures managing information, time, materials and space; and maintains high motivation and positive attitude. Henri Fayol described four managerial functions that are must for managers at all levels: Planning, organising, leading, and controlling. Planning set the goals in healthcare that are providing best service to clients and makes maximum profit for the hospital and describes the best way to achieve them. Health organizations are complex and have large hierarchy. Organising ensures proper arrangement and allocation n of work within the organization. Leading is important in healthcare as it motivates employees to perform tasks and provide satisfaction to clients with services. Controlling ensures implementation of planned activities and rechecks client’s satisfaction (CareerBuilder, 2017).
Role of Leadership Skill in Healthcare
Over the last few years there have been lot of new laws implemented in healthcare sector that have changed the way of the way of working of healthcare providers within an organization. These changes in healthcare have put a lot of pressure on the existing infrastructure and it has increased the need of new management techniques that are able to lead teams through this transition. In today’s competitive environment, it requires physicians who are leaders in healthcare to be effectively lead teams in such a way that balance changes (Nohria & Khurana, 2010). To achieve these changes in demands requires change in leadership style.
Role of Leadership Skill in Healthcare
A physician has intelligence, determination, self-confidence, and integrity- all of these attributes are characteristics of trait theory of leadership. In addition to having right personality characteristics, it is also needed having them appropriate technical skills to be considered a leader. Trait theory says that certain people are born leaders and compliment to trait theory is skills approach. Skills approach says that effective leadership depends on three basic skills: conceptual, technical, and human (Sfantou, et al., 2017). Due to the extensive training that a physician must complete and the experience and skills they possess make them naturally great leaders.
While vice versa is not true that what makes a physician a great doctor would also make them a great leader. Today with changing healthcare practices, right leadership that match with changing demands is described with contingency theory. Here effectiveness of a leader depends on how well a leadership style fits in context. Earlier lone ranger approach was in practice but today this style of leadership is not considered to be effective. But according to studies, in healthcare a leader who has ability to manage conflict, motivate, and communicate and also who has a positive impact on patient, staff, and organizational outcomes can be an effective leader (Dodson, 2017).
Role of Team Building Skill in Healthcare
In order to provide better services to the patients in healthcare depends on the coordinated work between different departments and between different personnel. A good team building ensures all members of a team understand and work towards a shared purpose of working and caring of patients. Building an efficient and responsible team is a responsibility of team leader but a good team is not formed until each and every member is committed to work as a team member and performs his/her job fully (Nursingtimes, 2015). Every team passes through different levels of development but a team is at its most productive level when there is trust and openness. For this team leaders need to develop teaming strategy that will plan how colleagues will work and act together.
In an effective team, all team members including patients communicate with each other and merge their expertise and observations that results in optimized patient’s care. To deliver exemplary health care, team work is best method for that. When healthcare providers work as a team, they become more responsive to changes. In case if condition of patient worsen, everyone in the team works together and carried out their respective duties to solve the problems (Healthcaremba, 2018). Doctors, nurses, and assistants all work as a team and ensure elimination of mistakes that lead to improved patient outcomes. Working as team ensures that everyone is performing their duties that results in overall satisfaction patients. In a team, everyone is clear about their roles, leads to less confusion about treatment plan of patient. Also patient gets clarity about his treatment (Ray, 2018).
Role of Communication Skill in Healthcare
Effective communication is must in healthcare practices. To know the details and the important information from patient, effectively communication is required from physicians and medical staff. The medical staffs get to know about patient and his purpose of visit, physician learns more about the patient’s concern and address his issues, and patient learns about his health issues and solution for them, through effective communication. Proper communication allows everyone to get required knowledge more clearly.
Role of Team Building Skill in Healthcare
Good communication skills are must for every healthcare professional and not just only for psychologists and social workers. Characteristics of good communication skills include active listening, appropriate response to the needs and concerns of patient, properly assessing patient’s body language, and having a non-judgemental attitude (PCC, 2016).
Failing of properly knowledge exchange can lead to risk to the patient’s health. Therefore, to improve patient care, knowledge exchange among healthcare professional is emphasized. One example for this, exchange of knowledge during the shift change is a lengthy process. To mitigate this drawback knowledge exchange allows meeting of nurse at the patient’s bedside instead of the nurse station. This process ensures patient’s involvement in their care (Rajashree, 2011).
While dealing with patient and his family members, it is important for healthcare professionals to build trust and rapport which can be achieved through compassion, empathy, and understanding approach. Good communication skills of healthcare professional eliminate mistrust and miscommunication (PCC, 2016).
Some practices that can be implemented to ensure good communication involve plans to deal with different personalities: every person is unique and therefore, make sure not to respond or react to people who are harsh and test ones patience. Always think that, they still need understanding, empathy, and care; active listening skills: listen more and talk less is the motive of this strategy. Listen to the patient’s query and do not show any kind of uninterested and defensive behaviour through body language; take notes of patient’s information because it is worse to forget information of patient (HHS, 2016).
Role of Conflict Resolution Skill in Healthcare
Conflict Resolution is more dependent on team building and effective communication skills of healthcare professionals. Conflict is defined as a disagreement between two people or subgroups which can also include some kind of dissatisfaction and bitterness. High quality care is ensured for patients’ when healthcare professionals understand each other and work effectively as a team, while on other hand, if vice versa exist between healthcare professional results in worse effects on health and care of patients (Morreim, 2014).
Therefore, it is important for healthcare professionals to have good interpersonal relationships in terms of listen, cooperation, respect, collaboration, and values or positions of each other. To avoid conflicts at the workplace, there is need of strong and effective leadership that binds and ensure smooth working between professionals and ensures better patient care and healthcare success (Ramsay, 2001). Johansen, in his report says conflicts in healthcare results in more complicated issues because these involve complex relationships that are based on emotions.
Healthcare professionals have to deal with different human resources having diversity. Sometimes, nurses work under difficult and stressful conditions which results in negative interpersonal relationship with other co-workers. These skills can be developed through education and training to work together. It is the role of a leader to identify the conflict causes and sources and then should possess skills to avoid them and to improve the quality of patient care (Shah, 2017).
Role of Work Ethics Skill in Healthcare
Healthcare professionals have to face several challenges related to the ethical dilemmas. Ethics are based on moral and philosophic principles. Conflicts between the healthcare professional and patients or between healthcare professionals themselves are mainly because of poor work ethics. This is going to affect patient care adversely. Therefore, to tackle these challenging situations, healthcare professional rely upon a tool naming “ethical decision making process”. Researches have defined four principles of healthcare ethics: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice (Bhanji, 2013).
Role of Communication Skill in Healthcare
Autonomy: This principle gives control to the patient over his/her body. This allows a healthcare professional to only providing an advice or suggestion to the patient and not to take any decision. If any attempt to persuade patient into making a decision is considered as violation of principles (SJU, 2018).
Non-maleficence: This means “to do no harm”. This make healthcare professional to make sure that decisions taken by them should not harm any people or society, even it is taken for the benefit of the patient (Sheikh, 2007).
Beneficence: This principle states that healthcare providers should provide their best practices in order to benefit patient in any kind of situation. Every treatment and procedure recommended to the patient should be with the intention to do the best for the patient. This is achieved through high skill, knowledge, training and best medical practices (Skillsforhealth, 2018).
Justice: This principle states that all medical decisions should be fair. All decisions taken by healthcare professionals regarding treatments and resources should consider applicable laws and legislation (Sheikh, 2007).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that, the above mentioned skills are important for the healthcare professionals to provide quality care to the patients and hence ensures a healthy community. Healthcare professionals are also human beings and it requires proper training and education to develop these skills into them. An effective leadership play a vital role in managing and working of healthcare professionals. It is also clear that each skill is interdependent and hence absence of one is going to affect the other. Therefore, to ensure growth and profit of organization and provide quality care to the patient s, these above mentioned seven skills are necessary for healthcare professionals to possess.
References
Aiuniv. (2018). 10 Skills Employers Are Looking for in Healthcare Management Jobs. Retrieved from https://www.aiuniv.edu/degrees/healthcare/articles/10-top-skills-for-healthcare-management-jobs
Bhanji, S. M. (2013). Health Care Ethics. Journal of Clinical Research Bioethics, 4, 142.
Brightonsbm. (2018). The importance of management skills in healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.brightonsbm.com/news/importance-management-skills-healthcare/
CareerBuilder. (2017). What are management skills and why are they important? Retrieved from https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/what-are-management-skills-and-why-are-they-important
Dodson, D. (2017). What’s the Best Leadership Style for Healthcare? Retrieved from https://nchica.org/whats-the-best-leadership-style-for-healthcare/
Healthcaremba. (2018). 5 Teambuilding Practices that Lead to Organizational Success. Retrieved from https://healthcaremba.gwu.edu/blog/5-teambuilding-practices-that-lead-to-organizational-success/
HHS. (2016). The Imortance of Clear, Effective Communication in Healthcare. Retrieved from https://blog.hhs1.com/the-importance-of-communication-in-healthcare
Morreim, E. H. (2014). Conflict resolution in healthcare.
Nohria, N., & Khurana, R. (2010). Handbook of leadership theory and practice. Harvard Business Press.
Nursingtimes. (2015). Teambuilding 1: How to build effective teams in healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/nurse-managers/teambuilding-1-how-to-build-effective-teams-in-healthcare/5083723.article
PCC. (2016). How Effective Communication Can Save Lives in the Healthcare Industry. Retrieved from https://climb.pcc.edu/blog/how-effective-communication-can-save-lives-in-the-healthcare-industry
Rajashree, K. C. (2011). Training programs in communication skills for health care professionals and volunteers. Indian journal of palliative care, 17, S12.
Ramsay, M. A. (2001). Conflict in the health care workplace. Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center), 14(2), 138.
Ray, L. (2018). The Advantages of Teamwork in Today’s Health Care Organizations. Retrieved from https://work.chron.com/advantages-teamwork-todays-health-care-organizations-5143.html
Sfantou, D., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73.
Shah, M. (2017). Impact of Interpersonal Conflict in Health Care Setting on Patient Care; the Role of Nursing Leadership Style on Resolving the Conflict. Nurse Care Open Acces J, 2(2), 00031.
Sheikh, S. A. (2007). The Importance of Ethics in Healthcare System. JDUHS, 1(1), 46-48.
SJU. (2018). How the Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care. Retrieved from https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-health-administration/resources/articles/four-principles-of-health-care-ethics-improve-patient-care
Skillsforhealth. (2018). The Importance of Generic Skills to the Health Sector. Retrieved from https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=176&cf_id=24
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