4455 Module 2 Assignment 2 Change Theories Project

4455 Module 2 Assignment 2 Change Theories Project

Introduction

Change is inevitable in healthcare and other disciplines. It continuously happens in healthcare due to evolving patient needs, population shifts, disease trends, and technological advances. A change theory comprehensively describes and illustrates how and why a desired change is expected to occur in a specific context. It outlines how a specific intervention, or set of interventions, is expected to lead to particular development change. The purpose of this presentation is to describe an expected change in our organization and explore a change theory that can be applied to drive the change.

The Change That Is To Occur & Why It Is Necessary

The anticipated change is adopting a Computerized Decision Support System (CDSS). The CDSS supports clinical decision-making by availing evidence from high-quality scientific research to healthcare providers. The CDSS will link patient-specific information in the electronic health record (EHR) with evidence-based knowledge (Sutton et al., 2020). This will generate case-specific guidance messages through algorithm-based software.

The change is necessary to reduce the hospital’s high medication administration errors (MAEs). The lack of a CDSS is a major factor in the increasing MAEs. Other organizations with the CDSS have reported a significant reduction in MAEs.

The change to CDSS aims to promote using evidence-based guidelines in clinical decision-making by providers and improve the quality of care (Sutton et al., 2020).
Change Theory

Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory is my theory of choice in implementing the adoption of the CDSS in the hospital. It is recommended in organizational change interventions to help attain the projected outcomes. The theory is the most appropriate for examining technology adoption in organizations. Much diffusion research entails technological innovations (Udod & Wagner, 2018). Thus, Rogers used the word “technology” and “innovation” interchangeably. The theory is the best for implementing the change since it is applied to long-term change projects. Besides, the proposed change involves adopting technology in the organization, making Roger’s theory the best fit.

The Steps in the Change Theory

Roger’s Change theory has five stages:

Knowledge: This entails communicating to employees or staff the rationale for the change initiative, including how it will be implemented and the persons involved (Mohammadi et al., 2018).

Persuasion: Involves persuading individuals to accept the change by providing key information about the change intervention. The change agent also notes the employees’ favorable and unfavorable attitudes toward the change (Mohammadi et al., 2018).

Decision: This stage involves determining whether to implement the change. The change agent analyzes the data and conducts a pilot trial of the new processes brought about by the change.

Implementation: The change initiative is implemented on an established ground as the staff, and the organization take the initiative to accommodate it.

Confirmation: The change agent decides to continue the innovation and may employ it to maximum use.

Operationalizing Each Step

Knowledge: As a nurse leader, I would educate the hospital’s management team and healthcare providers on implementing the CDSS. I would explain the functions of the CDSS and how it will be integrated with the EHR.

Persuasion: I would convince the management team and provider to accept the CDSS by enlightening them on the potential benefits of CDSS in improving clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. In this stage, training on using the CDSS will be conducted. Besides, I would assess the staff’s attitude towards the adoption of CDSS.

Decision: In the decision stage, I would conduct a pilot trial of the CDSS in some inpatient units for two months to measure its practicability and effectiveness in attaining the desired patient care outcomes. I will use the feedback from the pilot to improve the CDSS and identify areas that require further training.

Implementation: This step will involve implementing the CDSS in all the hospital units. The providers will have an informaticist who will guide them in implementing the CDSS and handle any system issues (Mohammadi et al., 2018).

Confirmation: In this stage, I will resolve my decision to continue implementing the CDSS in the hospital based on how it is implemented and the outcomes.

Communication and Team-Building Strategies

Effective communication and team-building strategies are vital in implementing and susta