Introduction
Most organizations have embraced evidence based strategy in making informed decision. This approach to decision making has gained prominence among managers in the past two decades. This is as a result of the growing need to provide high quality health care. It is also enormously ascribable to increasing efficiency in the health care provision which has been enhanced by the advancement in the information technology. However, this approach to decision making has faced numerous challenges. For instance, lack of adequate time, limited resources, among others are some of the challenges. The Information Decisions Toolbox (IDT) has been adopted to assist organizational leaders overcome these challenges. IDT plays an important role in enabling the organization’s senior leadership team to carry out their duties effectively and efficiently. The adoption of IDT has been necessitated by the nature of healthcare which requires complex decision making.
Decision making entails the act of selecting a course of action from the alternatives. Healthcare managers are required to make informed decision as part of their everyday work. Informed Decisions Toolbox enables managers to make decisions regarding the provision of high quality medical care in their organizations.
The following essay is concerned with the evidence-informed managerial decision and discusses how the healthcare managers may use the Informed Decisions Toolbox (IDT) in the delivery of everyday healthcare. The paper describes the best Information Decisions Toolbox that the healthcare managers can use in enhancing services in their organizations. Also, the essay examines the managerial decision that a manager should take to ensure that the organization continues to provide high quality services given a defined budget.
Discussion
There are six steps that are involved in information decision Toolbox which provides the senior leadership team with a basis for making organizational decisions. The first step frames the management question i.e. the management determines the significance that a certain decision has on those concerned. Searching for reliable sources of information is the second step in the Information Decision Toolbox. Determining the correctness of the information is the third step of IDT. The fourth step of IDT is determining how best the information can be applied to enhance the decision making. Analyzing the information’s actionability and determining whether the information is based on reliable sources are the fifth and sixth steps of IDT respectively (Rundall et al., 2007, P.1-19).
Importance of the IDT approach to decision making
The IDT approach to decision making is important as it enhances transparency and openness. The IDT enables the clinical managers to act in the interest of the public but not private interest. It enables the senior leadership team to make organizational decisions in an unbiased manner. Transparency is a strong indicator of good performance and it enhances trust among the members of the public (Rundall et.al. 2007, P.1-19).
IDT enables managers to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities as well as those of other employees in the organization. This enables the clinical managers to interact well with other staff members. In order for the organization to function effectively and achieve its objectives, all the organizational members must agree upon how the major decisions are arrived at. By adopting the IDT approach to decision making, leadership usually shift depending on matters at hand as well as the skills of the staff members. Eventually, the IDT model becomes acceptable to all the organizational members as power is not based on seniority. The IDT model thus provides all the members of the organization with equal responsibility and participation and in turn enhances accountability. Evidence-informed management provides all the staff members with an opportunity to access the research findings and this in turn enhances decision making aspect (Rundall et al., 2007, Pg 1-19).
Information Decision Toolbox is a powerful decision making tool in organizations as it engages the organizational members to identify and link common organizational issues and look for answers to each problem area. The IDT plays a crucial role in promoting shared understanding of clinical issues (Rundall et al. 2007, Pg.1-19).
Information Decision Toolbox enhances knowledge transfer and this provides the employees with an opportunity of sharing and synergy. Usually, health profession requires the employees to keep themselves current to the evolving knowledge base due to the knowledge intensive environment of the healthcare profession. Thus, the main issue with regards to health environment is the knowledge translation. For knowledge translation to be successful, knowledge transfer must be present. Knowledge is thus one of the main resources in clinics and other organizations. Knowledge transfer leads to increased productivity. It enables the managers to make wiser decisions concerning the organizational wellbeing (Rundall et al. 2007, Pg.1-19).
The role of managers in enhancing clinical services
Clinical managers have the responsibility of controlling all the functions of the organization. They have the role of ensuring that there are no unnecessary costs that are incurred. Provided with a fixed budget, the following are the main clinical services that i would emphasize on or do away with as a manager in order to ensure that the Medicaid population continues to enjoy high quality healthcare as before. Firstly, i would deemphasize on the use of multi-test profiles. Multi-test profile, as an approach to testing, leads to wastage of resources. This is due to its repetitive nature as numerous tests are done to confirm a test result. This causes workload in the organization and thus it is not cost effective (Wolper, 2005, Pg.385).
Secondly, i would ensure that the laboratories are equipped with more efficient equipment. Usually, inefficient equipment has the effect of increasing organizational costs. The instruments should be selected to perform tests at the lowest possible costs. They should also not be labor intensive (Jenkins, 2010, Pg.56).
As a manager in a healthcare clinic, i would carry out a close monitoring of the laboratory costs. With this regards, i would ensure that a cost-based analysis of the organization’s expenditure is conducted. I would discourage time wasting as much as possible. I would also emphasize on utilizing part time staff in order to reduce staff costs and in turn provide optimum staffing during the peak seasons (Jenkins, 2010, Pg.56).
Conclusion
The Informed Decision Toolbox is a crucial decision making tool as it acts as a tool for enhancing productivity in health care clinics. It acts as a basis through which managerial decisions are framed and this in turn leads to increased performance. The IDT’s role of looking for the reliable sources of information enhances transparency and accountability. The Information Decision Toolbox thus plays an important role in building an ideal organizational environment by ensuring that the managers take control over all the decisions. In order to ensure that the organization continues to provide high quality health care given defined budget, i would de-emphasize the use of multitest profiles, ensure that laboratories have automated equipment and carry out a close monitoring of the laboratory costs.
Reference List
Jenkins, W. (2010). Public Health Laboratories: Analysis, Operations, and Management. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Rundall, T, et.al. (2007). The informed decisions toolbox: Tools for knowledge transfer and performance improvement. Journal of Healthcare Management, 52(5), pp. 325. Chicago: American college of healthcare executives.
Wolper, L. (2005). Physician practice management: essential operational and financial knowledge. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning.