Introduction
The healthcare sector determines the medical outcomes and experiences of citizens in a given country. Many governments provide adequate resources and support systems to ensure that their sectors function optimally. Practitioners, physicians, and managers in this field need to monitor emerging trends and inform key sponsors and financiers about the best strategy to improve patients’ experiences. For instance, technology has become a major reason for implementing numerous changes in the health industry. Different innovations have the potential to transform the way caregivers and doctors provide services to their patients. Adaptive leadership centers on the adaptations that enable nurses to use their experience in a way that improves progress during change management. This paper describes the appropriateness of adaptive leadership as an evidence-based model for introducing and supporting the utilization of advanced technologies in health care.
Technology in Health Care: Background
Many industries are relying on emerging technologies to maximize operations and improve the level of productivity. The healthcare sector is one of the fields benefiting significantly from emerging ideas and inventions. Ngongo et al. (2019) argue that the utilization of modern technologies makes it possible for medical professionals to gather and store patient’s digital information. The acquired data is essential when caregivers want to learn more about a person’s past conditions and health challenges. The observation informs the most appropriate or personalized care plan or medical support. Such a practice is transforming the outcomes and experiences of many patients in the world today.
Experts in different fields have presented superior devices, tools, and equipment that are revolutionizing healthcare practice. For instance, digital thermometers, clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), and telemedicine are some of the latest developments improving the manner in which professionals provide healthcare services (Ngongo et al., 2019). Social media networks, smartphones, and handheld devices have made undeniable contributions to this field, thereby improving people’s health outcomes. This analysis reveals that technology in healthcare is a continuous development that will continue to benefit many stakeholders in this sector.
This new trend is transforming care delivery in a number of ways that different stakeholders need to take seriously. First, medical innovation makes it possible for practitioners and clinicians to reduce medication errors by calculating dosages correctly, matching drugs to the intended patients, and setting alarms to alert them when prescriptions need to be administered. Such systems guide physicians to monitor patients’ progress and understand how to offer advanced medical services (Thomas et al., 2016). The level of patient safety increases since the beneficiaries are involved and encouraged to be part of the process. Handheld devices are creating new opportunities for caregivers and individuals to interact continuously and identify new ways of delivering better medical outcomes.
Adaptive Leadership for Implementing Technology Use
The unique advantages of technology in healthcare can be realized when different stakeholders are involved and willing to complete their roles diligently. This fact explains why those in leadership positions need to be on the frontline to guide their followers and sensitize them about the anticipated benefits. Such experts should develop or pursue superior theories that can make a different for both their workers and the targeted patients. Adaptive leadership remains an evidence-based model for introducing new technologies in a healthcare environment and ensuring that they deliver additional results. Govindarajan (2016) defines this style as a managerial strategy whereby those in topmost positions lead others to consider the trends recorded in the external environment and respond to them accordingly. The leader will go further to monitor possible or emerging predicaments and introduce superior changes to address them amicably.
The implementation of emerging technologies in a given organization or unit can result in resistance. Some practitioners, clinicians, and physicians might be opposed to the new process since it will transform their normal practices. Competent leaders would view such a development as a unique problem that requires an evidence-based approach solution (Govindarajan, 2016). With the use of this style or theory, the person in charge will control the environment and apply the most appropriate change model depending on the experienced issues. The professional will guide their followers using the notion of empathy. Individuals can receive timely guidelines and support to become proficient users of the targeted technology (Alhosis, 2019). The leader might reward or promote those who perform exceptionally and support the implementation of the intended innovation in the facility or unit. The established level of independence becomes a win-win situation for all participants because they find a new reason to be involved.
Competent adaptive leaders apply the ideas gained from their past experiences to introduce the best technological systems. They will provide the relevant resources to prepare the particular employees for the targeted challenge. The established work environment becomes an enabler for critical thinking and continuous experimentation (Belrhiti et al., 2018). The available resources and technology makes it easier for the practitioners and clinicians in the unit to provide timely services to the targeted patients. The professional will go a step further to support or promote the idea of teamwork (Golinowska et al., 2016). The beneficiaries will promote additional evidence-based practices, including interpersonal communication, collaboration, and shared responsibilities.
The concepts of autonomy and empathy become powerful guidelines for ensuring that the selected unit embraces the use of various technologies. By examining the organization or department from different perspectives, an adaptive leader will consider diverse processes for improving performance and productivity. This strategy becomes a source of influence whereby coworkers and other stakeholders find a new reason to be involved (Thomas et al., 2016). The provision of autonomy or responsibility becomes a new reason for the caregivers and clinicians to interact with their respective patients positively.
Change resistance is a major obstacle to any strategy aimed at transforming operations in a healthcare organization. Many practitioners and clinicians in the medical sector will oppose new technologies because some training is usually mandatory. An adaptive leader will identify such a development and address it using befitting processes or ideas. The professional will examine the competencies of the targeted caregivers and match them with the unique attributes of the intended technology. This practice guides the leader to minimize possible barriers or obstacles to the targeted change (Belrhiti et al., 2018). The manager will also prepare all stakeholders understand why the proposed or intended change will make a difference for both practitioners and patients. Throughout the change implementation process, the supervisors will influence the expectations of different followers and make it easier for them to appreciate the new technology.
Adaptive leaders will ask additional questions in an attempt to examine the nature of the proposed innovation and the possible gains the organization might record. Such insights will become additional guidelines for informing the way nurses and patients will collaborate to utilize technology and eventually record desirable outcomes (Alhosis, 2019). The ultimate objective will be to ensure that that every care delivery process resonates with the demands of the population. The decisions different employees or caregivers make will be considered to support the implementation process. The leader will also encourage patients and their respective family members to be involved and offer additional insights for taking care delivery to the next level.
From this analysis, it is quite clear that adaptive leadership is a superior theory that nurse leaders, health managers, and technologists in healthcare can embrace to introduce superior innovations that can improve patients’ health outcomes. The approach creates a better opportunity for minimizing the level of resistance, empowering practitioners to appreciate the new technology, and encouraging all patients and other key stakeholders to be part of the transformation (Thomas et al., 2016). Such an initiative will create a new scenario whereby more medical facilities introduce and rely on the power of health technology to improve patients’ outcomes.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified health technology is a useful field that has the potential to transform the future of medical practice. Leaders who want to achieve the benefits of emerging innovations will have to embrace the power of adaptive theory. Such a model will make it easier for them to overcome barriers to change, equip followers with the right resources, and introduce a superior model for improving the quality of medical services available to the patients. Institutions that embrace the outlined attributes will eventually achieve their goals and meet the health needs of more people.
References
Alhosis, K. F. (2019). Adaptive leadership among nurses: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Majmaah Journal of Health Services, 7(2), 56-74.
Belrhiti, Z., Giralt, A. N., & Marchal, B. (2018). Complex leadership in healthcare: A scoping review. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 7(12), 1073-1084.
Golinowska, S., Groot, W., Baji, P., & Pavlova, M. (2016). Health promotion targeting older people. BMC Health Services Research, 16(5), 345-347.
Govindarajan, V. (2016). Adaptive leadership 101. Leader to Leader, 2016(81), 42-46.
Ngongo, B. P., Ochola, P., Ndegwa, J., & Katuse, P. (2019). The technological, organizational and environmental determinants of adoption of mobile health applications (m-health) by hospitals in Kenya. PLoS ONE, 14(12), e0225167.
Thomas, T. W., Seifert, P. C., & Joyner, J. C. (2016). Registered nurses leading innovative changes. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(3).