Clinical Decision Making - Essay Example

? Training and Education in Health Care There is a growing need for the increment and enhancement of both behavioral and mental training and education of the health care workforce as documented in the 2007 Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce report (McInerney, 2008). According to the report, numerous pieces of evidence exist that affirm that the prevailing healthcare workforce in the United States is short of adequate support for its effective functioning. In addition, the report argues that these health care practitioners are unable to deliver effective medical care to patients in need of these services. Further research points towards the existence of an insipid pool of healthcare workforce recruits that are charged with the responsibility of meeting the ever growing and diverse medical needs of the country’s population (Guttmacher, Porteous and McInerney, 2007). Improvements and developments in healthcare services are entirely dependent on the level of training, education and support provided to healthcare practitioners in the healthcare industry. This paper discusses training and education in healthcare, its importance as well as examining the tracking and evaluation of the effectiveness of the whole process. Training and Education in Health Care In order to ensure an effective and successful healthcare industry, training and education of the healthcare players is vital (McInerney, 2008). The contemporary world has seen diversity in medical conditions as a result of the diverse population growing each and every day in the US. As a result of these changes, Rhonda (2010) believes that it is vital to ensure that employees keep informed of these changes via proper training and education. Training and education The changes in the healthcare industries as a result of the changing needs of the population has resulted in creation of many jobs in the healthcare industry, a host of which require qualified personnel with proper education and training (Kak, Burkhalter and Cooper, 2001). Every action taken by an employee must be carried out correctly with the basic aim of fulfilling the requirements of the task so as to protect their careers as well as their employers. When an employee is properly trained and educated, risks and errors are minimized. In addition, Guttmacher, Porteous and McInerney (2007) reveal that States and the federal government have set standards that every healthcare provider and institution must adhere to, failure to which may result in lawsuits being filed against them. It is for this reason that all healthcare employees or rather all healthcare employers must ensure all their employees are properly trained and educated as per the stipulated standards. Importance of Measuring Competencies Lawson and Flocke (2009) opine that the outcome of education and training is competence. The significance of measuring competence in healthcare is so that the organization in question can ensure that the persons they recruit in their institutions have the ability to effectively perform their specific responsibilities and or tasks on a regular basis. Kak, Burkhalter and Cooper (2001) argue that measuring the performance of a healthcare employee is “a precursor to doing a job correctly, measuring performance periodically is also crucial to determine whether providers are using their competence in their work.” Health care organizations often set proper expectations regarding competence of an employee in order to ensure provision of quality services. Furthermore, Guttmacher, Porteous and McInerney (2007) point out that these healthcare providers are usually held up to a certain standard by the organization and as such it indirectly influences the quality of care provided. When an employer is aware of an employee’s level of competence, s/he is able to assign the most suitable tasks to the most competent employee with respect to their skills and performances (Measuring Training, 2010). In addition, knowledge of an employee’s competency helps an employer know the most suitable employee eligible for a given job promotion. It also helps single out the employees with leadership qualities. The most popular way of measuring the competencies of employees is by monitoring and testing of employees on random or specified occasions (Measuring Training, 2010). Not only does measurement of competency enhance learning and evaluates an employee’s and or organization’s progress, but it also helps verify the efficiency of the training program as well as the curriculum involved in the process. Tracking and Evaluating Training Effectiveness One major objective of healthcare training and development is tracking the employee’s training as well as measuring the effectiveness of the training. According to Evaluating Training (2011), establishment of key performance indicators (KPI) and tracking them accordingly is an essential way to assess how effective employee training is. Rhonda (2010) established that KPIs can be used as points of reference in measuring and advancing the process in the direction of a set of narrower yet widespread objectives of the organization. For employee training effectiveness to be tracked, it must be able to be measured and quantified. In tracking and evaluation of healthcare employees, evaluation of every employee involved in the training is the first step. Secondly, measurement of how effective the training was can be done via assessing how well the newly acquired skills and knowledge were applied in the organizational tasks; usually done using formal or informal tests (Rhonda, 2010). These tests may be verbal or written and structured openly in order to avoid inscrutable responses. Third, the tracking and evaluation process involves assessment of the degree to which the newly acquired skills and knowledge influence healthcare outcome of the organization and the employee as well via observations, assessment of jobs, as well as peer assessments. For example, an employer can observe healthcare practitioners conduct blood pressure checks, administers injections and other medications, as well as operations with other on-the-job training like evaluation of clinical competency, patient interactions and the clinician's adherence to generally accepted clinical practice guidelines” (Rhonda, 2010). Conclusion The healthcare industry is a sophisticated field in need of significant training and education of its workforce in order to improve their daily progress (Lawson and Flocke, 2009). Training in healthcare can be explained as a constant educational process that enables people to gain knowledge of certain skills, get re-educated in the same but changing field as well as strengthen the currently existing knowledge. An employee’s development as a result of training is made to last beyond the time period of the specific training. In order to ensure quality provision of healthcare services by healthcare practitioners, proper education is essential. Proper education also benefits patients due to the quality care they receive as well as helping in the maintenance of appropriate operation of the organization. In addition, it is also vital to measure the competencies of employees in order to aid in the determination of their abilities to provide quality healthcare. Tracking and evaluating the effectiveness of the training is also an integral part of healthcare training and development. References Evaluating Training Effectiveness. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.baldrige.com/criteria_workforce/evaluating-training-effectiveness/ Guttmacher, A. E., Porteous, M. E., & McInerney, J. D. (2007). Educating health-care professionals about genetics and genomics. Nature Reviews, 8, 151-157. Kak, N., Burkhalter, B., & Cooper M. A. (2001). Measuring the competence of healthcare providers. Retrieved from http://www.hciproject.org/node/925 Lawson, P. J., & Flocke, S. A. (2009). Teachable moments for health behavior change: a concept analysis. Patient Education and Counseling, 76, 25-30. McInerney, J. D. (2008). Genetics education for health professionals: a context. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 17, 145-151. Measuring Training Effectiveness (2010). Retrieved from http://www.baldrige.com/criteria_workforce/measuring-training-effectiveness/ Rhonda, D. (2010). Methods of evaluating training in primary health care. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6939007_methods-training-primary-health-care.html Read More