Relationship Between Leadership and Patient Safety and Quality - Coursework Example

Critical reflection on relationship between leadership and patient safety and quality At the centre of healthcare services provision is the issue of patient safety and quality. And because of enjoying unique proximity to the patients, the medical staffs that can effectively drive the safety and quality agenda are the nurses (Richardson and Storr, 2010). Patient safety practice starts with preventing errors, learning from errors (if they occur), and building a culture of safety in healthcare providers, institutions and patients (Bowie 2010a). As such, the goal of any safety practice should be the reduction of risks patients are exposed to while undergoing medical care. Patient safety has therefore been defined as the absence of accidental and/or preventable injuries resulting from medical care (Bowie, 2010b). Safety and quality culture has been defined as a combination of group and individual competencies, patterns of behavior, attitudes, values, and perceptions that entrench patient safety at all times (Bowie, 2010c). Bohan and Laing (2012), however, question the treatment of quality and safety as a single entity due to the practice ambiguity arising from such singularity. They propose that the term ‘safety’ should be restricted to the clinical outcomes that relate to legislative compliance while ‘quality’ takes cognizance of the patient’s clinical experience in entirety. One of the meaning variants for quality Bohan and Laing (2012) offer denotes the clinical effectiveness as well as good experiences – doing what should be done right the first time. The alternate meanings are indicative of offering services required by a patient or desired clinically in a courteous and a respectful way. Pinnock (2012) cites Gronroos’ three dimensions of health care quality namely the institutional image, the functional quality (or the how the service is delivered) and the technical quality (or what service is delivered). Pinnock (2012) further argues that patient safety emerges from technical quality that is a function of clinical governance. Ezziane (2012) defines clinical leadership as carrying out responsibilities by setting the vision and values and inspiring others in healthcare organizations to provide the highest quality of services to the patients. A ward leader, for example, is needed and valued for the success of the whole organization (Sawbridge & Hewinson, 2013). Bohan and Laing (2012) cite studies that noted that when ward managers recognized their role and performed their roles optimally, they reduced absenteeism and staff turnover. They also improved patient satisfaction and safety outcomes, for example, reported drug errors. The NHS Leadership Academy (2011) places leadership at the centre of patient safety and quality. In this regard, the academy suggests five behavioral attributes that influence leadership processes. A leader demonstrates personal qualities by acting with integrity, self-awareness, self-improvement and continuous personal growth. A leader works with others by developing relationships and networks that encourage participation and teamwork. A leader manages services by ensuring that patients are safe and the leader encourages innovation, transformation and critical service evaluation. Leaders also set direction, create vision and deliver strategy. Squires, Tourangeau, Spence-Laschinger & Doran (2011) found that the management that demonstrated emotional intelligence (EI), honesty, openness and respect, yielded a positive relationship between nurses and a safety climate. As an opinion leader, a ward manager should share vision and articulate goals for the team (Flodgren et al., 2011). Engaging strong leadership at all care levels is a prerequisite for attaining improvement in patient safety (Sammer et al., 2010). Indeed, the failure for the management to acknowledge the low standards of safety and quality as reported by the ward staff at the point of service (POS) would precipitate a crisis (The Francis Inquiry, 2010). In a nutshell, good leadership practices act as a crucial linkage between an institution’s aspirations and the POS outcomes including patient safety. My leadership style of choice is the transformational leadership. I will employ this style to achieve high levels of patient safety and quality. I will realize this type of leadership in the five ways outlined by Tales (2010). I will use intellectual stimulation by encouraging creativity and innovation in looking for solutions to new problems by referring to old cases. Secondly, I will emphasize individual consideration by building and supporting relationship among the staff and between the staff and the patient by mentoring and coaching as I teach and share ideas on safety and quality. Thirdly, inspirational motivation would be achieved by clearly articulating our vision on patient safety and quality. I will explain tasks and assign challenging tasks accordingly. The third strategy will be to exert idealized influence by being an exemplary role model who takes the initiative, have a clear understanding of the task, and is determined to complete tasks. Last but not least, I will exercise attributed charisma by acting and speaking in a convincing manner in order to earn respect and admiration from others. Transformational leadership has been noted for its emphasis on building relationships between the employer and the employees. As a style, transformational leadership contemplates staff inclusivity and autonomy as a requisite environment for high employee performance. This style affords the nurse the leverage for applying personal ideas and knowledge thereby promoting creativity. A transactional leader notably boosts the workers’ morale and motivates them to realize their full potential. In a study that investigated the style of leadership and job satisfaction among nurses in Malaysia, eight styles of leadership namely autocratic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire, charismatic, democratic, participative, situational, transactional and transformational were considered (Ahmad et al., 2013). After comparing the last two styles, the study concluded that transformational leadership had a stronger correlation with job satisfaction (r=0.64, p Read More