Continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction
Continuous quality improvement in care delivery entails the identification of problems, implementing the solutions, monitoring the process, and evaluating its effectiveness (Olds et al., 2013). Nurse leaders and managers are involved in the process of finding areas that need improvement in the delivery of care and once they find these areas, they put in place all the resources and structures needed for improvement. The overall goal of continuous quality improvement of care is universal. These quality improvement initiatives are the reason why the United States health care delivery system is experiencing significant changes (Finkelman, 2015). Some of these changes include the adoption of the latest art of technologies such as electronic health records, the continuum of care, medical homes, nurse-managed health clinics, holistic nursing, and changes in nursing education.
This paper will, therefore, contrast and compare the approaches nurse managers and nurse leaders employ to bring about this continuous quality improvement of care to ensure patient satisfaction is realized.
Manager approach
Human relation theory
Nurse Managers can use the human relation theory which concerns with human factors to foster continuous quality improvement. The relationship between the nurse managers and their staff is vital for improvement of the quality of healthcare (Swayne et al., 2012). Nurses are rational, social, complex, and require self-actualization and this shows that they are not just motivated by money to embrace change but there are other parameters that need to be taken into consideration (Shortell & Kaluzny, 2013).
Project management skills
Management with vision
Nurse Managers have a great role in ensuring the success of continuous quality improvement. A nurse manager has a role of leading the health care organization to realize the vision set in term of continuous quality improvement (Swayne et al., 2012). A manager should map the way for the organization. Nurse Manager also has the role of being a custodian of change. Not all the employees would accept changes taking places to improve the quality of care. Some will try to run away from the process. The manager should show them how to accept change and find a way of convincing to accept change.
Leaders
Leadership theory
Nurse leaders, on the other hand, have a vital role to play in continuous quality improvement. The application of the trait leadership theory can model the nurse leaders to offer the best leadership as far as continuous quality improvement is involved (Barr & Dowding, 2012). Nurse leaders are required to be creative in improving the quality of care, take responsibility of the quality improvement process, and intelligent enough to give the best guidelines that would bring the best in the continuous quality improvement process.
Leading by example
Nurse leaders have principles that guide their work. They should lead by example in spearheading for change in the delivery of quality care. Nurse leaders lead their followers by showing them how these changes can be adopted (Barr & Dowding, 2012). Leading by an example can motivate employees to fully accept the continuous quality improvement process. Nurse leaders must communicate the mission and the changing situations of the continuous quality improvement of care process to their followers. This provides them with a broader picture of the process.
Problem solving skills
Collaboration with subordinates
Nurse leaders have a vital role of marshal support for the continuous quality improvement of care from subordinates. If these quality improvement projects lack the support and good will from the subordinates, they are likely to fail (Finkelman, 2015). They should undertake this through their personality, maturity, intelligence, and experience. Suggestions must be welcomed on how to improve care from subordinates and other stakeholders and if possible incorporate them into the plans.
Nurse leaders and nurse managers
Both the nurse leaders and nurse managers play an important part in overseeing the continuous quality improvement of health care. They are supposed to bring all the stakeholders together to support quality care improvement projects in the health sector (Finkelman, 2015). Both leaders and managers provide the vision and direction for this process. They come up with mechanisms to be implemented to improve the quality of care in hospitals. This also involves predicting what changes are required in the sector for the patients to receive quality care. It is the work of both managers and leaders to build sustaining healthy environments in health care organizations (Swayne et al., 2012). For continuous quality improvement of care to be achieved, an enabling environment must be put in place. They should, therefore, set in place all the resources and structures needed for the success of continuous quality improvement of care.
Transformational approach
Transformational approach to leadership in the healthcare fits my personal and professional philosophy of nursing since it recognizes that the healthcare services are in constant change and new trends and policies are coming up that need to be adopted to guarantee patients quality care (Finkelman, 2015). It also compels nurse managers and leaders to be on the forefront in spearheading these changes to meet the growing needs of the population. The reason as to why I chose this approach is because I also believe that patients deserve quality care and this will also happen through continuous quality improvement of care (Swayne et al., 2012). The traditional ways of giving care have no place in the modern society. Moreover, this approach fits my personal leadership style since I believe that for continuous quality improvement of care to be achieved both nurse leaders and managers must work together and remove their differences.
Conclusion
Nurse leaders and managers, both have similarities and differences in the manner they undertake their work in health care centers. They both have their ideologies and philosophies and how they believe work should be done. However, the success of continuous quality improvement of care depends on collaboration between the two parties. The transformational leadership approach fits my philosophy on nursing since the nursing profession and environment are rapidly changing and there is a need to adopt changes that improve the quality of care given to patients.
References
Barr, J., & Dowding, L. (2012). Leadership in health care. Sage Publications.
Finkelman, A. (2015). Leadership and Management in Nursing: Core Competencies for Quality Care. Prentice Hall.
Olds, D., Donelan-McCall, N., O’Brien, R., MacMillan, H., Jack, S., Jenkins, T., & Pinto, F. (2013). Improving the nurse–family partnership in community practice. Pediatrics, 132(Supplement 2), S110-S117.
Shortell, S. M., & Kaluzny, A. D. (2013). Health care management: a text in organization theory and behavior. Albany, New York: Delmar Thomson Learning, 1988..
Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J., & Ginter, P. M. (2012). Strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
