Nursing Leadership And Technology Adoption In Healthcare

Nursing leadership is one of the most important components in providing healthcare to the patients. This is a component which ensures that safe, high-quality and effective care is being provided to the patients under their care, and it is also considered critical to providing of such care. It is possible that not all nurses will exhibit the leadership quality, but those having these quality should be able to build such qualities, so that it can improve the quality, effectiveness and safety of the care being provided (Asamani, et al, 2016). But those nurses which have leadership role will be responsible for collaborating with other leaders in the healthcare profession. Nursing leadership can achieve these goals by ensuring that they remain relevant, and adopt new technologies that are being introduced in healthcare. Nursing leadership will help in adoption of new technology, as they collaborate with other healthcare profession leaders, and ensure that all the staff is able to adapt to the new technologies that are introduced. This will lead to increased efficiency, effectiveness, and also, improved quality of care (Strudwick, et al, 2019). This essay will reflect on the building and development of leadership skills. It will also discuss how it impacts adoption of technology in healthcare by the nursing staff. While evaluating the impact of leadership in nurses, it will also be analysed how these leaders are impacted by any change or increase in their responsibilities.

Technology has become an integrated part of the modern world, including healthcare sector, where it plays a crucial role. It is particularly true in the case of COVID-19 pandemic, which has raised the need of technology in healthcare (Paterson, et al, 2020). Department of Health (2022) in Australia considers the modern communication and digital technologies as vital to the future of their healthcare system. It also states that it is an integrated part of every discipline of health, even in health records. Technologies such as automated IV pumps, portable monitors, electronic health records centralised command centres, telehealth and apps, are some of the technologies that nurses use everyday in their roles as a healthcare professional (Mahoney, 2020). It will be crucial that these technologies are learned and adopted by nurses for providing better health care services.

It has been very clear that there is a need for leadership in nurses. Nurse leaders ensure that the functioning of the followers or staff working under them is smooth, and the change being introduced is seamlessly adopted into the health care organization (Strudwick, et al, 2019). This is also true for adoption of technologies into healthcare by nurses. Nurse leaders ensure that the staff is learning how to transition from traditional nursing practices to new, enhanced and technology integrated practices. Nurse leaders are also responsible for the learning of staff working under their supervision and ensure that any new technology being introduced is taught to these nurses (Ingebrigtsen, et al, 2014). Teaching them about the new technologies and how these technologies can be used within healthcare is done by nurse leaders in the healthcare system. If any of the staff member faces any problem with adoption of technology, it will be the nursing staff leadership that ensures that these challenges are removed.  Importance Of Nursing Leadership In Healthcare Essay Paper

Role Of Technology Adoption In Healthcare

It will be essential to identify and build these leaders in nursing. One of the models have been found to be beneficial in identifying and enhancing the leadership behaviour amongst the nurses. This model is known as ADAPT (Association Development and Professional Transformation) (Spencer, et al, 2018). This shows that the leadership can be built, based on the potential a person possesses. Identification is the first step, which leads to building of the nursing leaders in the healthcare facilities. When these leaders are found, they are trained and coached for improving their skills and leadership. In a study conducted by Cable & Graham (2018), it was found that the coaching interventions can help in deeper analysis and self-learning for leadership amongst nurses. This will make way for better development of leaders amongst nurses, and ensure they evolve their skills and knowledge. This will also help in better application of the technology, while leading and guiding the nurses in usage of these technologies.

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In recent research conducted by Strudwick, et al (2019), it was found that the nurse leaders led to better adoption of technologies known as Health Information technology (HIT). This particular study was focused on the use of HIT by the point-of-care nurses, which shows that the impact of adoption of technology would be on the patients directly. When the nurse managers or leaders help these point-of-care nurses in adoption of the HIT, which are technologies used for management of information related to health information of the patients and other related information, this further enhances the healthcare experience and facilitates the healthcare to be better and more effective in achieving its goals (Strudwick, et al, 2019).

Leadership in nursing also helps in creation of better long-term vision of the health IT, where the technologies will be made an integrated part of the healthcare. It is important that the leaders play an active role in adoption and usage of Health IT, as it would enhance the use, and make it easier for the nursing staff in better adoption and application of these technologies (Strudwick, et al, 2019). When the leaders have positive vision related to adoption of HIT, they would be able to handle any challenges or barriers that may arise in adoption of these HITs in healthcare by the nurses. A positive correlation could be found between effective adoption of HITs and between nursing leadership in the healthcare facilities (Ingebrigtsen, et al, 2014). Thus, impact of nursing leadership is considered to be positive on the adoption of HIT, as the leaders motivate and help in adoption of these HITs, even though there might be several issues and barriers that might arise during this process of learning and transitioning.

Raso (2015) stated that leadership plays an important part in nursing and learning within the profession. She stated that “Without it, we become complacent and, even worse, dated and stale”. This statement reflects on lack of learning and leadership in nursing. Without nursing leadership, the learning of the nursing staff will lack and will not be up to the standards. The quality of nursing will also be reduced without leadership. When it comes to adoption of technologies in nursing and healthcare, the lack of leadership will impact learning and also the care provided to the patients. When there is no leadership, the learning and adoption will not be as effective, as the leaders will not be present to teach each and every aspect, while also ensuring that there is no challenge in adoption of these technologies. The nursing staff will face a number of challenges in learning about the technologies, and how they can include these technologies in their everyday work and care of the patients. Hao & Yazdanifard (2015) states that there will be no change without leadership in an organization, and this is also true for nursing, which will be gravely affected by the lack of leadership.

Building And Development Of Nursing Leadership Skills

To ensure that better learning is provided it is important to take into consideration the learning needs and styles of the nurses. Creation of digital training approach which is tailored according to these needs and styles would be recommended strategy to improve adoption of technology with the help of nursing leadership. On job training is also one of the way nursing leaderships can help in better option of these technologies (De Leeuw, et al, 2020). Understanding the fit between technology, individual add task will be recommended for the adoption of HIT. Have nursing leadership can handle more responsibilities like these with the help of adequate staff capacity, better preparation and support effective leadership skills and availability of supervisory time (Rankin, et al, 2015)

In conclusion, it could be stated that nursing leadership is an integrated part in healthcare management and learning. The role played by nurse leaders is very crucial, especially in the context of technology adoption in healthcare. They ensure that the adoption of technology is seamless, and the challenges that might be encountered during adoption of technology are removed. It is important to identify leadership skills and potential amongst nurses, that can be done with the help of models such as ADAPT and Co-active coaching intervention. Without these interventions and leaderships, the adoption of technologies and change into the healthcare and nursing is very difficult, and would not be possible. The impact of the nursing leaders on learning and adoption of technology is high, leaders should adopt strategies such as digital approach, in person training, and understanding of the task, individuals and technology.

References

Asamani, J. A., Naab, F., & Ofei, A. M. A. (2016). Leadership styles in nursing management: implications for staff outcomes. Journal of Health Sciences, 6(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.17532/jhsci.2016.266

Cable, S., & Graham, E. (2018). “Leading Better Care”: An evaluation of an accelerated coaching intervention for clinical nursing leadership development. Journal Of Nursing Management, 26(5), 605-612. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12590

De Leeuw, J. A., Woltjer, H., & Kool, R. B. (2020). Identification of factors influencing the adoption of health information technology by nurses who are digitally lagging: in-depth interview study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e15630. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196%2F15630

Department of Health. (2022). Health technologies and digital health. https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/health-technologies-and-digital-health

Hao, M. J., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). How effective leadership can facilitate change in organizations through improvement and innovation. Global journal of management and business research, 15(9), 1-6. https://journalofbusiness.org/index.php/GJMBR/article/view/1737

Ingebrigtsen, T., Georgiou, A., Clay-Williams, R., Magrabi, F., Hordern, A., Prgomet, M., … & Braithwaite, J. (2014). The impact of clinical leadership on health information technology adoption: systematic review. International journal of medical informatics, 83(6), 393-405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.02.005

Mahoney, M. F. (2020). Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Related Technologic Platforms. Journal of Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nursing, 47(5), 439–444. https://doi.org/10.1097/won.0000000000000694

Paterson, C., Bacon, R., Dwyer, R., Morrison, K. S., Toohey, K., O’Dea, A., Slade, J., Mortazavi, R., Roberts, C., Pranavan, G., Cooney, C., Nahon, I., & Hayes, S. (2020). The role of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic across the interdisciplinary cancer team: Implications for practice. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 151090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2020.151090

Rankin, J., McGuire, C., Matthews, L., Russell, M., & Ray, D. (2015). Facilitators and barriers to the increased supervisory role of senior charge nurses: a qualitative study. Journal Of Nursing Management, 24(3), 366-375. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12330

Importance Of Nursing Leadership In Healthcare Essay Paper