Reflection on learning 08/14-2021

5

Week 5 Discussion: Leading Innovation in Nursing

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Week 5 Discussion: Leading Innovation in Nursing

Value-based healthcare (VBHC) is increasingly gaining prominence as healthcare clients are getting more educated about their health statuses with healthcare providers increasing by the day (Catalyst, 2017). With many options to choose from, patients have the power to shun mediocre services and go for healthcare providers who offer them high-quality care. With VBHC, healthcare providers get compensated based on their ability to aid patients to enhance their health, lower the incidence/effects of chronic illnesses, and live healthier lives through evidence-based solutions (Catalyst, 2017). In this context, a future innovation that I may develop to facilitate VBHC is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system.

I would develop an AI system because I believe such a development would greatly improve the ability of healthcare providers to offer their patients VBHC. This innovation solves two major problems. First, it would greatly reduce clinical errors as physicians diagnose and medicate their patients. Often, many physicians make errors when diagnosing their patients. Also, physicians may be unsure of the accurate diagnosis to make if the symptoms presented can be attributed to diverse diseases (Sarwar et al., 2019). With an AI system, physicians will make be informed and better decisions since the innovation will help them to scan test results, analyze the results, and identify any anomalies that they may miss. AI systems can even reveal the likelihood of a patient developing a certain disease by comprehensively analyzing his/her healthcare data. Second, an AI system would greatly improve workflow processes in a healthcare institution. When combined with electronic health record systems, the innovation would enable the automation of certain processes such as billing and aid physicians in retrieving relevant data from other healthcare institutions to aid in offering the best treatment to their patients.

If successful, this innovation would positively impact VBHC. For starters, there will be lower healthcare costs. For instance, in the management of chronic diseases, an AI system will monitor a patient's vital signs in real-time using wearable devices and offer a course of action to be taken by both the primary care physician and the patient. This will lead to fewer visits to the doctors and less expenditure on medication. Second, there will be higher patient satisfaction levels. When patients effectively receive high-quality care but at a lower cost, they will be highly satisfied with the services received, which in turn will enhance their overall outcomes. Finally, there will be reduced risks during diagnosis and treatment. The AI systems will aid physicians in making accurate and informed decisions, which will lower the likelihood of adverse outcomes for patients.

Additionally, this AI system would enhance my leadership capacity. For instance, the AI system will facilitate the automation of many tasks in the institution and make various decisions on my behalf. This will free me up to focus on high-level responsibilities, which involve the human aspect of innovation and management (Mansour et al., 2019). However, as a leader, there is one barrier, which I may have in the implementation of this innovation. There may be resistance to change from physicians who will not be confident in the AI's ability to make consistently accurate diagnoses of patients. To overcome this barrier, I could utilize the 5-Stage Innovation-Decision Process. First, there is knowledge. In this stage, I will use the physicians’ peers to educate them on the functions of the AI system and their role in it. Second, there is persuasion. The physicians will have to test the AI system comprehensively so that they can believe in its capacity to make good decisions. Third, there is decision. Here, I will lobby the physicians to embrace the new technology to support VBHC. Fourth, there is implementation. Sufficient training will be given to all relevant personnel to facilitate the smooth transition towards the use of AI. Finally, there is confirmation. A comprehensive audit and appraisal of the AI system will be conducted regularly to affirm its importance to achieving VBHC.

References

Catalyst, N. E. J. M. (2017). What is value-based healthcare? NEJM Catalyst, 3(1).

Mansour, N., Rafeh, W., Afram, G., & Zaatari, G. (2019). The role of self-awareness, augmented artificial intelligence, and enhanced leadership competencies in developing future academic physicians. Middle East Journal of Family Medicine, 17(10).

Sarwar, S., Dent, A., Faust, K., Richer, M., Djuric, U., Van Ommeren, R., & Diamandis, P. (2019). Physician perspectives on integration of artificial intelligence into diagnostic pathology. NPJ Digital Medicine, 2(1), 1-7.