Decision-making in Healthcare, Role of Ethics and Potential Consequences of Poor Decisions

Effective Decision Making
Name
Institution
Due Date
Effective Decision Making
Decision-making is one of the most crucial attributes of an effective leader. Effective leaders are decisive people. They do not operate with uncertainty but seem to have a sense of direction and certainty about their organization’s direction. This, however, does not mean that such leaders do not encounter challenging situations. Actually, a majority of leaders who are considered great and effective encounter a lot of challenges. Many of them have to make the hardest decisions to help ensure the continuity of their organizations. However, regardless of whichever decision one makes, they must be guided by the information they have. Good leaders understand that they have to make informed decisions. This means that facts must back up every decision. In the healthcare sector, every decision carries a much heavier weight because any error in judgment could mean the loss of life. Therefore, there is a need to stay informed as a leader and make decisions that help enhance the welfare of the patients and healthcare professionals.
Discuss the importance of sound decision-making in healthcare. Describe the potential consequences of poor or uninformed decision-making as a leader.
As already indicated, every decision is critical in healthcare. Sound decision-making in healthcare leads to the acquisition or hiring of the right people. Like in all other sectors, the recruitment process in healthcare determines how best an organization performs in the short and long term. As a leader, one must know the people that fit best with their vision as a leader. Mamoon (2013) notes that leaders are often stuck with people they felt were ‘just right’ when being hired. For many leaders, these people excelled during the interview process, but on close inspection, these people excelled because of their great social skills. However, they could be lacking in many other skills that are crucial in ensuring that a healthcare organization attains its deliverables. For example, they could hinder professional collaboration, which is crucial in the healthcare sector. Therefore, there is a need to exercise sound decision-making while conducting the recruitment process.
Sound decision-making is crucial as it helps in the adoption of the right approaches to healthcare. For example, today, many healthcare organizations are taking the approach of patient-centered interventions. Their goal is to ensure that they give their patients the best care possible. According to Kuipers et al. (2019), patient-centered approaches are crucial in healthcare because they lead to better patient outcomes through increased “quality and safety of care.” Sound decision-making will recognize opportunities that exist in adopting patient-centered healthcare approaches. Good leaders also know when to drop approaches that are not working. Sound decision-making does not necessarily involve adopting strategies that work but also entails dropping strategies that are not working.
The potential consequences of making poor or uninformed decisions in healthcare are dire. One of them is poor patient outcomes. Any decision made in a healthcare organization directly impacts the lives of the patients. For example, if a leader decides to have 12-hour shifts for the nurses instead of hiring new ones and giving the nurses more time to rest, the chances are high that there will be more errors and that many people will be affected. Poor patient outcomes are also directly connected to poor satisfaction rates among patients and healthcare professionals. If left unchecked, these can cripple a healthcare organization and render it not helpful.
Define evidence-based decision-making. Explain how this is applied in healthcare and why it is important.
Evidence-based decision-making mainly entails the process or approach of making decisions that are guided and grounded on sound research and field experience. It is crucial to note that the patient’s preferences and values must be considered while making evidence-based decisions. As per the definition, there is a need to consider the fact that experience has to match the available evidence. Inguane et al. (2020) echo the sentiments above, noting that access to any available evidence goes hand in hand with the empowerment to act upon the evidence. Therefore, evidence-based decision-making does not stop with research but must entail experience, which comes through the empowerment of the professionals in question.
Evidence-based decision-making helps healthcare professionals choose and use the best critically appraised methods of care delivery. The methods chosen are based not only on the best and most recent available evidence but also on the values and preferences of the patient and guided by the expertise/experience of the healthcare professional. It is important because it offers a holistic approach to care delivery. This means that the care offered can be substantiated by evidence, administered with the expertise of a professional, and fits within what the patients consider acceptable for them.
Explain the term data-driven decision-making. Discuss what types of data are used for making decisions in healthcare and why it is impor...