The term innovation as applied in healthcare mainly applies to 'new or improved' health policies, products practices, systems, technologies, services, and delivery methods aimed at improved healthcare delivery. As a result of the changing needs of patients and the healthcare setting, it becomes important to either consider innovation or change in the management of healthcare practices. Over the years, so much research has been directed towards improving healthcare practices through taking on change and/or innovative practices as new technology in healthcare becomes a reality (Drucker, 1998).
On a typical case, most people embrace innovation but fear change due to a number of reasons. First, most people fear change because of misunderstanding the need or intent of the change. When the goal of change is unclear, resistance increases. Secondly, many people fear change because of the fear of the unknown. Most people want to be in a place where they can deal with the known and not unknown. Thirdly, a good number of people who fear change do so for they lack the competency to deal with the change. Some changes may require people to have certain skills set they may lack and therefore fall into fear. In addition, many people fear change because they are so familiar with conventional practices, which they are not willing to let go. The culture of keeping to old conventional practice may lead to fear to embrace change.
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In my opinion, health care needs innovation as opposed to change. I feel that then fact that healthcare services are essential services, there is need for increased caution in making radical changes that may have implications in the future. As a result, I would for innovation. In my opinion, innovation in the healthcare allows healthcare processes and practices to be subjected to gradual improvements that could be assessed over time. Secondly, innovation reduce the levels of risks of implementing pilot changes that may come with adverse impacts. I support the need to build on innovative health practices that are evidence-based allowing the healthcare institutions to offer better quality services to the client community. For me, this is so critical in shaping the healthcare service delivery we want.
In my own words, I would describe the difference between the unexpected and an incongruity as follows. First, I define the ‘’unexpected’’ as something that was dreaded or was not looked forward to happen at a particular time, season or space. The unexpected is an individual case happening or issue that was never forecasted. In other words, it is something that was on the odds. No one could or would tell that it would happen, but it did happen against the odds. On the contrary, I find an incongruity as the strangeness of something when considered together with another item/happening. In other words, I find it as something that is strange when it is allowed to work alongside another thing, where strangeness refers to a case that is not perceived as universally accepted.
My profession in the healthcare responds to change vs. innovation in a positive way. The healthcare profession has been one of the fields that has adopted both change and innovation at the same time. The development and funding of research centers on healthcare in different parts of the world has seen innovation and change become part of the industry’s activities. However, the recent past has seen increased use of innovation as compared to change as a result of various successful research studies that have pushed for innovation in the delivery of healthcare services (Rosestein, 1998). Changes in healthcare have really been with regards to the inclusion of new technologies. For instance, the coming of the digital medical records system has seen many hospitals take a change in the way they manage patient’s data.
From the 7 drivers, the most common source of innovation within your specific health care setting isNew Knowledge. New Knowledge is important for healthcare setting. The desire to develop new knowledge in the area of healthcare has been one that could do exploits. The ability of a healthcare practitioner to gain new knowledge in their field increases the competency to handle different situations as they would come up in the clinical setting. Learning about new knowledge on a field enhances the preparedness to handle a variety of situations that may occur in the healthcare setting.
The innovation needs to happen within my profession is the development of new diagnostic procedures. I feel the need for better and more enhanced diagnostic procedures for different diseases and disorders. I feel this is more needed due to the many health conditions that are quite difficult to diagnose in the early stages (Salmond & Echevarria, 2001). Through the development of innovative diagnostic procedures/practices, it would be possible to minimize the loss of lives as a result of late diagnosis of disease or health conditions. At the same time, it would be easier to promote preventive healthcare services by dealing with situations before they occur. Ultimately, this will improve healthcare service delivery and patients outcomes. I need to be more innovative in the way I handle time and pressure when I have many clients. Of the7 drivers of innovation, the most appealing to me is "Change in Perception". In my view, innovation largely depends on whether one sees opportunities or problems out of the situations that are presented. The half full and half empty analogy provides a perfect picture (Drucker, 1985).
References
Carlo V. Fiorio, C., et al. (2017). Evaluating organizational change in health care: the patient-centered hospital model, BMC Health Services Research , 1 (18), 95-178.
Drucker (1985). Adapted from The Discipline of Innovation (HBR, May-June 1985) and Innovation and Entrepreneurship By Peter F. Drucker
Drucker (1998). The Discipline of Innovation. PDF.
Rosestein, B. (1998). Drucker wrote a book on Innovation. PDF.
Salmond, W. & Echevarria, M. (2001). Healthcare Transformation and Changing Roles for Nursing. New York: Sage.
