The findings of the observation illustrated that interactions in a hospital setting are mainly departmental with few instances involving external entities. It is important to point out that the interactions between departmental nurses, doctors, and other personnel generate a competitive atmosphere. Each department seeks to outdo the other in ensuring value through patient care. Departmental completion motivates hospital personnel towards the delivery of quality products and services to satisfy the needs of clients. The interactions are driven by information technology systems that allow departments within the hospital to share information on patients without interfering with each other’s operations.
The developments in health information management have notably changed the playing field for stakeholders in the healthcare industry. The observation led to the conclusion that hospitals have strategized their operations to ensure effectiveness in service delivery. Departmental offices for billing, health information, and human resources are located on different campuses in order to maximize hospital space for other operations. However, the detriment of such moves is the isolation of health information professionals from physicians and patients. The resulting disconnects present challenges in dealing with patient data and may affect the quality of care and patient outcomes. The current set-up limits interactions between information professionals, patients, and physicians, as data transfer is electronic. Nevertheless, physicians noted that the use of electronic data improved the quality of care as it enhances effectiveness.
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Through the observation, it was also evident that inter-departmental interactions and interactions with external entities were driven by the conditions of the patient. The emergence of personalized and patient-centered care requires coloration between departments to generate crucial information that would facilitate the provision of the best possible care. Such care takes into account the catchment area of the health facility, the type of patients, procedures to be undertaken, and characteristics of the hospital. These factors appeared to be critical during the interaction between primary care secondary care providers. For instance, socio-economic conditions and family dynamics of patients in need of both primary and secondary care have great influence on their experiences in hospitals. There is a need for interactions between relevant stakeholders and departments to ensure important care activities such as transportation, nutrition, physical activities, and exposure to the environment are addressed, especially for a client in need of long-term care.
As illustrated earlier, the main concern from electronic transfer of health information is the inability for information officers to interact with patients and physicians. For an organization to function effectively sharing of information through cliquing is a necessity. Therefore, appropriate must be undertaken to champion for a collaborative working environment that encourages intermingling between all those concerned. Only then can professionals appreciate the predicament of patients and generate information crucial for management of each individual patient. In addition, it is important to cultivate empathy. As a nurse manager, this can be accomplished by creating a schedule for departmental nurses to change stations periodically. This ensures that they experience what it feels like to walk in each other shoes and experience the challenges from a different perspective. Getting involved in the processes of departments is necessary to facilitate understanding of their services and how they relate. This process can also ensure the development of a common language that cuts across departmental contexts, especially in situations where departmental information sharing is needed. However, consistent communication is the key because it allows for up to date data at all times in addition to generating important feedback that would ensure quality service provision. The objective is to improve service efficiency by minimizing delays, cutting down costs and length of stay, and ensuring productive collaboration, all of which are intended to generate patient satisfaction with the hospital’s service delivery.
