Clinical Leadership Report: Challenges and Strategies in Healthcare

This report delves into the critical aspects of clinical leadership within healthcare settings, focusing on patient safety, team management, and quality improvement. The report begins by emphasizing the importance of quality improvement activities in enhancing patient safety, followed by an exploration of the role of a nurse in leading a hospital team. It then identifies the challenges faced by clinical leaders, such as maintaining focus on quality, values, and patient needs, and proposes strategies to overcome these obstacles. These strategies include investing in data systems, engaging team members, and adapting to patient needs and beliefs. The report also examines the impact of transition shock on leadership effectiveness and team dynamics, highlighting its effects on quality improvement and professional confidence. In conclusion, the report underscores the significance of effective clinical leadership in managing hospital activities and ensuring efficient patient care.

CLINICAL
LEADERSHIP

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
1. Importance of Quality improvement activity in improving patient's safety...........................3
2. Role of a Nurse in leading a Team at hospital........................................................................4
3. Challenges faced while leading team......................................................................................5
4. Strategies for managing these kind of challenges...................................................................6
5. Transition Shock and its impact on Challenges......................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
In various parts of developed countries, there are so many hospitals that are facing
problems which relates to workforce, customers, demands and facilities etc. So, it is very
important for them to have a leader who is capable of handling all such issues so that patients can
be attended effectively and work should be carried on in a proper manner (Patrick and et. al.,
2011). Effective clinical leadership is very important in every health care company so as to
provide high quality healthy care services and overcoming the challenges which have an effect
on the daily activities of the hospital. This report will discuss about various factors like
importance of patients safety, role of a clinical leader and the challenges faced by them and thus
the strategies to solve these challenges will also be discussed here.
MAIN BODY
1. Importance of Quality improvement activity in improving patient's safety
It is very important for every health care company to improve their service quality so that
better results can be achieved. As a newly appointed nurse in Sturt health services, I have been
given the task to lead a team and improve their performance in the company. So, to achieve this I
have analysed that for quality improvement activities, effective information management
techniques will be required. These practices will help me in collecting, analysing practice data.
Through innovative use of information technology techniques, performing quality improvement
activities for improving the health care services will be enabled easily. The activities which are
prepared for improving quality are as follows:
 The whole team is required to be involved actively in various processes that are being
going on in the hospital.
 Training and development facilities will be provided to the team members so that their
skills can get enhanced (Martin and et. al., 2012).

 It should be made sure that the quality outcomes should be transparent
 I have to make sure that proper quality research is being carried out and decisions should
be taken as per that only.
 I have to make sure that my team uses latest technology and machines while doing their
work
 I will give responsibilities to each and every member of my team so that they get engaged
in their part of work.
All these activities are very important to be considered in the hospital as through this,
they will be able to ensure supply of activities at right place and at right time ( Reem, Kitsantas
and Maddox, 2014). If the staff members will be properly trained then their quality of work
performance will be improved which will help them in conducting all the work in an effective
manner.
2. Role of a Nurse in leading a Team at hospital
It has been researched that the role of a clinical nurse leader has been developed by
American association of colleges of nursing(AACN) by collaborating with the leaders in the
nursing practice environment. As a clinical team leader, I am having responsibility to improve
the quality of patient care and along with this, I will also have to develop the skills of other
nurses as well who are working in the team.
As a leader I have to make sure that each and every patient has been taken care of in an
effective manner and bring positive outcomes as well. If there is need to bring out any changes in
their plan then I am having the authority to do so. The various roles played by clinical leader in
an hospital are:-
 Encouraging the team members to actively participate in the quality control process
 Communicating the team about all the expected standards of care
 Motivating team to do high quality work so that minimum safety requirements are
needed.
 It has to be made sure that quality improvement process is going on continuously in the
hospital.
 To make sure that the team does not face any kind of issues, constant communication is
required to be done by them (Fealy, and et. al., 2011).

3. Challenges faced while leading team
Being a nurse who is leading a team, I face many kind of challenges and dealing with
them is the major thing for me. There are mainly three types of challenges which are being faced
by me which are being described below:
 The major challenge which is faced by me is ensuring the renewed focus on the quality
improvement (Swanwick and McKimm, 2012). This is one of the most essential factor
which needs to be taken care of. I will mainly focus on continuous improvement of
quality and determining, developing and thus nurturing the leadership talent. It is highly
essential to manage quality which in turn can reduce waste, duplication of resource,
avoidable variation in patient outcomes and thus in some cases reduce the cost.
 The second challenge which can be faced by me is maintaining the focus on values,
passion and purpose. It is being always taught in Medical Sector that the priority is to act
according to the interest of patients and maintain the core values even in tough times
along with the team. This is all because of maintaining trust and value in eye of patient.
This is the reason this kind of challenge is highly essential to deal with and thus give best
quality services.
Third and final challenge which is being faced by me being a nurse is appraising the traditional
power relationships with the patients by utilising the knowledge in various ways which can be
taken into account regarding the wants, needs and beliefs of the patients. Team working
according to the actual desires and needs is another major part within this challenge.
4. Strategies for managing these kind of challenges
There are various kind of strategies which are formulated in order to overcome of these
challenges and thus attain the aims and objectives in better and effective manner. Regarding the
quality improvement there are various strategies which are being utilised by me like investing in
the data system and thus link their results to the systems for delivering the care. In order to attain
the better quality, development is being needed by me along with the data driven outcomes for
the support and optimum using of resources (Adeniran, Bhattacharya and Adeniran, 2012).
Encouragement of enhancing the quality within the team is another tasks which needs to be done
by me.
Another strategy which I think can be implemented is engagement of all other team
members within this factor, reinforcing to the importance of medical engagement in attaining

enhancement in the quality of the care and thus contributing for creating the culture where there
is regular improvement and safety is being valued. Strategies made for maintaining values,
passion and purpose is formulating principles and have sessions in which every team member
should be made realise regarding the values and importance of following them. This will allow in
creating the values in front of the customers and thus increasing the goodwill of the clinic along
with team. I am often reminded by doctor that taking care of the patient is the priority of us and
this is the same thing which is try to deliver to team and thus prepare the mindset.
For the challenge of appraising the traditional power relationships with the patients,
appropriate strategy which I think can be implemented is that taking the account of actual desires
and belief of patients and thus provide better services along with creating friendly environment
for the patients so that trust and ethics factors can be bought in and effective structure of health
care can be designed (Supamanee and et. al., 2011).
5. Transition Shock and its impact on Challenges
Transition shock can be stated as leap which is being taken among the nursing education
and nursing practice. This can be stated as one of the major reason for the high attrition rate of
nursing. This kind of transitional tenure is when nurses like me are forced to think on own feet in
complex kind of scenario including the danger to the life of patient.
This kind of concept can directly impact the overcoming of the challenges along with team
working. The major impact of this concept will be on improvement in quality as this will create
the stressful environment and will give birth to the professional socialisation. It will lower down
the confidence of the team members and due to the stress they will lack in communication skills
and this will lead to attempting of mistakes and other causalities. Low confidence and stressful
mind leads to the committing mistakes and this indicates a lack of professional confidence and
thus the challenges can become barrier for personal and professional development within this
sector (Leggat and Balding, 2013).
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that Clinical leadership is very important in
every hospitals since through this they will be able to manage all their activities in an effective
manner and the patients will also be treated efficiently. This report discussed about many
important factors like scope of practice of nurses who are working in an hospitals. Their role in

leading a team in the hospitals and the various challenges that are faced by them by doing this
activity. Some strategies are also suggested for this.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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leadership: the clinical leadership survey. Journal of Nursing Management. 19(4).
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Martin, J. S. & et. al., 2012. Evaluation of a clinical leadership programme for nurse leaders.
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Reem, A. D., Kitsantas, P. & Maddox, P. J., 2014. The impact of residency programs on new
nurse graduates' clinical decision-making and leadership skills: A systematic review.
Nurse Education Today. 34(6). pp.1024-1028.
Fealy, G. M. & et. al., 2011. Barriers to clinical leadership development: findings from a national
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Swanwick, T. & McKimm, J., 2012. Clinical leadership development requires system‐wide
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