400235 Leadership in Clinical Practice: Quality Patient Care Essay

This essay explores the crucial role of clinical leaders in enhancing the quality of patient care within healthcare settings. It highlights how clinical leaders contribute significantly to delivering high-quality care, driven by the increasing need for clinical engagement in policy development, change processes, and quality enhancement initiatives. The essay acknowledges the challenges hindering clinical leadership implementation, such as political, economic, social, and professional issues, and emphasizes the importance of fostering innovative clinical leadership through supportive occupational and academic environments. It also underscores the need for healthcare policy frameworks to recognize the skills and abilities of nurses at all levels to influence patient care through leadership and evidence-based practice, citing the benefits of leadership programs like 'The Clinical Leadership Programme' in empowering nurses and improving patient health outcomes. The essay concludes by advocating for the incorporation of clinical leadership principles into nursing curricula and work cultures to promote skill enhancement and positive performance change.

Running head: CLINICAL LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY PATIENT CARE
CLINICAL LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY PATIENT CARE
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1CLINICAL LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY PATIENT CARE
Topic: An important facet of the role of clinical leaders is their contribution to the quality
of patient care
As examined by Stanley (2011), health professionals displaying commendable clinical
leadership qualities contribute significantly to the deliverance of high quality patient care in
accordance to the findings indicated in the Gallup report. Clinical leaders are now emerging as
an essential workforce in healthcare settings. Such an emergence has grown due to increasing
levels of self-recognition of clinical leaders as key stakeholders in healthcare organizations and a
requirement for clinical engagement in healthcare policy formulation resulting in clinical staff
participation in change process and increased emphasis on quality enhancement. However, self
and organizational recognition of the multifaceted dimensions of leadership are essential
prerequisites for clinical leaders to thrive and prosper.
However, as noted by Davidson, Elliot and Daly (2006), clinical leadership
implementation continues to be hindered by several political, economic, social and professional
issues. There is a need to administer novel procedures of nursing leadership in a dynamic clinical
organization setting, with financial limitations. There is hence a need for existing occupational
and academic environments to appreciate, implement and encourage innovating clinical
leadership. Existing healthcare policy frameworks must recognize the skills, role and abilities of
nurses at every organizational, clinical and competency level to influence quality patient care
deliverance through leadership and evidence based practice.
Hence, implementation of leadership frameworks such as ‘The Clinical Leadership
Programme’, as researched by Lin, Mac Curtain and Mac Mahon (2008), have been reported to
be beneficial due to their abilities to empower, encourage and enhance nursing skills of
collaborative multidisciplinary working resulting in positive patient health outcomes. Such

2CLINICAL LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY PATIENT CARE
programs are met with positivity by participating nurses and midwives due to resultant effects of
improved self development and clinical involvement. Participants have been reported to exhibit
remarkable skill enhancements and positive performance change after leadership programme
administration. Hence, nursing curriculum and occupational environments must learn to
incorporate clinical leadership principles in existing work cultures.

3CLINICAL LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY PATIENT CARE
Referencing
Davidson, P. M., Elliott, D., & Daly, J. (2006). Clinical leadership in contemporary clinical
practice: implications for nursing in Australia. Journal of nursing management, 14(3),
180-187. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00555.x.
Lunn, C., Mac Curtain, S., & Mac Mahon, J. (2008). Clinical leadership pilot evaluation report.
Nursing & Midwifery Planning & Development Unit HSE West. Retrieved from;
http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/corporate/Clinical_Leadership_Pilot_Evaluat
ion_Report,_HSE_West.html
Stanley, D. (2011). Clinical leadership: Innovation into action. Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved
from: https://books.google.co.in/books?id=L-lKYgEACAAJ&dq=Stanley,+D.+(2011).
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