Exploring Decision-Making Tools and Dignity in Health and Social Care

This report delves into various decision-making tools and techniques used in the health and social care sector. It begins by defining decision-making and highlighting tools such as SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter's Five Forces, explaining their application in strategic planning and analysis of internal and external environments. The report then identifies the root causes of issues related to dignity and respect in healthcare settings, discussing factors like caregiver attitudes, lack of patient consent, and financial constraints. A fish-bone diagram is used to visually represent these causes. Subsequently, the report proposes solutions aimed at improving patient care, including taking patient opinions, implementing regular inspections, and fostering better communication. The solutions are evaluated through a 360-degree feedback approach involving staff, patients, and family members, emphasizing the importance of maintaining standards and regulations to ensure patient dignity and respect. The document is contributed by a student to be published on the website Desklib.

Discuss different decision making tools and techniques
(swot and pestle) , identify causes of dignity and
respect in health and social care and put on

TABLE OF CONTENTS
6. DIFFERENT DECISION MAKING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES.........................................1
7. IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES OF PROBLEM ............................................................................2
8. SOLUTIONS...............................................................................................................................3
9. EVALUATION ...........................................................................................................................5

6. DIFFERENT DECISION MAKING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Decision making refers to identifying the best alternative from the given options on the
basis of values, beliefs and preference (Agoritsas and et.al., 2015). It is a process of identifying,
collecting information and analyzing alternatives to take correct decision. There are various tools
and techniques which is used to take decision making such as SWOT, PESTEL and porter's five
force. It is beneficial for
health and social care industry to analyse their external and internal environment and take
strategic decisions.
 SWOT analysis: It is one of the most common approach used by companies to do
strategic planning and make decision accordingly. SWOT analysis is used to identify
strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats which a company considers while decision
making. Strengths and weakness are used for internal analysis of organisation i.e.
intellectual property, location etc. (Ahmadi, Dileepan, and Wheatley, 2016).
Opportunities and threat are used to analyse external environment of the organisation i.e.
market trends, price of materials, competitors etc. It is beneficial for health and social
care to determine and understand various issues affecting business, expanding the
business, to formulate objectives, goals and maintaining the standards of dignity and
respect. It also assists company in overcoming its weakness and use it strengths to fulfil
the opportunities. Health and social care need to have control on some external factors
like competitors, suppliers, consumer buying behaviour, change in preference etc. thus,
SWOT analysis is beneficial in making strategic decisions. It provides a clear structure of
strong services provided by health care and their weakness which need to be improved.
 PESTEL analysis: It is a structure or tool which is used by marketer to monitor and
analyse macro-environmental factors. It is also one of the most essential and commonly
use tool in analysing external market (Fried, 2016). These factors benefits company in
strategic decision making by identifying weakness and threats. PESTEL is an analysis of
political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal factors of an
economy. It is used to find out the political stability, economic conditions which affects
business in expanding its business or diversifying its business. It is beneficial for health
and social care to formulate strategies to carter challenges faced by company in such as
change in government policies, culture difference, change in inflation, interest rate,
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demand and supply environmental laws, technological change, change in consumer
preferences etc.
 Porter's five force analysis: It is a model used to determine and examine five force of
competitive analysis which is used to shape each industry (Kon and et.al., 2016). It is
used by companies to identify structure of industry in order to make corporate strategies.
It assist company in searching attractiveness and profitability. Competitive environmental
analysis is done to find out substitute products, new entrants, suppliers, customers,
profitability and new markets. 5 force of competitors analysis includes power of supplier,
buyer, threat of substitute products, competitors rivalry and threat of new entrants. By
analysing these forces company formulate business strategies to achieve organisational
goals and objectives. It benefits company in building relations with the suppliers,
innovate products, meet the requirements of customers etc. (Lynch, 2018).
7. IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES OF PROBLEM
It is important to treat people with dignity and respect. Every human desire to be treated
with respect regardless of caste, religion, disability etc. health and social care need to provide
proper care and healthy environment so that patients feel respectful. There are various causes of
dignity and respect which are as follows:
1. Sometimes care takers fail to realize their duty and concentrate on their personal life.
They feel burden in caring for elder people, they feel that it is an interference in their
personal life and does not take proper care of their physically, emotionally (Mahato,
Srivastava and Chandra, 2017).
2. Nowadays there is change in the mentality of new generation working in health and
social care industry, their attitude towards elder people have changed. They have lost
their patience and treat them with disrespect. Passive aggressive behaviour leads to
negative attitude makes delay in responding, ignoring the patient or passing mean
comments.
3. Nurses and care takers does not take patients consent before the treatment. Elders are not
able to speak for themselves, they feel disrespected as they are not treated with dignity.
4. Sometimes elders want to live carefree and peaceful life in healthy environment, care
taker does not provide proper environment to the patients such as clean room, personal
space, silent room and does not follow hygiene factor. Old people feel disrespectful as
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they want to live in an environment where there is same mentality people (Moro
Visconti, 2016).
5. Due to lack of financial support, old people are not given proper treatments in the
hospitals and are not treated with dignity.
6. One of the main cause of disrespecting and not treating elders with dignity is
discrimination on the basis of gender, cast, religion, political belief, socio-economic
belief etc.
Fish-bone diagram:
The main purpose of fish-bone diagram is to identify cause and effect of a problem. It is
used to sort out different problem in categories. It is used for brainstorming causes of problem. It
is important tool to categorise potential causes in order to identify root cause of the problem
(Norwood and et.al., 2017). It helps in identifying the bottlenecks and ways in which process
need to be improved. Health and social care industry need to use this diagram in order to treat
patients with dignity and respect. Here is a fish-bone diagram representing root cause of dignity
and respect.
8. SOLUTIONS
Solution 1: Taking opinions from patients
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Health and social care industry need to respect privacy, physically and emotionally.
Health and social care takers can take opinions from the patients on monthly basis in order to
improve the service provided to them. Hospitals need to involve patients and their family
members in decision making so that proper treatment is possible. Doctors cannot take direct
decisions, they should involve patients in the conversation so that patient is agreed for the
particular treatment. This small things will help industry in treating patients with dignity. Nurses
and care takers need to display attitude of helpfulness, respect, dignity, a smile on the face or
concern for the patient, nurses and doctors also need to have a positive attitude about their
patient, job and skills. They need to be calm, confident and have respectful voice tone so that
patient feel safe and they should take care that patient's religious needs are met. This solution is
good as opinions are taken from patients on regular basis which in-turn reduce the problem of
dignity and dis-respectfulness. Patients will tell their problems to doctors and nurses so that
proper care is provided to them. Their advise is considered before coming on the decision thus
patient feel safe and valued. They will recommend the hospital to others because they feel
respected. Patients privacy is kept in mind and all the services are provided according to their
needs and wants.
Solution 2: Regular inspection
Regular inspection needs to be done in the hospitals and social care to protect the rights
of people. It is to ensure that all the equipment's and medicines used in the hospitals are hygienic,
they should use expired medicine and damaged equipment's which will put the life of patient in
danger. There are various rules and regulation set for inspections, hospitals should go under
inspections to improve their healthcare. It will benefit health care centers in providing good
quality services to their patients. Regular inspection will help health care industry to keep its
equipment's and technologies updated so that patients are provided proper care and treated with
respect and dignity. Improving their services will make patients feel valued and considered, they
feel respected. Health care centers need to maintain specific standards in order to provide respect
and treat them with dignity. This solution is beneficial for the industry as healthcare can find out
the loop holes which are causing disrespect and mistreatment to patients. Industry can improve
their working conditions and provide quality services to their patients by fulfilling the standards
by inspection on regular basis.
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There are various solutions through which health and social care can provide respect and
dignity to their patients. It is important factor that need to considered while providing services.
Every human being want to be treated with respect and dignity for which industry need to make
various some rules and regulations such as involve them in decision making, provide privacy,
help them in their emotional time and reduce the communication gap between nurses and
patients. Patient should not be discriminated on the basis of their caste, religion and disability.
9. EVALUATION
Evaluation of these solutions can be done by taking 360 degree feedback from every
person involved in health and social care. They can tell whether solutions implemented by the
health care is suitable in providing dignity and respect to elder people. Feedback taken from the
people in health and social care are patients, staff of the hospitals, caretakers and family
members of patients. Feedback taken from all the them will benefit in evaluating as they can find
out whether the solutions are effective or not.
 Staff members: Taking feedback's from staff members such as whether the given
solutions are implied in the hospitals and care centers will helps in evaluating. Staff can
tell that whether hospitals are using proper equipment's, new technologies and proper
medication for patients. They are mostly with the patients that is why they can tell better
if doctor are visiting the patients on time, they are listening to their needs, patients are
satisfies or not. Taking feedback from staff members will be effective in providing
dignity and respect to the patients. It can also be identifies that health care are going
under inspection on regular basis.
 Patients: Taking feedback's from patients can be very effective as they are the person
who are not treated with dignity and respect. They can tell better whether they are treated
with dignity and respect, especially elders people who need more attention and care.
Patient will give feedback about nurses and doctors knock before they enter, close the
door when they use bathroom, they do not discuss their personal information with others
without their consent. It can be evaluated that health care is respecting their privacy,
emotionally and physically. Patient will give feedback whether their right to make choice
is considered by the nurse such as before making decision, patients choice need to be
addressed. If patient is suffering from cognitive problem then nurses are offering choices
to eat or wear.
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 Family members of patients: They can also provide feedback such as whether nurses
and doctors are listening to concern of patients or not, whether their opinion is taken
before the final decision, whether they are involved in the decision making process.
Family members remain close to the patient so they can tell more accurately whether they
are treated with dignity and respect.
Taking 360 degree feedback's from the staff, patients and family members will be
effective in evaluating the implemented solutions. They will provide inside information of health
and social care. By evaluating, health and social care industry can improve their services and
performance in order to treat patients with dignity and respect. Evaluation can also be done by
giving rights to staff members and patient to call to the higher authority who controls and
monitors this industry. If nurses and doctors are misbehaving with the patient, they can call them
and share their concern. Thus, by doing this health care need to follow certain rules, regulations
and maintain standards.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Agoritsas, T., and et.al., 2015. Decision aids that really promote shared decision making: the
pace quickens. Bmj. 350. p.g7624.
Ahmadi, M., Dileepan, P. and Wheatley, K.K., 2016. A SWOT analysis of big data. Journal of
Education for Business. 91(5). pp.289-294.
Fried, T.R., 2016. Shared decision making—finding the sweet spot. New England Journal of
Medicine. 374(2). pp.104-106.
Kon, A.A., and et.al., 2016. Shared decision making in intensive care units: an American
College of Critical Care Medicine and American Thoracic Society policy statement.
Critical care medicine. 44(1). p.188.
Lynch, M., 2018. Providence Health Care: Adult Day Care Center Business Plan (Doctoral
dissertation).
Mahato, K., Srivastava, A. and Chandra, P., 2017. Paper based diagnostics for personalized
health care: Emerging technologies and commercial aspects. Biosensors and
Bioelectronics. 96. pp.246-259.
Moro Visconti, R., 2016. Healthcare public-private partnerships in Italy: Assessing risk sharing
and governance issues with PESTLE and SWOT analysis. Corporate Ownership and
Control. 13(4).
Online
Respect and dignity. 2019. [online]. Available through
<http://www.caregiverslibrary.org/caregivers-resources/grp-emotional-issues/respect-and-
dignity-article.aspx >
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