Havelock North Water Outbreak: Infection Control Management Analysis

This presentation analyzes the 2016 Havelock North water outbreak in New Zealand, which resulted in widespread illness and fatalities due to E. coli contamination. It critiques the hierarchical organizational culture and transactional leadership style that contributed to ineffective water quality management and the delayed response to the crisis. The presentation applies systems thinking theory to evaluate the outbreak management, suggesting that a transformational leadership approach combined with a clan culture could have prevented the outbreak. It further analyzes leadership strategies, emphasizing the benefits of transformational leadership in infection control, team building, and coordination. The effectiveness of the outbreak communication plan is also assessed, highlighting the need for clear and targeted communication to stakeholders. The presentation concludes with recommendations for improving communication and leadership to address future challenges and protect public health.

Havelock North
Drinking Water
MANAGEMENT OF
INFECTION CONTROL

Overview of the Presentation
• Introduction
• Analysing the outbreak
• Application systems thinking theory
• Analysis of leadership strategies
• Effectiveness of the outbreak
communication plan and processes
• Conclusion
• Reference

Introduction
• In the year 2016, a water infection out broke in
Havelock North in New Zealand.
• The infection led to 5000 people being ill and 4
people deaths.
• Analysis of the relevant causes of infection
revealed presence of E. coli in the drinking
water supply.
• The local water supplier had not adhered to the
water treatment guidelines provided to them
and there was little implementation of the
guidelines (Cherry & Jacob, 2016).

Analysing the outbreak
• Hierarchical organisation culture was
present at the time of outbreak
(Pihlainen, Kivinen & Lammintakanen,
2016).
• The hierarchical culture did not have
much focus on the various processes
engaged in mentoring of the water
quality.
• With transactional style of leadership it
was not possible to bring about changes

Analysing the outbreak
• In appropriate management with lack of
process led to ineffectiveness and
outbreak of the infection.
• A management procedure focused on
change and improvement could enable
controlling the rapid spread of infection.

Application systems thinking theory
• Developing a systems thinking can help
link the complex systems together to
prevent the infection outbreak (Cresswell
& Sheikh, 2013).
• A system thinking process can help
develop a model of decision making. Such
decisions yield valuable outcomes in
critical scenarios as this infection
outbreak.

Application systems thinking theory
• A transformational style of leadership
knitted with clan culture type of
organisation management could have
tremendous effects in preventing the
outbreak of the disease (Sturm, 2009).
• A dynamic system develop with integrated
style of management and leadership can
help overcome the past issues with the
infection control and achieve positive
outcomes.

Analysis of leadership strategies
• Transformational leadership will provide
significant benefits on the infection
control (Satiani, Sena, Ruberg & Ellison,
2014).
• Leadership will conduct extensive team
building and coordinating strategies, to
create a dynamic working environment.

Effectiveness of the outbreak communication plan
and processes
• The communication plan will include a
promotion plan to gain attention of
targeted people (Eriksson, Axelsson &
Axelsson, 2011).
• The communication plan includes
highlighting the core aspects of the new
management processes to control the
disease outbreak.

Conclusion & Recommendation
• An appropriate plan for recommendations
includes ability to communicate to all
relevant stakeholders.
• Application of extensive leadership
strategies to overcome the challenges
faced in the past will enable to attend to
the general population.

Reference
• Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary
nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier
Health Sciences.
• Cresswell, K., & Sheikh, A. (2013). Organizational
issues in the implementation and adoption of
health information technology innovations: an
interpretative review. International journal of
medical informatics, 82(5), e73-e86.
• Eriksson, A., Axelsson, R., & Axelsson, S. B.
(2011). Health promoting leadership–Different
views of the concept. Work, 40(1), 75-84.

Reference
• Pihlainen, V., Kivinen, T., & Lammintakanen, J. (2016).
Management and leadership competence in hospitals: a
systematic literature review. Leadership in Health
Services, 29(1), 95-110.
• Satiani, B., Sena, J., Ruberg, R., & Ellison, E. C. (2014).
Talent management and physician leadership training is
essential for preparing tomorrow's physician
leaders. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 59(2), 542-546.
• Sturm, B. A. (2009). Principles of servant-leadership in
community health nursing: Management issues and
behaviors discovered in ethnographic research. Home
Health Care Management & Practice, 21(2), 82-89.

Thank You

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