Can a Difference in Opinions from the Top to the Bottom of a Healthcare Organization Impede Performance?

Does management have a different perspective on how work is being performed?

I love reading about current events to stimulate the mind and to be in tune with what is happening in the world. Sometimes you simply stumble across an article and it immediately hits home and speaks to you. This article spoke to me and resonated with many questions I am asked during our Root Cause Analysis courses.

When we begin discussing the “Management System” category on our Root Cause Tree®, and get to the “Oversight/Employee Relations” Near Root Cause, I always get a lot of what I will call “Automated” nods. So, I always lead into the discussion talking about how when investigating we need to get a gauge on the messages being sent from the top, and the beliefs at the bottom. In so doing, we end up measuring both sides of a conversation. And many times the messages are the same, with the normal personal spin. But sometimes you come across data that suggests otherwise.

The article discusses the issues with changing EHR systems and impact on care. The discussion has perceptions from different groups within the polling group and there is a startling disjoint from the top down to the organization. See the following two statements:

Nursing staff reported being highly affected by the EHR replacement, but had virtually no say in the replacement decision, according to the survey. While 90 percent of nurses said EHR replacements reduced their ability to effectively provide hands-on care, 96 percent of nurses said they were not included in EHR replacement planning.

vs.

However, just 5 percent of hospital leaders said the EHR replacement process had a negative impact on care, which Mr. Brown said suggests executives are reticent to address the issues. ‘In our experience polling, most executives will not admit they were oversold or that their IT decisions had adverse bearing on patient care,’ Mr. Brown said. ‘On the other hand, workflow changes and productivity issues may have added to the disappointment nurses felt after being left out of replacement EHR product evaluations.’

If I were investigating an incident at one of these hospitals and was interviewing both Administrators and Nurses around a Sentinel Event, this would raise some very large concerns in the organization. Why is there such a large chasm in beliefs here and what kind of impact could this have on performance. In our system this would likely lead us to the Management System->Oversight/Employee Relations->Employee Communications Root Cause. With Management having such a different perspective on how work is being performed, we might answer yes to the following question from our Root Cause Tree® Dictionary:

Did management’s employee communications program fail to communicate management’s concerns for quality workmanship, safety, and the environment?

When a message that is sent from the top of the organization does not support the actual work performance of the organization, employees would certainly believe that the top tier does not show the correct level of commitment to being a high performance organization.

If you would like more information on how TapRooT® can help your hospital or health system become more efficient and provide safer patient care please attend one of our TapRooT® training courses or contact me directly at skompski@taproot.com.