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Health Care Learning from Other Sectors

Health care organizations can use many ideas from other industries that have implemented technologies that increase productivity.  A multitude of concepts have assisted in the transformation of financial services, retail, and companies such as Google and Amazon.  These concepts could also be useful in health care.  By executing creative concepts similar to other companies and industries, health care organizations can offer enhanced standards of care, improved patient experiences, and lower-cost services, (Davies, Roderick, & Huxtable-Thomas, 2019).

Identified Industries and Best Practices

Industries, such as Google and Amazon, are known for their productivity and employee and customer satisfaction.  Google has implemented something known as the 80/20 rule.  This means that 80% of the employee’s time is spent doing what must be done to maintain the operation.  Each Friday, or the remaining 20% of time, is spent doing whatever the employees want to do.  The time must be spent at the office, but they are given the day to create and come up with new innovative ideas for the company, (Prudente, 2019).  Imagine if that same concept could be applied to bedside nursing.  Nurses are dedicated, caring, and creative.  If nurses had complete control of the way they manage their patient care, health care leaders may find that the answer to improved patient and employee satisfaction lies within these nurses.  For example, Florence Nightingale did not have nursing leaders telling her how or when to deliver care.  She thought of her ideas on her own.  She thought to open windows to allow fresh air in for ailing patients.  She created the idea of hand washing and changing bed linens to promote healing.  Contemporary infection control was established by Florence Nightingale and nobody was telling her she had to do it, (Gilbert, 2020).

Amazon has taken note of the increase in Veteran suicides.  They have teamed up with other companies to create a social media tracking system that takes a closer look at social media posts that may identify Veterans who are crying out for help, (Lee, 2021).  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 17 Veterans die by suicide each day, (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020).  These numbers are astounding, and Amazon has taken the initiative of trying to assist Veterans in need.  This innovative idea also connects Veterans and their family members with those who can provide care and assistance.  Veteran suicides occur in the community, as well as on VA campuses.  This type of innovation could be useful to nursing in helping identify those who may be at risk.  For example, a Veteran arrived on campus in December 2019.  He was dressed in his Marine Corps uniform and did not appear to be in any form of distress.  The gentleman sat down near the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, made a quick social media post, pulled out his rifle, and shot himself in the head.  The nurse, who was walking on her lunch break, found the Veteran moments after he committed suicide.  She was close enough to have possibly intervened had she been alerted by this type of innovation. 

Conclusion

Innovation is fresh, creative ways of doing what we already do, but better.  Providing employees with the time to create something on their own is one way of boosting productivity, as well as improving employee and customer satisfaction.  In some cases, innovation can save the lives of others.

 

 

 

 

References

Davies, G. H., Roderick, S., & Huxtable-Thomas, L. (2019). Social Commerce Open Innovation in Healthcare Management: An Exploration from a Novel Technology Transfer Approach. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 27(4), 356-367. doi:10.1080/0965254X.2018.1448882

Gilbert, H. (2020). Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory and its Influence on Contemporary Infection Control. Collegian, 27(6), 626-633.

Lee, M. K. (2021). AWS Teams up with RallyPoint Military Social Media Platform and Harvard University's Nock Lab to use Machine Learning to Aid Intervention Efforts by Analyzing At-Risk Public Posts. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com

Prudente, P. (2019). 20%: Google's Innovative Approach to Staff Productivity. Retrieved from http://www.trakstarproduct.com

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2020). Veteran Suicide. Retrieved from http://www.VA.gov