What are the best ways to apply change management in the health and medical sector

Author: Mohamed Ahmed Rabea Abdellatif Ahmed 
Degree Programme and place of study:  Master of Digital Business and Management Programme, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Vaasa.  
Specialization: Digital Business and Management  
Supervisor(s):   Rosmeriany Nahan-Suomela, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Vaasa.  
Roman Filenko, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Vaasa.  
 
Thesis Title:  Change Management Adaptation in the Medical and Healthcare Sector: The Case of XYZ Group 

What are the best ways to apply change management in the health and medical sector

The medical and health sector was exposed to great pressure after the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, many medical and health organizations started the process of change management to cope with those new challenges in the future. 
 
The Current Situation! 
 
A change management strategy that works for everyone cannot be developed, particularly in a specialized industry like healthcare. Nevertheless, regardless of the sector or industry you work in, you will gain from utilizing the aforementioned methods, plans, and tools. Additionally, an assurance that, when change is managed well, planned outcomes are achieved and that interruptions to routine business operations are minimized. Nevertheless, the healthcare industry is very significant and has a big impact on the economy and society. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the industry's management paradigm, which opened the door for more advancements in the use of new methods and strategies within healthcare management to meet the challenges that were faced. In this blog, the main findings about the main challenges associated with the change management in the health and medical sector will be presented and discussed in brief. 

The Challenges associated with change management in the health and medical sector 

Disrupted workflows and reduced productivity: 

Any new management and technology deployment is accompanied by disruptions before, during, and following adoption. This is especially true when it comes to implementing clever healthcare tactics. Before deployment, a significant amount of time must pass for end users to receive the necessary training and skill levels to operate the new systems. 

Change Culture: 

The numerous competing important stakeholders in the health sector, each of whom demands that their ideas be heard and taken into consideration, are the main cause of this culture. If any stakeholder group feels left out, this inevitably slows down or prevents the adoption process altogether. Moreover, the adoption of smart healthcare techniques also has an impact on key processes used by healthcare providers, which are frequently unclear and challenging to modify. 

Organisational size:

Smaller healthcare organizations have fewer staff members and smaller finances than larger healthcare organizations. This implies that smaller healthcare provider organizations are unable to supply the critical financial, human, and technical resources that new techniques in healthcare management adoption projects require. These resources are all necessary for the adoption of smart healthcare techniques. 

Organizational structure:

Organisational structures of healthcare providers are non-linear and dynamic. Moreover, Organisations that provide healthcare services frequently have a large number of departments, and each department typically has unique management, policies, and approaches to setting priorities.  

Most organizations that provide healthcare services are multi-professional and have two levels of hierarchy that include management and clinicians. Clinicians frequently have a great degree of autonomy and decentralized decision-making, in contrast to managers. This results in a complex organizational structure with multiple levels and, occasionally, the integration of additional related groups with varying finances and agendas. 

Poor planning: 

poor planning is a barrier to the effective deployment of new healthcare management methods. It is crucial to make sure the change strategy is in line with the organization's broader vision and goals, just like with any other attempt to implement a change inside a company. When implementing smart healthcare, some healthcare organizations make mistakes in their planning, which causes the adoption to be out of step with the organization's vision and goals. Furthermore, insufficient planning may lead to unreasonable adoption deadlines or the scheduling of the change during busy or peak periods, which may be disastrous for the organization since it prevents the successful implementation of smart healthcare management techniques at the designated time.

Rigid policies and procedures:

The adoption of new management is not supported by the majority of the healthcare system's current policies, practices, and regulations. These policies and regulations from the past need to be changed because they were created to support manual and paper-based healthcare. It is challenging to enhance security and facilitate the integration of smart healthcare management systems with current workflows in the absence of these adjustments.

Resistance to change:

The implementation of new smart healthcare strategies presents a risk to end users' independence over processes or procedures associated with their specific knowledge and expertise. For instance, this can occur when clinicians diagnose patients before meeting with them, potentially leading to bias and resistance among clinicians to adopt smart healthcare strategies. In other cases, users of smart healthcare techniques report receiving more calls, emails, and appointments—especially in the early phases of adoption—which increases the workload for physicians.

Costs: 

The implementation of new healthcare management is associated with the usage of new technologies. Where any cutting-edge technology solution has a high cost of adoption.  

Adopting smart healthcare techniques comes with several expenditures, such as infrastructure, the cost of purchasing gear and software, implementation expenses, and continuing maintenance costs. Certain smart healthcare-related technologies are still in the experimental phase and need substantial money to be updated and maintained. The majority of healthcare providers have been discouraged from using intelligent healthcare management solutions because of the high initial adoption cost.

For Further Reading

• Toritsemogba Tosanbami Omaghomi, Oluwafunmi Adijat Elufioye, Chinyere Onwumere, Jeremiah Olawumi Arowoogun, Ifeoma Pamela Odilibe, & Oluwaseyi Rita Owolabi. (2023). General healthcare policy and its influence on management practices: A review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(2), 441–450. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.2.0477 
• Toritsemogba Tosanbami Omaghomi, Opeoluwa Akomolafe, Jane Osareme Ogugua, Andrew Ifesinachi Daraojimba, & Oluwafunmi Adijat Elufioye. (2024). HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD: LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE PREPAREDNESS - A REVIEW. International Medical Science Research Journal, 4(2), 210–223. https://doi.org/10.51594/imsrj.v4i2.819
• Renukappa, S., Mudiyi, P., Suresh, S., Abdalla, W., & Subbarao, C. (2022). Evaluation of challenges for adoption of smart healthcare strategies. Smart Health, 26, 100330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhl.2022.100330 

 
Conclusion

In conclusion, the process of change management in the health and medical sector become imperative due to the presence of new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this change will be faced with many challenges that shall be overcome to achieve the perfect change and to be able to gain the perfect results from the change. 

About the Author

Mohamed has been a Pediatric Gastroenterology Consultant for more than five years since receiving his MD in Pediatrics and Pediatric Gastroenterology from Cairo University – Egypt. He has mixed practical and research experience, which he gained by working in international Hospitals across the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa). Currently, he is planning to have a managerial position in the medical sector in the future.