Question

Short Case 4: Organizational Adaptation As health care administrators, we play a pivotal role in recognizing the need to adapt and recommend responses to environmental changes that threaten achievement of organizational goals. You are completing this assignment to demonstrate your ability to recognize the need to adapt, evaluate appropriate responses, and recommend actions to improve organizational adaptive capability. In the article, “Strategic Planning in Health Care: The Results are Everything…Or Are They?,” Schidlow (2008) explains, “A strategic plan needs to be like a musical score: the notes are all there, but some interpretive creativity must be allowed in its expression. There needs to be some flexibility to change course in response to untoward events or opportunities, without losing sight of the goals.” In 350 words or less, describe an example of a recent (within the past six years) external health care environmental pressure that changed your organization or an organization that you are familiar with.

Answer 1

The health department of the state holds a close eye on hospital infections and epidemics in the state. A periodic evaluation is conducted for the public protection. As a result, new policies and laws emerge in order to prevent an outbreak and to ensure the safety of the community and people.

Biochemical waste disposal has been a serious threat in the past year. The traditional way of storage transportation of the hospital waste has arisen to some health issues in the workers and to the environment. The waste materials expelled from the hospitals where stored in plastic covers which is later retrieved by the workers for the appropriate disposal. However, threat occurred when handling glass waste and needles. As because of the glass containers were disposed of in plastic covers, chances of the risk of accidental injuries while segregating and transporting become high.

A few years back I worked in a 250 bedded hospital where the waste disposal was handled in a casual manner by the staffs and the workers. Careless handling of glass waste, needles and ampules was a common reason for injury among the workers. Cuts and accidental injuries while handling waste where not documented either. However, MRSA, fever, skin infection where reported in the workers who handle the waste management.

The Seeing the health risk of handling the waste product health department of the state, passed the order for proper waste segregation and handling of glass waste. proper supervision and periodic monitoring from the point of waste disposal from the particular ward till segregation was triggered. With a planned strategy by the management, instead of storing the breaking items in plastic covers, cardboard boxes got introduced. This minimised the risk of getting injured while handling the waste.