Question

Giving "power" to policy is important to its being successful. Aside from criminalization for noncompliance, what actions or systems can an organization take to support their policies to impact health??

Answer 1

Policies and procedures are an essential part of the daily functioning of an organization. Well laid down policies can help in ensuring that all the staff follow these policies.

Actions and strategies that can be used to support policies in healthcare settings include :

• Establishing the feasibility of a particular policy. Before formulating and during the formulation of a policy , it is essential that the there is a meeting and discussion with the leaders and managers of that specific department/area to ensure that the policy is feasible to the individuals/staff who are required to comply with it.
• Train the individuals/organization /staff about the policy , its need and how to practice it.This ensures greater compliance as everyone is aware of what has to be done and in case they do not know, where to find help.
• Disciplinary actions for non compliance to the policy must not be retaliative. It must focus on behaviours and not on the outcomes. (eg: behaviour: not marking the site of incision , outcome : incision at the wrong site)
• Engage the staff during the formation and the review of the policies. it is important that the staff feels that they can raise concerns without the fear of reprisal . If someone is found to be non compliant , discuss with them the reasons and work out mutual solutions so that they will adhere to the policy more consistently.
• All the terms used in the policy must be operationalized to avoid ambiguity while interpreting them.
• Red rules : classify certain requirements as 'red rules' (rules that must never be broken/steps that must never be missed).
• use standardized policies across systems . All the departments under a system can follow the same policy. Minor changes may be made depending on the specific departments.
• Domain specific committees maybe formulated for developing and reviewing the policies within a system . (Eg: Nursing, biomedical etc)
• review the policies timely and have policy review committee in place so that disparities may be identified and better policies may be formulated.

Criminalization and punishments for non adherence to policies may be the last resort , but exploring the reasons for non compliance and working towards solutions can give more 'power' to the policy.