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Problem Solving in Nursing: Strategies for Your Staff

4 min read • September, 15 2023

Problem solving is in a nurse manager’s DNA. As leaders, nurse managers solve problems every day on an individual level and with their teams. Effective leaders find innovative solutions to problems and encourage their staff to nurture their own critical thinking skills and see problems as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Health care constantly evolves, so problem solving and ingenuity are skills often used out of necessity. Tackling a problem requires considering multiple options to develop a solution. Problem solving in nursing requires a solid strategy.

Nurse problem solving

Nurse managers face challenges ranging from patient care matters to maintaining staff satisfaction. Encourage your staff to develop problem-solving nursing skills to cultivate new methods of improving patient care and to promote nurse-led innovation .

Critical thinking skills are fostered throughout a nurse’s education, training, and career. These skills help nurses make informed decisions based on facts, data, and evidence to determine the best solution to a problem.

Problem-Solving Examples in Nursing

To solve a problem, begin by identifying it. Then analyze the problem, formulate possible solutions, and determine the best course of action. Remind staff that nurses have been solving problems since Florence Nightingale invented the nurse call system.

Nurses can implement the original nursing process to guide patient care for problem solving in nursing. These steps include:

Assessment . Use critical thinking skills to brainstorm and gather information.
Diagnosis . Identify the problem and any triggers or obstacles.
Planning . Collaborate to formulate the desired outcome based on proven methods and resources.
Implementation . Carry out the actions identified to resolve the problem.
Evaluation . Reflect on the results and determine if the issue was resolved.

How to Develop Problem-Solving Strategies

Staff look to nurse managers to solve a problem, even when there’s not always an obvious solution. Leaders focused on problem solving encourage their team to work collaboratively to find an answer. Core leadership skills are a good way to nurture a health care environment that supports sharing concerns and innovation .

Here are some essentials for building a culture of innovation that encourages problem solving:

Present problems as opportunities instead of obstacles.
Strive to be a positive role model. Support creative thinking and staff collaboration.
Encourage feedback and embrace new ideas.
Respect staff knowledge and abilities.
Match competencies with specific needs and inspire effective decision-making.
Offer opportunities for continual learning and career growth.
Promote research and analysis opportunities.
Provide support and necessary resources.
Recognize contributions and reward efforts .

A group of people in scrubs looking at sticky notes

Embrace Innovation to Find Solutions

Try this exercise:

Consider an ongoing departmental issue and encourage everyone to participate in brainstorming a solution. The team will:

Define the problem, including triggers or obstacles.
Determine methods that worked in the past to resolve similar issues.
Explore innovative solutions.
Develop a plan to implement a solution and monitor and evaluate results.

Problems arise unexpectedly in the fast-paced health care environment. Nurses must be able to react using critical thinking and quick decision-making skills to implement practical solutions. By employing problem-solving strategies, nurse leaders and their staff can improve patient outcomes and refine their nursing skills.

Images sourced from Getty Images

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A problem-solving routine for improving hospital operations

Journal of Health Organization and Management 29(2):252-70
29(2):252-70
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A problem-solving routine for improving hospital operations

Affiliation.

1 Department of Operations Management and Decision Sciences, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, India.
PMID: 25800336
DOI: 10.1108/JHOM-09-2013-0191

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically why a systematic problem-solving routine can play an important role in the process improvement efforts of hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach: Data on 18 process improvement cases were collected through semi-structured interviews, reports and other documents, and artifacts associated with the cases. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.

Findings: Adherence to all the steps of the problem-solving routine correlated to greater degrees of improvement across the sample. Analysis resulted in two models. The first partially explains why hospital workers tended to enact short-term solutions when faced with process-related problems; and tended not seek longer-term solutions that prevent problems from recurring. The second model highlights a set of self-reinforcing behaviors that are more likely to address problem recurrence and result in sustained process improvement.

Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted in one hospital setting.

Practical implications: Hospital managers can improve patient care and increase operational efficiency by adopting and diffusing problem-solving routines that embody three key characteristics.

Originality/value: This paper offers new insights on why caregivers adopt short-term approaches to problem solving. Three characteristics of an effective problem-solving routine in a healthcare setting are proposed.

Keywords: A3 Process; Healthcare; Metaroutines; Operating performance; Operations management; Organizational problem solving.

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Hospitals Can’t Improve Without Better Management Systems

John S. Toussaint

Success begins with defining a clear purpose.

In all of the loud and necessary debates over how to reform health care in the United States before it bankrupts the country, there is one element that has been continually overlooked: the management systems employed by hospitals. Leaders at good hospitals around the country are working hard on cutting waste and added cost and improving the quality of care and patient satisfaction. Teams are striving to improve health care at their institutions in numerous ways, including reducing the number of patients readmitted to hospitals within 30 days of discharge, emergency-room waits, the time between a heart attack and a balloon angioplasty, to name a few. And yet, many of those ardent reformers are furiously running in place because they do not have the management system to support their goals. Worse yet, old-fashioned management-by-objective systems often work to actually undermine all of the good works by those frontline improvement teams.

John S. Toussaint M.D., is the founder and executive chairman of Catalysis, a nonprofit educational institute, and an adjunct professor at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. He is the former CEO of a health care system and coaches teams on Toyota Production System principles.

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Hospital Leadership: Why It Matters in a Crisis

March 6, 2019

View all blog posts under Infographics | View all blog posts under Online Healthcare MBA

Hospital leadership is more than guiding others to properly carry out care delivery strategies. It’s about navigating the vast multitude of changes and innovations that constantly arise in the health care industry so that optimal patient care can always be delivered. Effective leadership in hospitals can lead to improved patient outcomes and shape the health care landscape.

The work of a hospital leader is particularly important during crises. The COVID-19 pandemic brought this to the forefront, as surging patient demands, limited resources and evolving scientific research-based information created a multitude of complex issues that could only be properly resolved through competent leadership. However, effective crisis leadership is built on preparing for the unexpected just as much as it’s designed to properly react to a crisis as it unfolds in real time.

Ultimately, effective hospital leadership is a coordinated effort that can ensure the best care delivery scenarios possible, regardless of the situation. It’s important for health care leaders of all types to understand how they can be prepared to deliver optimal care in dire situations.

A hospital management guide for hospital leaders.

Add This Infographic to Your Site

Leadership in a crisis: physicians and administrators.

During times of crisis, physicians have promoted leadership by making critical decisions that directly impact patient care. Modern advances in medicine and new scientific discoveries mean there’s increasing information available to physicians to help them enhance their patient care and prepare for the unexpected. Physician leadership in a crisis can also involve sharing critical information with others involved in patient care. This can help build trust within their team, which can help with coordination between health care professionals during crisis situations.

Likewise, the work of administrative leaders can be crucial to ensuring that a hospital runs efficiently through critical times. This leadership is best done proactively and preventively, through policy implementation, drills or equipment stocking. Doing so can ensure that a facility is properly equipped for crises without having to scramble for needed equipment or reach toward compliance.

Honesty, reliability, professionalism and emotional maturity should all be present in health care leaders. Team members are much more likely to implement changes quickly and efficiently when suggestions are delivered calmly and respectfully, promoting teamwork and empowerment.

Physician Skills

There are several physician skills that can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of hospital leadership during times of crisis. These include strong leadership skills to help coordinate with other health care workers and team members, as well as some other essential soft skills.

For example, physician leaders must have the communication skills necessary to relay vital information clearly, concisely and unambiguously. They must also have advanced problem-solving and critical thinking competencies to make effective and impactful decisions in situations in which every second counts. These traits coincide with essential characteristics for building trust with colleagues and patients, such as compassion and patience.

Administrator Skills

Coordinating hospital services through administrative tasks is a complex role with many areas of impact. This can make their work particularly crucial in crisis prevention, mitigation and recovery. As such, there are several fundamental administrator skills that are essential to success.

Administrators should have leadership skills that can help them train and motivate hospital staff to effectively handle crises. They must have the analytical skills necessary to understand and implement new regulations and keep facilities fully compliant. They must develop advanced technical skills to implement and maintain technical innovations, such as electronic health records (EHRs). Administrators must also have the communication skills to explain vital information about policies and procedures in crisis situations.

Learn Skills Needed for Health Care Leadership

Hospital leadership plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of health care doesn’t suffer when a critical situation arises. With strong leadership and intervention skills, facilities can emerge out of crisis situations without compromising patient care and safety.

With health care-focused courses in patient safety systems, health information, and quality and outcomes, the George Washington University online Master of Healthcare MBA program can help you gain an in-depth understanding of health care processes and administration. This program can prepare you to succeed in critical moments. Learn how we can help you become an efficient health care leader.

Turning Employees Into Problem Solvers

Patient-safety information campaigns can help hospital staff do more than just report problems when they occur.
Thanks to information campaigns, frontline workers increased the rate of suggesting constructive solutions to problems by 74 percent. The frequency increased even more when unit managers joined in problem solving.
By serving as role models, managers who actively engage in problem solving can lead their frontline workers to create and share solutions.

Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine published To Err is Human , a groundbreaking report that pushed the issue of medical errors into the public spotlight.

That we all make mistakes was certainly nothing new: Operational failures occur across all industries. But the impact of errors in the context of the health-care industry drew instant attention. Preventable medical errors resulting in injury cost the industry somewhere between $9 billion and $15 billion a year, the report stated. Even more shockingly, by some measures the number of patient deaths attributed to operational failures annually in the United States equaled the crash of one fully loaded 747 airplane every one-and-a-half days.

“At first, these campaigns are great—they bolster the frequency with which solutions are shared by a significant margin....[But] at what point do people shut off?" —Michael Toffel

Since then, much research has focused on the underuse of incident-reporting systems. After all, the thinking went, a system used to collect and report incidents will only help an organization learn from its mistakes and lead to better safety results—to the extent that employees report information that can be used for process improvement.

For incident-reporting systems to fulfill their promise, employees must use the system to "speak up" when they encounter a problem. Managers receive additional value when reporters speak up constructively by offering suggestions that facilitate process improvement.

A Harvard research team recently set out to better understand what managers can do to encourage employees to speak up about problems, and to investigate how managers can encourage employees to offer solutions.

The team's working paper, "Speaking Up Constructively: Managerial Practices that Elicit Solutions from Front-Line Employees" [ PDF ], considers data on nearly 7,500 incidents from a single hospital to determine whether two types of managerial actions increase the frequency with which frontline workers speak up by reporting incidents and do so constructively by including solutions in their incident reports.

The paper, authored by Julia Adler-Milstein, an HBS doctoral candidate in the Health Policy Management program; Sara J. Singer, assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School; and HBS professor Michael W. Toffel, also considers how organizational information campaigns and department managers' engagement in process improvement interact to influence the extent to which frontline workers speak up constructively, which could enable organizations to improve their operating processes and ultimately (one hopes) improve patient safety.

Manufacturing and service organizations also benefit from worker input. But people, it goes without saying, are harder to work on than cars and hotel rooms.

Two Managerial Processes That Helped

"Hospitals are enormously complex," Toffel observes. "Imagine a factory where every part has to be custom-built and can require any number of 100 or 200 services and subprocesses. On top of that, the most knowledgeable people about those subprocesses-the doctors-come and go from the factory and are not employed by it."

That complexity makes errors inevitable. And despite the growing emphasis in health care on patient safety, the researchers note that our understanding of how managers can increase the value of reporting systems remains incomplete.

To shed light on how to encourage staff to share constructive feedback when using reporting systems, Adler-Milstein, Singer, and Toffel examined the influence of managerial engagement on problem solving and of an organization-wide information campaign.

First, the phenomenon of patient-safety information campaigns: Such campaigns increase the frequency of frontline workers' speaking up following an incident by 5 percent, the researchers learned. However, when it comes to sharing a solution to the problem, the campaigns had a much larger effect, nearly tripling the frequency with which frontline workers suggested a solution to the problem.

In addition, units in which managers "practiced what they preached" by actively engaging in problem solving saw substantial increases in the frequency with which staff reported solutions when they filed incident reports.

"When managers had been more proactive in responding to incident reports, there was a greater likelihood that staff would share their suggestions and actions taken to resolve the underlying problem, which is very valuable information for managers because they are unlikely to be able to get this information elsewhere," says Adler-Milstein.

That result prompted further investigation: Do staff members in units with high managerial engagement respond differently to a patient-safety information campaign, compared to staff in units with low managerial engagement?

"Interestingly, we only saw a meaningful increase in offering solutions by employees in units with low managerial engagement," says Adler-Milstein.

"In a sense, the units with high managerial engagement were already kicked into high gear," explains Toffel, noting that this result also suggests possible future research on the duration of campaigns.

"At first, these campaigns are great—they bolster the frequency with which solutions are shared by a significant margin. But there's a reason why we don't have a campaign all the time, whether it's in a hospital or for the United Way: fatigue.

"A campaign's optimal duration for maximum benefits is still unclear. At what point do people shut off?"

Next Steps To Improve Safety Practices

The team's database offers additional information to consider that was not examined in the working paper, Toffel says. Other questions to answer include: What types of responses to incidents are most effective? When should behavioral corrections be implemented? When should technological corrections be made?

"I'm excited to look at this data longitudinally," says Singer. "Ideally, one would hope that an incident gets reported and that a solution is implemented so that the incident doesn't recur. We can look at whether this happens over time. Knowing this will make a significant contribution to improving patient safety, because a lot of hospitals rely on these reporting systems and promote their use, if only to fulfill accreditation requirements.

"The real question remains, are they serving the intended purpose? It could be that very little happens with these reports in terms of the long-term learning that you would hope to see."

Says Adler-Milstein, "We could also determine if the same type of incident is occurring in a given unit over time, even when it is being reported. That would then make it possible to focus on how particular units resolve their problems."

Identifying pockets of excellence would enable more qualitative research to determine what exactly a unit is doing to achieve its success—and to identify how those practices could be codified and adopted elsewhere.

"Health care started out with largely independent practitioners and a limited body of knowledge," says Adler-Milstein. "Given the changes that have occurred recently, technological and otherwise, health care hasn't caught up quickly enough with the new practice methods that accompany this very different, modern-day model. I hope we will get there eventually, but right now there is a lag."

Drilling down to discover when frontline employees speak up most constructively, and how to translate this into problem solving, should help bridge that gap.

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Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being
v.17(1); 2022

The influencing factors of clinical nurses’ problem solving dilemma: a qualitative study

a Department of Nursing, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

b Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

c Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

Problem solving has been defined as “a goal-directed sequence of cognitive and affective operations as well as behavioural responses to adapting to internal or external demands or challenges. Studies have shown that some nurses lack rational thinking and decision-making ability to identify patients’ health problems and make clinical judgements, and have poor cognition and response to some clinical problems, easy to fall into problem-solving dilemma. This study aimed to understand the influencing factors of clinical nurses’ problem solving dilemma, to provide a basis for developing training strategies and improving the ability of clinical nurses in problem solving.

A qualitative research was conducted using in-depth interviews from August 2020 to December 2020. A total of 14 participants from a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China were recruited through purposive sampling combined with a maximum variation strategy. Data were analysed with the conventional content analysis method.

Three themes and seven subthemes were extracted: nurse’s own factors (differences in knowledge structure and thinking, differences in professional values, poor strain capacity); improper nursing management (low sense of organizational support, contradiction between large workload and insufficient manpower allocation); patient factors (the concept of emphasizing medicine and neglecting to nurse, individual differences of patients).

The influencing factors of clinical nurses’ problem-solving dilemma are diverse. Hospital managers and nursing educators should pay attention to the problem-solving of clinical nurses, carry out a series of training and counselling of nurses by using the method of situational simulation, optimize the nursing management mode, learn to use new media technology to improve the credibility of nurses to provide guarantee for effective problem-solving of clinical nurses.

Introduction

Nursing education in China can be divided into two main levels: vocational education and higher education. Vocational education includes technical secondary schools and junior colleges, while higher education includes undergraduate, master’s and doctoral education. Vocational education aims at training students to master basic nursing service skills and to be able to take the post to engage in daily nursing work (Sun & Zong, 2017 ). Higher nursing education started late, and undergraduate education has always followed the “three-stage” education model of clinical medicine (basic medical courses, specialized courses and clinical practice). Most courses are centred on subject knowledge, and all clinical practice takes the form of centralized practice (Li, 2012 ). The training goal of nursing postgraduates is gradually expanding from academic master to professional master. The curriculum mainly includes classroom teaching and clinical practice. The classroom teaching contents include public courses (political theory, foreign languages, etc.), professional basic courses (advanced health assessment, pharmacotherapy, pathophysiology, evidence-based nursing, medical statistics or clinical epidemiology), specialized courses (advanced nursing practice theory) and Academic activities . The goal of nursing doctoral training is to cultivate high-level nursing research talents, focusing on the cultivation of scientific research ability rather than clinical practice ability. The curriculum includes ideology and politics, basic theory, research methods, specialized courses, development frontier, scientific writing, etc (Luo et al., 2018 ). There are some problems in the training mode and curriculum, such as theory and practice are out of touch, traditional lecture-based classroom teaching makes students passively accept knowledge, students attach importance to theory over practice, knowledge input to ability output, professional study to humanities knowledge. Nursing students receive no theoretical and/or practical training in problem solving before entering the clinical setting, so there is not a starting point for these nurses to clinical dilemmas in their professional life.

With the development of medicine, people pay more attention to health and have higher requirements for nursing service ability (Yang, Ning, et al., 2018). The National Nursing Development Plan (National Development and Reform Commission, 2017 ) points out that it is necessary to strengthen the construction of nurse teams, establish nurse training mechanisms and improve the professional quality and service ability of nurses. However, in the face of increasingly complex and changeable clinical environment, nurses are still lacking in problem-solving thinking and ability, and often fall into the dilemma of problem solving (Li et al., 2020 ).

Typical decision theory approaches to the identification of problem solving in nursing have viewed the process as a series of decision formulations that include: decisions about what observations should be made in the patient situation; decisions about deriving meaning from the data observed (clinical inferences); and decisions regarding the selection of action to be taken that will be of optimal benefit to the patient (McGuire, 1985 ). Information processing theory describes problem solving as an interaction between the information processing system (the problem-solver) and a task environment, which can be analysed as two simultaneously occurring sub-processes of “understanding” and “search” (VanLehn, 1989 ). Individuals collect the stimulus that poses the problem in the understanding process, forming the internal representation of the problem, transforming the problem stimulus into the initial information needed in the search process, and then producing mental information structures for the understanding of the problem, which making individuals distinguish the nature of the problem and clarify the goal of the problem. The mental information structures drive the search process that enables the individual to find or calculate the solution to the problem. This process starts with the nurse identifying the clinical problem and continues until the decision is made to resolve the problem (Taylor, 2000 ). Clinical problem solving requires nurses to have a variety of cognitive strategies, which involves nurses’ knowledge, experience, and memory process. Nurses must recognize the current problem and use all available knowledge and experience to transform the problem into their internal problem representation, and then set goals and search for strategies that can achieve the goal (Mayer & Wittrock, 1992 ). In today’s complex clinical environment, nurses need to be able to solve problems accurately, thoroughly, and quickly. Nurses who can solve problems efficiently have fewer medical errors (Babaei et al., 2018 ), and the level of nursing skills and empathy are higher (Ay et al., 2020 ; Bayindir Çevik & Olgun, 2015 ). To cultivate nurses’ problem solving thinking and ability, it is necessary to better understand the influencing factors of problem solving dilemma. However, these cannot be obtained by observing nurses’ behaviour in their work, and cannot be obtained through quantitative research either. Exploring the thinking process involved in nurses’ work through qualitative interviews is an effective way to understand the influencing factors of nurses’ problem solving. Given this, this study used qualitative research methods to deeply analyse the influencing factors of clinical front-line nurses’ problem solving dilemma, to provide a basis for making relevant strategies to cultivate nurses’ thinking and ability of problem solving.

Study design

A qualitative study based on in-depth interviews was conducted to obtain influencing factors of nurses’ problem-solving dilemma.

Settings and participants

Purposive sampling combined with a maximum variation strategy was used to identify and select information-rich participants related to the research phenomenon. Maximum variation was achieved in terms of participants’ gender, education level, professional title, marital status, seniority, and administrative office, respectively. The study was conducted between August 2020 to December 2020 in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. The inclusion criteria were a nurse practicing certificate of the People’s Republic of China and within the valid registration period; having been engaged in clinical nursing work for at least 1 year and still engaged in clinical nursing work; clear language expression, able to clearly describe the solution and feelings of clinical problem solving; informed consent to this study and voluntary participation. The exclusion criterion were on leave during the study period (personal leave, maternity leave, sick leave, etc.); out for further study or came to the hospital for further study; confirmed or suspected mental illness and psychotropic medicine users. Purposive sampling continued until thematic saturation was reached during data analysis.

Data collection

Face-to-face, a semi-structured interview was used to collect information. All interviews were conducted in the lounge to ensure quiet and undisturbed by a female postgraduate nursing student with the guidance of her master tutor. Initially, an interview guide was developed based on literature review and expert consultation including about five predetermined questions: What thorny problems have you encountered in clinical work or have a great impact on you? How did you solve it? Why take such a solution? What is the biggest difficulty encountered in the process of problem solving? How does it affect you? How do you feel in the process of problem solving? Before the interview, the consent of the interviewee was obtained and then the researcher fully explains to the interviewees and starts with a friendly chat to allay the interviewees’ worries. During the interview, the researcher listened carefully and responded in time, always maintaining a neutral attitude, without any inducement or hint, if necessary, giving encouragement and praise to support the expression of the interviewees, and to record the interviewees’ facial expressions, physical movements and emotional responses in time. At the same time, a recording pen was used to ensure that the interview content was recorded accurately and without omission. The interview time for each person was 30 to 40 minutes.

Data analysis

After each interview, the researcher wrote an interview diary in time to reflect on the interview process and transcribed the interview content into words within 24 hours, then the researcher made a return visit by phone the next day to confirm that the information is correct. The seven-step method of Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis method ( Table I ) was adopted to analyse the collected data(Colaizzi, 1978 ). Two researchers collated the original data, independently coded, summarized this information as themes, and organized a research group meeting once a week to discuss and reach a consensus.

7 steps of Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis method.

Step	Description
1.Familiarization	The researcher familiarizes him or herself with the data, by reading through all the participant accounts several times.
2.Identifying significant statements	The researcher identifies all statements in the accounts that are of direct relevance to the phenomenon under investigation.
3.Formulating meanings	The researcher identifies meanings relevant to the phenomenon that arise from a careful consideration of the significant statements. The researcher must reflexively “bracket” his or her pre-suppositions to stick closely to the phenomenon as experienced (though Colaizzi recognizes that complete bracketing is never possible).
4.Clustering themes	The researcher clusters the identified meanings into themes that are common across all accounts. Again bracketing of pre-suppositions is crucial, especially to avoid any potential influence of existing theory.
5.Developing an exhaustive description	The researcher writes a full and inclusive description of the phenomenon, incorporating all the themes produced at step 4.
6.Producing the fundamental structure	The researcher condenses the exhaustive description down to a short, dense statement that captures just those aspects deemed to be essential to the structure of the phenomenon.
7.Seeking verification of the fundamental structure	The researcher returns the fundamental structure statement to all participants (or sometimes a subsample in larger studies) to ask whether it captures their experience. He or she may go back and modify earlier steps in the analysis in the light of this feedback.

Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Affiliated to Tongji University, project number: K16-252. Before the interview, the researcher explained the purpose and significance of the study to each interviewee in detail and obtained the informed consent of them on a voluntary basis and all of the interviewees signed informed consent forms. To protect the privacy of each interviewee, their names are replaced by numbers (e.g., N1, N2), and the original materials and transcribed text materials involved are kept by the first author himself, and all materials are destroyed after the completion of the study.

There was no new point of view when the 13th nurse was interviewed, and there was still no new point of view when one more nurse was interviewed, the interview was over, 14 nurses were interviewed. Three themes and seven subthemes were extracted. The characteristics of the participants ( N = 14) are provided in Table II .

Participant characteristics (N = 14).

Characteristics		(%) or M ± SD; range
Age (years)		30.29 ± 8.49;22 ~ 48
Working years		9.71 ± 9.25; 1 ~ 29
Gender
	Male	1(7.14%)
	Female	13 (92.86%)
Educational level
	Junior college student	4 (28.57)
	Undergraduate student	10 (71.43%)
Professional title
	Junior nurse	8 (57.14%)
	Nurse Practitioner	1 (7.14%)
	Nurse-in-charge	4 (28.57%)
	Associate Professor of nursing	1 (7.14%)
Marital status
	Married	6 (42.86%)
	Unmarried	8 (57.14%)
Department
	Department of infectious diseases	3 (21.43%)
	Medical department	6 (42.86%)
	Intensive care unit	3(21.43%)
	Surgical department	2 ()14.29%

Nurses’ own factors

Differences in knowledge structure and thinking.

Differences in the structure of prior knowledge and way of thinking will affect nurses’ processing of clinical data, thus affecting their clinical decision-making. The nurses made a wrong judgement of the condition because of the solidified thinking that postoperative nausea and vomiting symptoms were side effects of narcotic drugs and the lack of overall control and understanding of the patient’s condition.

There was a patient who came back after surgery with nausea and vomiting, the first thing that went through my mind, is the drug side effects, so I didn’t pay much attention, as is often the case, the most common cause of postoperative nausea and vomiting is anesthetic drug side effects, but later found to be cerebral infarction, this kind of situation I find it hard to recognize.

Differences in professional values

Professional values of nurses are accepted codes of conduct internalized by nursing professionals through training and learning (Pan, 2016 ). Negative professional values are easy to lead to problem solving dilemma. Some nurses think nursing is just a service.

The work is difficult to do, everything is the nurse’s fault, the nurse must apologize and put up with the patient’s scolding, nursing is a service industry, sometimes I am really wronged.” There are also nurses who believe that nursing work can reflect their personal value, and solving problems successfully will bring them a sense of achievement.

Although the nursing work is very intense, I live a full life every day. I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride that I can solve the problems of patients and discharge them smoothly through my work.

Poor strain capacity

Nursing work is patient-centred holistic nursing, the current clinical situation is complex and changeable, requiring nurses must have good strain capacity, and can “be anxious about what the patient needs, think what the patient thinks, and solve the patient’s difficulties.”

All patients are self-centered, and they don’t care whether you (the nurse) are busy or not. For example, once I gave oral medicine to a patient, a patient in the same ward was in a hurry and asked me to help him call his son. I was busy handing out the medicine and did not help. As a result, the patient was very dissatisfied and complained to the head nurse.

The 20-bed patient went through the discharge formalities but was still lying in the hospital bed. when the new patient arrived and she didn’t leave, I went to urge her to leave the hospital, she suddenly got angry and scolded me, I don’t know what to do.

Improper nursing management

Low sense of organizational support.

Organizational support is an important resource for clinical nurses in the process of problem solving (Poghosyan et al., 2020 ). Low sense of organizational support will hinder nurses’ problem solving.

The style of leadership and the atmosphere of the department are very important. in a department I rotated before, the leader was too strict to listen to your explanation, and the atmosphere of the department was not good. I couldn’t find help when I encountered problems. When I have a conflict with a patient, the leader will only criticize me, which makes me feel helpless.

Sometimes there will be a conflict with patients due to the bed turnover problem, and the patient will not listen to your explanation and turn around to complain, the nurse will be responsible for such things. In severe cases, even violent incidents will be encountered and the personal safety can not be guaranteed.

Insufficient allocation of manpower

Although the total number of nurses has increased substantially, there is still a shortage of human resources under the rapidly increasing workload (Guo et al., 2021 ).

When I was on the night shift and I encountered the critical moment of rescuing patients, I had to call an anesthesiologist, a doctor on duty, a nurse on duty simultaneously, an observation of the patient’s condition to prevent accidents was needed, I also have to race against time to give the patient ECG monitoring and oxygen inhalation. When the doctor came, he also criticized me that the first-aid equipment was not in place (crying).

According to the normal nurse-patient ratio, each nurse takes care of eight patients, and now there are not only eight patients, but also with extra beds and a fast turnover, and sometimes a nurse is responsible for more than 12 patients

Patient factors

The concept of emphasizing medicine and neglecting to nurse.

There is a deviation in society’s cognition of the profession of nurses, which believes that nurses are the “legs” of doctors, and nurses’ work is to help doctors run errands, give injections and give fluids. This concept not only leads to nurses’ lack of due respect, but also hinders nurses’ professional identity, and has a great negative impact on nurses’ problem-solving (Gao et al., 2015 ).

The patient did not dare to tell the doctor something he was not satisfied with, but complained directly to the nurse. For example, if the patient did not want to do some tests, he would scold the nurse. The nurse explained to him that he would not listen. But when the doctor came, he smiled and refused to admit that he cursed nurses, and he would frame the nurse. 90% of the patients would be willing to listen to the doctor.

Sometimes the patient says he was not feeling well, and I know the patient’s condition. I will give her some reasonable explanations, but the patient does not accept it. She is satisfied only when the doctor come to see her. In the final analysis, the patient just don’t believe us. No matter how much I explain to her, it is not as effective as the doctor’s glance at her.

Individual differences of patients

There are differences in patients’ personality characteristics, cultural background, views on nurses and state of an illness, these individual differences are also the reasons for nurses’ problem-solving dilemma (Chan et al., 2018 ).

Some cancer patients are in a period of anger, and it is very difficult to communicate with him. When I see him angry and lose his temper, I will not talk to him and just leave.”

Patients have different cultural levels and different social backgrounds. Sometimes I can’t talk too deeply. If patients are a little more educated, it will be easier for us to communicate with them, and some patients can’t understand anything we say.”

Multiple factors affecting clinical nurses’ problem-solving dilemma

The reasons for nurses’ failure in problem solving are mainly in the process of understanding the problem, the search process driven by the psychological information structure, and the problem or loss of balance in the process of implementing the plan. In the process, the three factors of nurses, management and patients all played an important role. Nurses’ knowledge structure and thinking loopholes led to the deviation of nurses’ internal representation of the problem (Jonassen, 2005 ). Poor professional values and low sense of organizational support can lead to nurses’ negative orientation and attitude towards problems (Poghosyan et al., 2020 ; X. Wang et al., 2018 ). The manpower allocation of nurses, patients’ emphasis on medical treatment over nursing care, and individual differences mainly increase the complexity and difficulty of nurses’ problem-solving task environment as external factors. The three factors work together on the problem-solving of clinical nurses, which leads to the dilemma of problem-solving.

Implementing situational simulation training to improve the comprehensive quality of nurses

At present, the overall quality and ability of nurses cannot meet the requirements of systematic, effective and rapid problem-solving. It is necessary to strengthen the construction of nurses to improve nurses’ problem-solving ability. Some studies have shown that situational simulation class can improve students’ knowledge, experience, psychological quality and other abilities (Mohammad, 2020 ). It is suggested that nursing educators should explore targeted situational simulation teaching and strengthen the relationship between classroom teaching and clinical practice through situational simulation, and to build a novel, perfect and clinical knowledge network for nurses. Secondly, emergency situational simulation teaching should be carried out to enable nurses to experience emergency situations from different angles, so as to improve their thinking, skills and timeliness in dealing with emergencies (Zhang et al., 2019 ). The content of professional values training should also be added to the situational simulation class in order to cultivate nurses’ positive, accessible and stable professional values and promote their positive orientation and attitude when facing problems (Skeriene, 2019 ).

Optimize nursing management and improve nurses’ working experience

Through interviews, it is found that nursing management factors have caused nurses’ problem-solving dilemma to a certain extent, which needs to be optimized according to the specific problems existing in nursing management to help nurses deal with the problems and solve the dilemma effectively. The total number of registered nurses in China exceeded 4.7 million in 2021, an increase of 1.46 million from 3.24 million in 2015, an increase of 45% (Deng et al., 2019 ]. However, there is still a large workload and underallocation of manpower, which may be due to the unreasonable distribution of human resources between time periods and departments. Hospitals and nursing managers can use the hospital information system to evaluate the nursing workload, and allocate nursing human resources reasonably according to the evaluation results (H. Yang et al., 2019 ), so as to avoid nurses falling into the dilemma of problem solving due to long-term overloaded work. In addition, it is necessary to create a harmonious departmental atmosphere for nurses, create a supportive departmental environment (Aghaei et al., 2020 ), and strictly ensure the safety of nurses’ practice and put an end to the occurrence of violence. Timely and strong organizational support can reduce the painful feelings of nurses caused by adverse events (Stone, 2020 ). and help them to solve problems actively.

Using new media to improve the image and credibility of nurses

There is a bias in social cognition of the profession of nurses, and some negative media reports mislead patients, resulting in social stereotypes of nurses (L. Q. Wang et al., 2021 ). It is necessary to make full use of new media to objectively introduce the nursing profession to the public, publicize outstanding nursing figures and typical deeds, make the public realize the important role of nurses in health care, and create an atmosphere of understanding and supporting nurses in the whole society to enhance the image and credibility of nurses and help nurses deal with problems and solve difficulties effectively (Falkenstrom, 2017 ).

Limitations and strengths of the study

The limitation is that the transferability of this study’s results may be limited as a result of including a small number of participants and the participants all worked in the same hospital in Shanghai. More participants in different cities and hospitals could have increased the variety of the descriptions and experiences. The strength is that the use of purposive sampling facilitated inclusion of participants from a range of demographic groups. The use of maximum variation strategy facilitated that the participants covered different gender, education level, professional title, marital status, seniority and department, which helped to increase the representativeness of sample.

Implications for practice

This study provides an in-depth exploration of the problem solving dilemmas of clinical nurses in China and provides valuable insights into the continuing education of nurses. These insights shine a light on areas that warrant further investigation and need to be improved in continuing education of nurses. It is of great significance to improve nurses’ problem-solving ability, improve nurses’ professional quality, effectively solve patients’ medical treatment and health problems, and improve patients’ experience of seeking medical treatment.

Through the semi-structured interview, it is found that the problem-solving dilemma of clinical nurses is affected by many factors. Nurses themselves should be confident, self-improvement, constantly learning and enterprising to improve their own ability, and be good at using new media to improve nurses’ image and credibility. Hospitals, nursing administrators and nursing educators should take corresponding measures to improve the knowledge structure of nurses, cultivate nurses’ positive professional values and adaptability, and give full organizational support to nurses. optimize the allocation of nursing human resources to provide a strong guarantee for nurses to deal with problems solving dilemma.

Biographies

Yu Mei Li : associate chief nurse, master degree, master supervisor, engaged in nursing of tumor patients.

Yifan Luo : nurse, master degree, engaged in clinical nursing.

Funding Statement

This work was supported by the Graduate Education Research and Reform Education Management program of Tongji University [2021YXGL09].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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What is Problem-Solving in Nursing? (With Examples, Importance, & Tips to Improve)

Whether you have been a nurse for many years or you are just beginning your nursing career, chances are, you know that problem-solving skills are essential to your success. With all the skills you are expected to develop and hone as a nurse, you may wonder, “Exactly what is problem solving in nursing?” or “Why is it so important?” In this article, I will share some insight into problem-solving in nursing from my experience as a nurse. I will also tell you why I believe problem-solving skills are important and share some tips on how to improve your problem-solving skills.

What Exactly is Problem-Solving in Nursing?

5 reasons why problem-solving is important in nursing, reason #1: good problem-solving skills reflect effective clinical judgement and critical thinking skills, reason #2: improved patient outcomes, reason #3: problem-solving skills are essential for interdisciplinary collaboration, reason #4: problem-solving skills help promote preventative care measures, reason #5: fosters opportunities for improvement, 5 steps to effective problem-solving in nursing, step #1: gather information (assessment), step #2: identify the problem (diagnosis), step #3: collaborate with your team (planning), step #4: putting your plan into action (implementation), step #5: decide if your plan was effective (evaluation), what are the most common examples of problem-solving in nursing, example #1: what to do when a medication error occurs, how to solve:, example #2: delegating tasks when shifts are short-staffed, example #3: resolving conflicts between team members, example #4: dealing with communication barriers/lack of communication, example #5: lack of essential supplies, example #6: prioritizing care to facilitate time management, example #7: preventing ethical dilemmas from hindering patient care, example #8: finding ways to reduce risks to patient safety, bonus 7 tips to improve your problem-solving skills in nursing, tip #1: enhance your clinical knowledge by becoming a lifelong learner, tip #2: practice effective communication, tip #3: encourage creative thinking and team participation, tip #4: be open-minded, tip #5: utilize your critical thinking skills, tip #6: use evidence-based practices to guide decision-making, tip #7: set a good example for other nurses to follow, my final thoughts, list of sources used for this article.

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Hospital Problems Explained

Organization-related concerns involve management and structural issues such as mergers, acquisitions, partnerships with other organizations, as well as departmental or overall internal restructuring. This also covers doctor-related issues – particularly, physician-to-hospital relationships. Staffing concerns are also an organizational problem, since management needs to ensure that there is no shortage in staff – especially, for high traffic hospital areas or shifts with a higher volume of patients.

Population health management can be categorized under technological challenges, although the latter is more general. The former refers to the problem of making patient data accessible via various resources.

Government mandates (i.e. CMS including their HCAHPS or the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), and federal or state laws are also of primary concern, but are beneficial because compliance helps improve patient safety and quality care, patient satisfaction, and even solves some financial concerns – particularly, Medicaid and/or Medicare reimbursements.

Reducing readmission rates based on a patient’s socioeconomic status is also quite discriminatory. While the hospital can be blamed for readmission due to illnesses acquired during admission, denying a patient’s health care benefits due to demographics, is discrimination; the American Hospital Association and America’s Essential Hospitals agrees.

Access to care is more of a patient’s problem, but medical facilities still need to ensure that care is accessible to everyone in need of medical assistance. Contact information must be available for potential patients offline (phone) and online (email, social media, apps).

Financial Challenges

Hospitals deal with monetary problems, which include the following:

Budget cuts from government funding
Medicare reimbursement delays and/or denial
Increase or the attempt to decrease operational costs (staff, supplies and more)
Insufficient funds to improve the facility
Competition from other healthcare facilities offering the same services
Unpaid patient services (such as in the emergency department, as well as other uncollected bills)
Overuse of the emergency department and its facilities
Revenue cycle management
Hospital initiatives, like transitions from quantity to quality, fee-for-service, price transparency, and commercial insurance payments, such as managed care

Revenue cycle management involves the entire process of billing patients from registration until discharge. A medical billing software is utilized for this purpose. Ineffective programming, as well as manual coding, may lead to errors in collection; bills may become lower in the process, resulting to a decrease in revenue.

Reduction or complete removal of federal government funding, including Hospital Engagement Networks (HEN) and the Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) contributes to hospitals’ financial challenges.

Apart from reduced bills, failure to collect them is another challenge; particularly, the overused emergency department. Federal financial assistance budget cuts and issues with Medicare payments also affect a hospital’s finances. This includes partnership programs like the Hospital Engagement Networks (HEN) and the Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP), which provided about $800 million federal funds back in 2011. The budget was depleted in 2014. Medicaid budget reduction, on the other hand, not only impacts over 68 million patients, but the hospitals servicing them as well.

All these financial assistance cutbacks affect the facility as a whole due to budget deficiencies, which would have been spent for overall improvement, as well as for operational and manpower costs; making it more competitive against other healthcare facilities.

The attempt to improve quality versus quantity of patients and other hospital initiatives, like reducing fee-for-service instances, being transparent with pricing prior to and/or during patient admission, and commercial insurance payments are also a burden for a health organization’s budget.

Patient Safety and Quality

Efforts to improve patient safety and quality extend from the organization’s executives, down to physicians, nurses, medical equipment specialists, and more. It also covers compliance with government mandates and accreditations, facility and process related improvements, and performance bonuses for the staff.

Misdiagnosis, as well as delayed diagnosis, affects hospital quality. Twelve million patients die every year due to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.

Misdiagnosis

Physicians directly impact patient safety and the quality of services provided. Misdiagnosis or even delayed diagnosis can prevent proper treatment, delay recovery or extend hospitalization, and can even cause death. Hardeep Singh, M.D. and his colleagues report that about 12 million patients die every year due to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.

Productivity and Efficiency

While productivity is expected for all work organizations, the extra traffic in hospitals may affect staff efficiency, leading to possible errors.

Other than the above, security is also an important challenge for hospitals.

Tine Health

In relation to facility and process improvements, Tine Health helps by improving training – particularly, for nurses. We offer a just-in-time training program, which is accessible through smartphones and tablets, at the point of care.

Article Sources:

American College of Healthcare Executives https://www.ache.org/pubs/research/ceoissues.cfm
Health Leaders Media http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/quality/top-healthcare-quality-issues-2015-part-1
Schneider Electric http://blog.schneider-electric.com/building-management/2013/10/17/top-five-challenges-facing-todays-hospitals/

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5 Alarming Administrative Problems in Healthcare and How to Solve Them

Ted Jackson

Ted is a Founder and Managing Partner of ClearPoint Strategy and leads the sales and marketing teams.

Discover 5 healthcare industry challenges in 2024. From managing crises to enhancing data security, learn how experts are tackling these critical issues.

Table of Contents

As we emerge from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry stands at a crucial crossroads. The past years have not only tested our resilience but have also brought to light a spectrum of administrative challenges that continue to shape our healthcare system today. From the intense pressures once faced by frontline workers to systemic issues that have long simmered beneath the surface, the pandemic has left an indelible mark, reshaping our approach to healthcare management.

Now, in this post-pandemic era, we seize the opportunity to transform challenges into catalysts for change. We reached out to l eading experts in the healthcare field to answer a critical question: What are some of the top problems related to healthcare and hospital management? (Because management performance is our domain.)

What you're about to read is a compilation of their responses, along with some insights we’ve gained after partnering with healthcare organizations over the years to improve their operations. In no way is this intended to be an article on how to solve healthcare problems, but rather a way to contribute more voices to the conversation to make things better.

1. Lack Of Real-time Situation Management

In an era where healthcare crises have evolved from rare occurrences to frequent challenges, the ability to manage situations in real-time has become indispensable. The past years, marked by public health emergencies like COVID-19, have underscored this reality more than ever. Terry Zysk, CEO of LiveProcess , highlights a crucial aspect of modern healthcare management: using real-time data analysis to understand how an event is unfolding, and reacting to it accordingly . This approach is critical in understanding and responding to unfolding events, ensuring that vital healthcare resources reach where they are needed most, precisely when they are needed.

The crux of the issue lies in the limitations of current healthcare management systems. Many hospitals cannot provide real-time metrics essential for swift and effective decision-making. Imagine the impact of knowing the availability of beds in a facility at any given moment or pinpointing the exact location of critical supplies during emergencies.

To bridge this gap, several software products have been built to help gather real-time metrics, including situation management-specific platforms like LiveProcess.

ClearPoint is another option that takes a more holistic view of situation management from a strategy perspective. This software has been used by many organizations to automatically track and report on healthcare metrics, including number of cases, response rates, quantity of resources, etc. You can use that data to respond appropriately to crises and make sure those decisions continue to support your overall strategy.

Wondering what metrics other healthcare organizations are tracking to improve performance? Download this free list of 108 healthcare KPIs to help get your facility on the right track.

2. ineffective internal communication.

Communication among and within healthcare institutions—and even with other external stakeholders—continues to be a challenge. The stakes are high: studies reveal that hospitals lose a staggering $12 billion annually due to poor communication, often due to aging technologies, silos between departments, and other issues. Poor internal communication has even been linked with the quality of patient care , highlighting an urgent need for a robust communication framework.

For hospitals, there is a need to communicate with both internal and external audiences about things like safety precautions, test availability, PPE supplies, etc. However, the challenge of internal communication transcends beyond crises. In the day-to-day rhythm of healthcare operations, the ability to seamlessly share information and data across departments is fundamental. It empowers teams, fosters collaboration, and propels strategic initiatives forward.

ClearPoint makes communication and knowledge-sharing simpler and more organized. It provides transparency around your organization’s direction and mission and encourages all employees to take ownership of projects, increasing employee engagement. It can also help you communicate with outside stakeholders using external dashboards that convey crucial information, similar to the one for a municipality shown below.

3. Lack Of System Interoperability

Another major challenge identified by several healthcare providers is the lack of interoperability across health technology systems. Susan G. Bornstein , MD, MPH points out that, without a national healthcare database in place, “medical providers in one office or healthcare system are precluded from seeing a patient's information in another system to the detriment of the patient. For example, a patient may forget some of their medication allergies, what tests they had performed, exactly what surgery was done when, who they saw for what—all of which is critical information for rendering the current episode of care.”

Echoing this sentiment, Kristy Dalechek of Haven Healthcare Advocates agrees that interoperability issues make it harder to identify patients’ medical problems and their solutions . “Electronic health records were supposed to be the answer, but our healthcare system is even more fragmented now. Even if all of your doctors and specialists are in the same network and use the same EHR, they may not have your entire health record and history.”

This lack of system interoperability is a barrier to elevating healthcare quality and efficiency. It's a puzzle that, if solved, could streamline care delivery and reduce costs significantly. Forward-thinking solutions are on the horizon, with emerging technologies like machine learning and blockchain offering glimmers of hope, though their practical applications have yet to be determined.

The journey to achieving true interoperability in healthcare is complex, but the vision is clear: a future where every piece of medical information is just a click away, ensuring that every patient receives the most informed and holistic care possible.

4. Information Overload

Picture this: hospital workers, administrators, and clinicians drowning in an ocean of test results, patient records, and administrative data. The scenario is all too common – sifting through hundreds of pages, analyzing tens of thousands of data points, all in the quest for that crucial piece of information. This is the reality of information overload in healthcare , a challenge as critical as any medical condition.

Whether that information is generated by medical devices or lab tests, or used for patient care or administrative purposes, data overload is undeniably a problem across all types of healthcare organizations. The key to unlocking the power of this data lies in technology – smart, intuitive, and efficient.

Healthcare organizations should look for advanced solutions that support:

Easy Information Gathering —Look for software that automatically imports data from multiple sources and departments and brings it together in one place. The fewer tools you need to interact with, the better.
Real-Time Data Updates —When someone in another department or division updates a data point, all users should be able to see the change happen in real time. That way, everyone’s working with the same information.
Clear Data Visualization —Visualizing data makes it easier to consume, so look for a tool that has a variety of chart and graph options.
Simple Reporting —The days of manual, time-consuming reporting are over. The future belongs to software solutions that automate report generation and distribution, saving precious time and resources.

If you’re looking for a solution that makes sense of your organization’s data about performance improvement, check out ClearPoint. If you need a tech solution to address other data challenges—like managing patient information, for example—you might be better off searching for software that addresses those technology issues in healthcare more specifically.

5. Data Security

Another challenge mentioned by multiple respondents was data security. A startling statistic brings this into sharp focus: from 2009 to 2020, an astonishing 70% of the U.S. population was impacted by healthcare data breaches—a trend that isn’t likely to go away.

Compared to other industries, the healthcare industry is relatively unprepared for cyber attack s. Raymond Dacillo, Director of Operations at C-Care Health Services , paints a concerning picture: “due to limited funding and budgetary constraints, many healthcare providers have become increasingly easy targets for attackers, who exploit their vulnerabilities.”

The rapid adoption of digital health initiatives, such as telehealth services, has inadvertently widened the attack surface, making data breaches more frequent and severe. As more healthcare functions continue to move online, it’s essential to ensure these processes are protected.

Dacillo believes the healthcare industry needs government funding to strengthen its IT resources. However, there's also an immediate need for healthcare organizations to take proactive steps. Key measures include:

Educating Healthcare Staff : Empowering healthcare professionals with knowledge and best practices in data security is the first line of defense against breaches.
Restricting Data Access : Implementing stringent access controls ensures that sensitive data is only available to authorized personnel.
Implementing Data Usage Controls : Monitoring and regulating how data is used within the organization can significantly reduce the risk of internal breaches.

These practices are essential strategies in safeguarding the lifeblood of healthcare – patient data. You can read about some essential data security practices here.

How Strategy Management Software Can Help Revolutionize Hospital Operations

From real-time situation management to data security, the hurdles faced by healthcare organizations are multifaceted. However, the solution may lie in a powerful ally: strategy management software . Among the leaders in this technology is ClearPoint Strategy, a tool designed to empower healthcare organizations to navigate and thrive amidst these complexities.

ClearPoint Strategy also enhances hospital performance in several key areas:

Hospital Star Ratings: ClearPoint Strategy helps improve ratings by aligning hospital operations with key performance areas like patient care and satisfaction.
Revenue Cycle Management: The software streamlines billing and administrative processes, enhancing financial health through efficient revenue management.
Value-Based Pricing: It aids in implementing value-based pricing by analyzing patient outcomes and aligning pricing strategies with care quality.
Quality Improvement: ClearPoint Strategy supports systematic quality improvement by facilitating data-driven decision-making and tracking performance improvements.
HEDIS Measures: The tool assists in tracking and improving healthcare quality and effectiveness, aligning hospital performance with HEDIS standards.

Read our blog on 5 Strategy Management Software Use Cases in Healthcare for a comprehensive exploration of how healthcare project management software, particularly ClearPoint Strategy, can revolutionize hospital operations and patient care.

Optimize Your Healthcare Operations in 2024: Book a ClearPoint Demo Now!

Certainly, the healthcare landscape is riddled with more challenges than we've explored today. But every problem presents an opportunity for a solution. If your organization is grappling with issues in strategic planning, reporting, or project management, we're here to assist. Book a demo and connect with us for a tailored approach that not only addresses your specific healthcare challenges but also propels you toward achieving and surpassing your goals.

Let's collaborate to turn these challenges into milestones of success for your organization!

What are the biggest challenges facing healthcare today?

The biggest challenges facing healthcare today include:

- Rising Costs: The increasing cost of healthcare services and medications. - Access to Care: Inequities in access to healthcare services, especially in rural and underserved areas. - Chronic Diseases: The growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. - Aging Population: The impact of an aging population on healthcare resources and services. - Workforce Shortages: Shortages of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and specialists. - Technology Integration: Challenges in integrating new technologies and electronic health records (EHR) into existing systems.

What are some of the most promising new technologies that could help to solve these challenges?

Promising new technologies that could help solve healthcare challenges include:

- Telemedicine: Increases access to care by allowing remote consultations and treatments. - Artificial Intelligence (AI): Enhances diagnostics, treatment plans, and patient monitoring through advanced data analysis. - Wearable Devices: Provides real-time health monitoring and data collection for better disease management. - Blockchain: Secures patient data and improves the integrity and accessibility of health records. - Personalized Medicine: Tailors treatments to individual genetic profiles, improving efficacy and reducing side effects. - Robotic Surgery: Offers precision in surgeries, reducing recovery times and improving outcomes.

What are the ethical implications of using these technologies in healthcare?

The ethical implications of using new technologies in healthcare include:

- Privacy and Security: Ensuring the protection of patient data and preventing unauthorized access. - Equity: Addressing disparities in access to advanced technologies across different populations. - Informed Consent: Ensuring patients are fully informed about how technologies will be used in their care. - Bias in AI: Preventing biases in AI algorithms that could lead to unequal treatment outcomes. - Job Displacement: Considering the impact of automation and technology on healthcare employment.

How can we ensure that everyone has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare?

To ensure everyone has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare:

- Expand Coverage: Implement policies to expand healthcare coverage to all citizens, such as universal healthcare or Medicaid expansion. - Reduce Costs: Promote cost-saving measures, including preventive care, price transparency, and competition among providers. - Increase Funding: Allocate more funding to public health services and infrastructure. - Leverage Technology: Use technology to streamline operations and reduce costs, making healthcare more accessible. - Address Social Determinants: Tackle social determinants of health such as education, housing, and income to improve overall health outcomes.

What is the future of healthcare?

The future of healthcare is likely to be characterized by:

- Personalized Medicine: Treatments tailored to individual genetic profiles and lifestyles. - Integrated Care: Coordinated care across different healthcare providers and services to improve patient outcomes. - Advanced Technologies: Greater use of AI, robotics, telemedicine, and other advanced technologies in diagnosis, treatment, and patient management. - Preventive Care: Increased focus on prevention and wellness to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. - Global Collaboration: Enhanced global collaboration and information sharing to address health crises and improve healthcare delivery worldwide.

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Healthcare organizations live change every day. Change management is an imperative in every campaign, every mission, and every goal.

Many healthcare organizations, as well as nonprofits that operate in the health sector, are mission-driven to affect change in the populations they serve, so change management techniques apply both internally to staff processes and externally to the people they serve.

Change management is, by nature, designed to facilitate innovation and foster new ways of thinking and behaving. Political winds foster funding changes and clinical research yields new best practices for care delivery models. In public and private healthcare delivery, the constant thread of change management is woven throughout our practice regardless of the size of our organization or the mission we hope to achieve.

Why is it, then, that organizational efforts at change management so often fail?

Challenges of Change Management in Healthcare

The Harvard Business Review suggests most change management efforts fail, take too long, and simply don’t last. They suggest that change management in healthcare is harder than most other industries because “Clinical and administrative staff often view their work as a vocation as much as a profession, and they are historically suspicious of senior administrators and resistant to strategic agendas.” This is one way that change management can fail. When employees feel strong ownership in existing methodologies and drag their heels, it can slow and even kill the initiative for the entire organization. Even if the effort appears to work initially, it will fail long-term without stakeholder buy-in.

Change management in healthcare organizations can fail, too, because complex infrastructures can stymie communication across a large, dispersed group. This is particularly true when change comes from the top and is expected to funnel downward to employees on the front lines of a service culture.

Change management in the healthcare industry is also challenging when organizations fail to plan systematically for workflow disruptions, long-term staff engagement, task delegation, preparing for inevitable setbacks, and setting benchmarks to track progress over time.

But the benefits of change management include staff engagement, better service delivery, and improved productivity.

What models are available to ensure your change management efforts will succeed?

One Model for Change Management in Healthcare

There are many change management processes available. One method is Kotter’s 8-steps for leading change. The steps include:

Identifying the “why” behind the change and communicate it.
Engage core stakeholders at every level.
Develop a roadmap for the change initiative.
Gather staff to put the plan into action.
Remove obstacles and adapt as they occur.
Initiate changes and track progress.
Align any interrelated structures with the new vision.
Ensure that change is supported long-term.

Stakeholder engagement is built into every part of Kotter’s model. It’s one area that is crucial to any change management initiative. If we know it’s so important, why is staff buy-in so often missed?

Why Staff Buy-In Is So Important

Change management can make or break an organization. But far too often, healthcare organizations fail to engage the staffers on the front lines. Passive and active resistance from these teams can stymie our best efforts to affect change long-term.

Transforming change management in healthcare from a top-down declaration to a process of engaging staff at every level can create a community of problem solvers to achieve a shared goal. As a result, organizational culture improves and the chance of a successful change management initiative is higher.

Could An Outside Resource Help?

Change management in healthcare organizations is a delicate balancing act between worker engagement and management strategy. Because these efforts are labor-intensive, it is often advantageous to have the assistance of external expertise to ensure the success of your change management initiative.

C4H helps healthcare organizations and health-focused nonprofits to optimize their efforts and better serve their community. Contact us to discuss how we can facilitate change in your organization.

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Health equity, equity, sustainability, cultural competency, and social determinants.

Health Equity aims to enable better opportunities for organizations and public health professionals to respond to racial, health, and structural disparities at the local level.

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Crafting an effective problem statement

Aug 31, 2024

Posted by: Regine Fe Arat

Crafting a clear and concise problem statement is an essential skill in project management. It’s a powerful tool that you can use for effective problem-solving as it guides teams toward innovative solutions and measurable outcomes.

Whether you’re a seasoned project manager or a newcomer to the field, being able to write problem statements can significantly enhance your ability to tackle complex challenges and drive meaningful change.

A problem statement concisely describes an issue or challenge that needs to be addressed. An effective problem statement frames the issue in a way that facilitates a deeper understanding and guides the problem-solving process.

At its core, a well-crafted problem statement should capture the essence of the challenge at hand, providing enough context for stakeholders to grasp the issue’s significance. It helps you find the most appropriate solution and ensures that all team members are aligned in their understanding of the problem’s scope and implications.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find out what problem statements are and what types you can use. You’ll also find practical examples and actionable tips to help you create impactful problem statements of your own.

What are the key components of a problem statement?

Here are the three key components of a problem statement:

The problem

You should clearly state the core issue or challenge to be addressed. This is the heart of your problem statement. Articulate it in a way that’s easy to understand and free from ambiguity.

The method used to solve the problem

While the problem statement itself shouldn’t propose specific solutions, it can outline the general approach or methodology you’ll use to address the issue. For example, you might mention the type of research, analysis or problem-solving techniques your team will employ.

The purpose, statement of objective and scope

This component outlines why addressing the problem is important and what the desired outcome looks like. It should clarify the goals of the problem-solving effort and define the boundaries of what you’ll address. This helps focus efforts and set clear expectations for what the project or initiative aims to achieve.

When to use a problem statement

A problem statement is a versatile tool that you can use across various scenarios in both professional and personal contexts. They are particularly valuable in the following cases:

Initiating new projects: a problem statement helps define the project’s purpose and sets clear objectives from the outset.
Addressing organizational challenges: it provides a structured approach to tackling complex issues within a company or team.
Conducting research: researchers use problem statements to focus their investigations and define the scope of their studies.
Presenting ideas to stakeholders: a well-formulated problem statement can effectively communicate the need for change or investment to decision-makers.
Personal goal-setting: even in individual pursuits, problem statements can help clarify objectives and motivate action.

Types of problem statements

Understanding different types of problem statements can help you choose the best approach for your specific situation.

Let’s explore three common types:

The status quo problem statement

This type of problem statement focuses on the current state of affairs and highlights the gap between the existing situation and the desired outcome.

It’s particularly effective when you are addressing ongoing issues or systemic problems within an organization.

Example: “Our customer support team currently handles 150 tickets, on average, per day with a resolution time of 48 hours. This prolonged response time has led to a 15% decrease in customer satisfaction scores over the past quarter, potentially impacting our retention rates and brand reputation.”

Destination problem statement

A destination problem statement emphasizes the desired future state or goal.

It’s ideal for situations where you want to inspire change and motivate teams to work toward a specific vision.

Example: “We aim to create a seamless onboarding experience for new employees that reduces the time to full productivity from 12 to six weeks while increasing new hire satisfaction scores by 25% within the next fiscal year.”

The stakeholder problem statement

This type of problem statement focuses on the impact of an issue on specific individuals or groups.

It’s particularly useful when you need to highlight the human element of a problem and garner support for change.

Example: “Junior software developers in our organization report feeling overwhelmed and unsupported, with 60% expressing dissatisfaction with their professional growth opportunities. This has resulted in a 30% turnover rate among this group in the past year, leading to increased recruitment costs and knowledge loss.”

How to write a problem statement

Crafting an effective problem statement takes practice and attention to detail. Follow these steps to create impactful problem statements:

Understand the problem

Before putting pen to paper, invest time in thoroughly understanding the issue at hand. Gather data, conduct interviews with stakeholders and observe the problem in action if possible. This deep understanding will form the foundation of your problem statement.

Articulate the problem in simple, straightforward language. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms that might confuse readers. Your goal is to ensure that anyone reading the statement can quickly grasp the core issue.

Provide context

Include relevant background information that helps readers understand the problem’s significance. This might include historical data, industry benchmarks or organizational goals that the issue is affecting.

Identify the root cause

Dig deeper to uncover the underlying reasons for the problem. Avoid focusing on symptoms. Instead, strive to identify the fundamental issues that need to be addressed. Tools like the “5 whys” technique can be helpful in this process.

Be specific

Use concrete details and quantifiable metrics whenever possible. Instead of saying, “Customer satisfaction is low,” specify, “Customer satisfaction scores have dropped by 15% in the past quarter.” This precision helps create a clear picture of the problem’s scope and impact.

Use measurable criteria

Incorporate measurable elements that can be used to track progress and determine when the problem has been resolved. This might include specific metrics, timeframes or benchmarks.

Make it feasible

Ensure the problem statement describes an issue the organization can actually address. You’ll need to be realistic.

Consider your organization’s resources and constraints. While ambition is important, an overly broad or unattainable goal can be demotivating and unhelpful.

Avoid solution language

Resist the temptation to propose solutions in the problem statement. The goal is to clearly define the problem, not to prescribe how it should be solved. This approach encourages creative thinking and enables you and your team to consider a range of potential solutions.

Consider the audience

Tailor your problem statement to the intended audience. The level of detail and technical language may vary depending on whether you’re presenting to executives, team members or external stakeholders.

Seek feedback

Share your draft problem statement with colleagues or stakeholders to gather their input. Fresh perspectives can help identify blind spots or areas that need clarification.

Revise and refine

Refine your problem statement based on the feedback you receive. Don’t be afraid to go through multiple iterations to achieve the most clear and impactful statement possible.

Test for objectivity

Review your problem statement to ensure it remains objective and free from bias. Avoid language that assigns blame or makes assumptions about causes or solutions.

Challenges of writing a problem statement

While problem statements can be a powerful tool for problem-solving, you may face several common challenges when writing yours. Being aware of these pitfalls can help you avoid them and create more effective problem statements.

Making it too complicated and lacking detail

One of the most frequent issues in problem statement writing is finding the right balance between detail and clarity.

Oversimplifying the problem can lead to a statement that’s too vague to be actionable. On the other hand, including too much detail can obscure the core issue and make the statement difficult to understand.

To overcome this challenge, focus on the essential elements of the problem. Start with a clear, concise statement about the issue, then add only the most relevant contextual details. Use specific, measurable criteria to define the problem’s scope and impact, but avoid getting bogged down in excessive technical jargon or minute, unhelpful details.

Ignoring stakeholders’ perspectives

Another common pitfall is failing to consider the diverse perspectives of all the stakeholders the problem affects. This can result in a problem statement that doesn’t fully capture the issue’s complexity or fails to resonate with key decision-makers.

To address this challenge, make an effort to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders before finalizing your problem statement. This might include conducting interviews, surveys or focus groups with employees, customers, partners or other relevant parties.

Incorporate these diverse viewpoints into your problem statement to create a more comprehensive and compelling representation of the issue.

Misalignment with organizational goals

Sometimes, problem statements can be well-crafted but fail to align with broader organizational objectives. This misalignment can lead to wasted resources and efforts on issues that, while important, may not be critical to the company’s overall success.

To ensure your problem statement aligns with the organization’s goals, review your company’s mission statement, strategic plans and key performance indicators before you get started. Consider how the problem you’re addressing relates to these broader objectives.

If possible, explicitly link the problem and its potential resolution to specific goals or metrics in your statement.

Failing to review and revise

An effective problem statement often requires multiple iterations and refinements. Many project managers make the mistake of treating their first draft as the final version, missing opportunities to improve clarity, precision and impact.

To overcome this challenge:

Build time for revision into your problem statement writing process.
After crafting your initial draft, step away from it for a short period.
Return with fresh eyes to critically evaluate and refine your statement.
Share it with colleagues or mentors for feedback. Be open to making substantive changes based on their input.

The last card

Being able to write problem statements is a valuable skill that can significantly enhance your problem-solving capabilities and drive meaningful change within your organization. They enable you to set the stage for innovative solutions and improved processes – but to do this, you’ll need to clearly articulate challenges, provide context and focus on measurable outcomes.

A well-crafted problem statement is a powerful tool for aligning teams, securing resources and guiding decision-making. It’s the foundation for effective problem-solving strategies. As you get better at writing problem statements, you’ll find that complex challenges become more manageable and your ability to drive positive change increases.

At Pip Decks, we’re passionate about equipping professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to excel in their roles. Whether you’re looking to improve your problem-solving skills, enhance team collaboration or develop your leadership abilities, you’ll find the answers you need in our expert-written card decks.

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The Best Soft Skills Training Strategies to Boost Team Performance

Soft skills are key non-technical abilities like leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Investing in soft skills training for your team can lead to better collaboration, employee satisfaction, and productivity.

Soft skills are key non-technical abilities like leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These skills are crucial for enhancing workplace relationships and improving overall team performance.

While these skills may come naturally to some individuals, offering soft skills training on an organizational level can give employees and the overall business an edge. Investing in soft skills training for your team can lead to better collaboration, employee satisfaction, and productivity.

This article explores effective soft skills training strategies to boost your team’s performance. Looking for more tactics? Read our e-book: Top 3 Soft Skills Your Employees Need In the New World of Work .

Key Takeaways

Soft skills are non-technical abilities such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, which are essential for enhancing workplace relationships and overall performance.
On an organizational level, investing in soft skills training is key for improving business outcomes.
Effective and engaging methods for teaching soft skills include role-playing exercises, story-based learning, and gamification.
To implement successful soft skills training programs, be sure to assess skill gaps, select appropriate delivery methods, and leverage technology appropriately.

What is soft skills training?

Soft skills training is designed to develop essential non-technical abilities like:

Communication
Problem-solving
Leadership
Emotional intelligence

These skills are vital for building stronger workplace relationships and boosting collaboration. Unlike hard skills, which are specific to certain job functions and can be easily measured through exams or certifications, soft skills are more personal and often harder to quantify.

However, just because soft skills are hard to quantify doesn’t mean they can’t be developed. Employees’ personal and professional growth relies on an organization’s investment in soft skills training programs.

When effectively leveraged, this type of training can help individuals improve their social interactions, adaptability, and behavior, which in turn enhances their overall performance. In fact, soft skills significantly contribute to career success, accounting for roughly 85% of an individual’s achievement over their career span.

Developing soft skills is an ongoing process that involves continuous effort, experience, practice, and self-reflection. It’s about cultivating transferable abilities across various roles and industries, making them some of the most valuable assets in today’s workforce.

Differentiating soft skills from hard skills

Before discussing key soft skills strategies for your organization, it’s important to understand the differences between soft skills and hard skills.

Hard skills, also known as technical skills, are job-related competencies that are often a prerequisite for employment in certain fields. They’re critical for performing specific job functions and can be acquired through degrees, courses, or on-the-job training. Examples of hard skills, also known as technical skills, include graphic design, data analysis, and search engine optimization.

However, hard skills alone are not enough to ensure success in the workplace. This is where soft skills come into play. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are non-technical and relate to interactions and work performance. They include personal qualities and traits like teamwork, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, all of which impact how individuals work and collaborate with others.

Interestingly, when soft skills are effectively developed, they can help employees apply and prove their hard skills even more powerfully. They can also improve the strength of an overall team and organization by boosting collaborative potential.

Two women at work discuss business while holding a tablet between them; demonstrating leadership and communication soft skills

What are the benefits of soft skills training?

Soft skills training programs offer numerous benefits with the power to transform individual performance and overall organizational success. Notably, these programs can greatly improve employee performance. For example, one study found that a 12-month soft skills training program across five factories improved return on investment by roughly 250 percent .

Another key benefit of soft skills training is its ability to improve interpersonal relationships. This, in turn, leads to better teamwork and a stronger sense of community within the workplace. When employees communicate effectively and empathize with one another, it creates a more positive work environment and enhances collaboration. This can even lead to benefits such as improved employee retention, as participants feel more valued and motivated in their roles.

Soft skills training is particularly crucial for specific industries and job functions, especially those that interact with customers regularly. By training employees to respond empathetically in their communication, businesses can improve the strength of their customer service and respond to customer needs more effectively. This can improve brand reputation and lead to increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

3 essential soft skills to develop

Two smiling coworkers collaborate on a project at work on a shared laptop

Now, let’s focus on three crucial soft skills: communication, collaboration, and time management. Each plays a pivotal role in ensuring efficient operations, effective teamwork, and a positive work culture.

1. Communication skills

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful teamwork and client relations. Strong communication skills enable employees to:

Interact efficiently with clients, partners, and each other
Build rapport
Practice active listening skills
Speak confidently and concisely
Provide constructive feedback more effectively

Bolstering interpersonal communication in these ways can also lead to increased client satisfaction and loyalty. Being able to deliver information clearly and concisely can help keep things clear, expedite conversations, and resolve potential conflicts.

Presentation skills are another vital aspect of communication, involving the ability to:

Deliver information in a structured and engaging manner
Use visual aids effectively to enhance an audience’s understanding
Adapt the presentation style to suit the audience’s needs and preferences

With opportunities to polish their presentation skills, employees can communicate more effectively—both within their teams and with external stakeholders.

2. Teamwork and collaboration

Like communication skills, strong collaboration skills are essential for effective teamwork, innovation, and achieving collective goals. Teamwork skills allow employees to gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses within a team, and provide an opportunity to improve communication with others for better outcomes.

Collaboration skills also involve:

The ability to take accountability for errors, and communicate any plans for resolving them
Conflict mediation skills
A shared commitment to working in a group
The ability to foster creativity and innovation

3. Time management

Efficient time management is crucial for meeting deadlines, avoiding stress, and enhancing reliability. Good time management skills help individuals prioritize tasks, allocate time effectively, and maintain a positive approach to challenges, thereby increasing efficiency.

One helpful technique for improving time management skills is time blocking, which involves allocating specific blocks of time for different tasks. This approach can help employees stay focused, avoid procrastination, and ensure that all tasks are completed on time, ultimately improving personal productivity and overall team performance.

Because it is often impacted by external factors, time management can be one of the most challenging to train on. However, fostering a work culture where employees receive training to learn to prioritize tasks, set boundaries, and manage their time more efficiently can pay dividends in the long run.

Effective methods for teaching soft skills

Effective soft skills training requires an engaging approach encouraging active participation and real-world application. Below, we’ll cover three of the most effective methods: role-playing exercises, story-based learning, and gamification.

Role-playing exercises

Role-playing exercises allow employees to participate in scenarios to practice and enhance specific soft skills. These exercises help employees understand different perspectives and improve their problem-solving abilities by working through realistic workplace situations.

Scenarios used in role-playing can be tailored to address specific challenges employees face in their roles, providing immediate feedback and opportunities for improvement. For example, a customer service team might act out common scenarios from the perspective of both the service agent and the client to form a deeper understanding of how these interactions might play out.

Using role-playing in e-learning can be a very effective way to work through scenarios with employees at scale. With the right e-learning software, you can set up simulations and branching logic to help employees understand cause and effect while also aiding in knowledge retention.

Story-based learning

Story-based learning uses narratives or storytelling methods to convey essential lessons and concepts. This can be a highly valuable tool in soft skills training. By reflecting on their personal experiences or envisioning scenarios with fictional characters, employees can extract valuable insights and apply them to real-life situations.

Narratives in story-based learning often mirror the challenges of the job, making lessons more relatable and memorable. This method helps illustrate the consequences of different actions and decisions, enhancing employees’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Gamification

To make your soft skills courses more engaging and motivating, try incorporating game design elements like point scoring, leaderboards, and rewards. These gamification elements encourage participation and make the training experience more enjoyable for participants.

Interactive games can simulate real-life scenarios your employees might encounter, allowing them to practice and refine their soft skills in a controlled, low-risk environment. Be sure to offer opportunities for constructive feedback in your gamified training to allow participants to hone their skills over time.

How to implement soft skills training programs

A man working in a home office sits at his laptop to take a soft skills assessment online.

To implement a soft skills program effectively and at scale, it’s important to follow a framework. Below, we’ll cover the key steps to doing so, including assessing skill gaps, choosing the right delivery method, and promoting continuous learning and feedback.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your training is tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization and employees.

1. Assess skill gaps

Identifying existing skill gaps among employees is a crucial first step for tailoring training programs efficiently. Organizations can pinpoint opportunities for soft skills development by speaking with employees at all levels and consulting with managers.

Assessing skill gaps helps ensure that your training addresses specific needs and enhances your team’s overall performance. This is essential for creating targeted and impactful training programs.

2. Choose the right delivery method

To ensure your employees can effectively engage with and retain material, it’s key to select the appropriate delivery method for your soft skills training. This may vary depending on the needs of your organization or team.

For example, you may want to create a dedicated soft skills course that allows employees to access training regularly in bite-size chunks without interfering with their day-to-day work. You can also use micro-learning, which breaks down training into small and actionable segments, to allow for immediate application of soft skills.

3. Encourage continuous learning and feedback

Encouraging regular feedback and self-reflection helps employees identify areas for improvement and fosters a learning mindset. This culture of continual learning is essential for addressing mistakes and setting new goals.

Utilizing an e-learning platform like Articulate 360 can help you provide consistent and personalized learning experiences with opportunities for feedback.

Leveraging technology in soft skills training

Technology—specifically online learning platforms—is a key way to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of soft skills training. These platforms provide flexible and engaging training environments that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of employees.

Below, we’ll explore how platforms like Articulate 360 can be used to develop soft skills.

E-learning platforms for soft skill development

When it comes to soft skills training, e-learning platforms offer the following benefits:

Access to training regardless of an employee’s geographical location or time constraints
Interactive multimedia modules for an engaging learning experience
Videos for visual and auditory learning
Multi-device access

These platforms provide learners with a flexible and convenient way to develop their soft skills, making it easier for employees to fit training into their schedules.

Articulate 360 capabilities

Articulate 360, the leading e-learning platform, offers a platform designed to help you create engaging, interactive courses tailored to specific soft skills. Some key capabilities include:

Engaging learner experiences : Articulate 360 lets you build interactive, effective, and engaging sales training that can include branching scenarios, interactive activities, knowledge checks, and a wide range of assessments.
Intuitive authoring for ALL course creators : With Articulate 360’s intuitive UI and integrated AI Assistant, you and your cross-functional collaborators can easily create effective sales training to boost sales performance.
Quizzes and knowledge checks : Provide your learners with immediate feedback, helping them identify areas for improvement and track their progress.
Helpful Templates: Get a head start on course creation with a library of templates on key sales topics such as prospecting, pipeline management, objection handling, and deal negotiation.
Seamless collaboration and reviews: Collaborate on course creation by inviting colleagues to create and edit content, improving the quality of your sales training. Collect and approve in-context feedback, simplifying and accelerating the entire course review and approval process.

By leveraging the capabilities of platforms like Articulate 360, organizations can ensure continuous development and a more dynamic approach to soft skills training.

Measuring the impact of soft skills training

To ensure the effectiveness of your soft skills training, b e sure to close the loop by evaluating its impact. This can be done through performance metrics, employee feedback, and observed behavioral changes. Pre- and post-assessments can gauge initial and post-training performance levels, providing a clear picture of the training’s impact.

You can also provide employees with opportunities for self-assessment, peer feedback, and supervisor feedback, or track improvements in key areas like productivity, collaboration, and communication after training. Including 360-degree feedback allows for assessment from multiple perspectives, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation.

Evaluation methods for soft skills training programs include:

Knowledge checks and quiz results from online training programs
Surveys to gather subjective insights into the effectiveness of the training
Observing real-life applications of the skills learned
Assessing knowledge retention rates to measure the long-term impact of the training

These evaluation methods help organizations refine and improve their soft skills training programs by utilizing various soft skills training methods.

Real-life examples of successful soft skills training

Real-life soft skills training examples can provide valuable insights into the implementation and positive results of soft skills training programs. For instance, Google’s Project Oxygen program demonstrated that managers who effectively communicated and supported employee well-being were key to maintaining high-performing teams.

IBM’s Leadership Development Program focuses on enhancing soft skills such as emotional intelligence, collaboration, and communication among its leaders.

Zappos invested in training programs prioritizing customer service skills, which enhanced employee communication and problem-solving abilities, leading to higher customer satisfaction. These case studies highlight the common benefits of soft skills training programs, such as:

Improved communication
Better leadership
Enhanced problem-solving abilities
Increased employee engagement and satisfaction.

The impact of employee soft skills training

Investing in soft skills training programs is essential for enhancing employee performance, fostering better workplace relationships, and driving overall organizational success. By understanding the key benefits, differentiating between soft and hard skills, and focusing on developing essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, and time management, organizations can create a more dynamic and effective workforce.

Looking for more strategies to improve employee soft skills? Read our e-book: Top 3 Soft Skills Your Employees Need In the New World of Work .

Articulate Wins 2024 Employer of Choice Award

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The influencing factors of clinical nurses’ problem solving dilemma: a qualitative study

Introduction

Study design

Settings and participants

Data collection

Data analysis

Ethical considerations

Nurses’ own factors

Differences in professional values

Poor strain capacity

Improper nursing management

Insufficient allocation of manpower

Patient factors

Individual differences of patients

Multiple factors affecting clinical nurses’ problem-solving dilemma

Implementing situational simulation training to improve the comprehensive quality of nurses

Optimize nursing management and improve nurses’ working experience

Using new media to improve the image and credibility of nurses

Limitations and strengths of the study

Implications for practice

Biographies

Funding Statement

Disclosure statement

What is Problem-Solving in Nursing? (With Examples, Importance, & Tips to Improve)

What Exactly is Problem-Solving in Nursing?

Top Hospital Quality Problems and How to Solve Them

Hospital Problems Explained

Financial Challenges

Patient Safety and Quality

Tine Health

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