Organizational Support in Healthcare Redesign Education: A Mixed-Methods Exploratory Study of Expert Coach and Executive Sponsor Experiences

Pieter J. Van Dam, Phoebe Griffin, Gregory M. Peterson, Nicole S. Reeves, Lea Kirkwood and Sarah J. Prior
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Pieter J. Van Dam: Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7000, Tasmania, Australia
Phoebe Griffin: Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston 7250, Tasmania, Australia
Gregory M. Peterson: School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7000, Tasmania, Australia
Nicole S. Reeves: Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Burnie 7320, Tasmania, Australia
Lea Kirkwood: Agency for Clinical Innovation, New South Wales Health, St Leonards 2065, New South Wales, Australia
Sarah J. Prior: Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Burnie 7320, Tasmania, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Healthcare organizations must continue to improve services to meet the rising demand and patient expectations. For this to occur, the health workforce needs to have knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate service improvement interventions. Studies have shown that effective training in health service improvement and redesign combines didactic education with experiential project-based learning and on-the-ground coaching. Project-based learning requires organizational support and oversight, generally through executive sponsorship. A mixed-methods approach, comprising online surveys and semi-structured interviews, was used to explore the experiences of expert coaches and executive sponsors as key facilitators of workplace-based projects undertaken during an Australian postgraduate healthcare redesign course. Fifteen (54%) expert coaches and 37 (20%) executive sponsors completed the online survey. Ten expert coaches and six executive sponsors participated in interviews. The survey data revealed overall positive experiences for coaches and mixed experiences for sponsors. Interview participants expressed a sense of fulfillment that came from working with project teams to deliver a successful project and educational outcomes. However, concerns were raised about adequate resourcing, organizational recognition, competing priorities, and the skills required to effectively coach and sponsor. Expert coaches and executive sponsors sometimes felt under-valued and may benefit from cohort-tailored and evidence-based professional development.

Keywords: project-based learning; work-integrated learning; healthcare redesign; health service improvement; organizational support; sponsor; expert coach; education; quality improvement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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