The Five Rights of Effective Clinical Informatics Leadership

Right Focus 

Helping teams find the Right Focus is the leader's responsibility. Effective Clinical Informatics Leadership sets the right tone and direction for the many teams working on all parts of an initiative.  It is easy to become sidetracked, to get lost in minute details, or to be distracted by the perceived needs of politically-influential individuals or departments. Such events slow progress and frustrate implementation teams. 

Real decisions are made by focusing on the germane details, but, because it is hard to make sense of confusing issues, groups often burrow too deeply into the details, hoping a clear answer will emerge. The optimal answer is found when the leader adjusts the focus to combine the inspiring vision which is driving the initiative with the right amount of detail. 

Focus on the needs of the hands-on caregivers as the surest way to improve patient safety and worker productivity. Use that emphasis to resolve the conflicts that arise from the disruption of existing  departmental and staff work process boundaries which occurs in successful clinical informatics implementations. Remember, such restructuring provides the opportunity for quantum leap improvements in efficiency and quality. However, with so much change in the air, it is also easier for parochial needs to hijack decisions. The Right Focus helps to prevent that.

Measurement of outcomes is an essential part of the Five Rights of Effective Patient Care. Using the Right Engagement is an essential tool to assess the depth of understanding and commitment of the rest of the organization.

Expensive projects get funded when they align with the organization's strategic goals. Effective leaders make sure those goals reflect the real needs of the organization's core business, patient care, and then ensure the projects have measurable outcomes to demonstrate their success. 

Having prioritized and focused, leaders must formulate the Right Message to aid the communication of their ideas.

Clinical Informatics Leadership Coaching helps leaders think though how best to apply these principles to the many day-to-day dilemmas they must understand and resolve.