My Leadership Development SMART Goal. Use the format below to develop a leadership SMART goal for YOURSELF, not your organization or department.

My Leadership Development SMART Goal. Use the format below to develop a leadership SMART goal for YOURSELF, not your organization or department. The goal needs to be related to ONE of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) quality initiative, which includes five core healthcare profession competencies. However, your assignment focuses on only two of the initiatives. These are Patient-Centered Care or Working in Interdisciplinary and/or Interprofessional Teams. One of these competencies will serve as a framework for identification of your leadership goal.

NOTE: Your two choices are Patient-Centered Care or Working in Interdisciplinary and/or Interprofessional Teams.

SMART Goal Format:

S—Specific (Who, besides YOU is involved in your goal, what is YOUR goal, and where will it take place?)

M—Measurable (How are YOU going to achieve the goal?)

A—Attainable (What resources and/or experts are available to assist YOU with attaining your goal?)

R—Realistic (Is YOUR goal something that is realistically obtainable by YOU in YOUR professional practice? Explain.)

T—Time bound (What specific dates or weeks will YOU accomplish each task related to YOUR leadership goal?)

Again, this goal is about YOUR leadership development…not a SMART goal for your department or the organization for which you work.

ANSWER

Leadership Development SMART Goal: Enhancing Patient-Centered Care

Introduction

As a healthcare professional, I recognize the critical importance of leadership in promoting quality healthcare outcomes. In alignment with the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) quality initiative, I have chosen to focus on the competency of Patient-Centered Care as the framework for my leadership development SMART goal. This goal will guide my efforts to improve the delivery of patient-centered care within my professional practice. By setting a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goal, I aim to enhance patient experiences and contribute to the overall quality of care provided.

S – Specific

 My goal is to develop and implement a comprehensive patient feedback system at the healthcare facility where I work. This system will involve not only myself but also the patients and the interdisciplinary team members involved in their care (Rosen et al., 2018c). The goal is to establish a mechanism that encourages open communication, actively involves patients in their care, and captures their feedback to drive continuous improvement efforts.

M – Measurable

 To achieve this goal, I will implement the following steps:

Conduct a needs assessment to identify the existing gaps and opportunities for improvement in the patient feedback process.

Develop a patient feedback system that includes both qualitative and quantitative measures, such as surveys, focus groups, and suggestion boxes.

Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to ensure the integration of patient feedback into care plans and decision-making processes.

Implement the patient feedback system within a specific unit or department as a pilot project.

Analyze the collected feedback data and identify trends, areas of improvement, and successes.

Based on the analysis, propose and implement targeted interventions and changes to enhance patient-centered care.

Evaluate the impact of the implemented interventions on patient satisfaction and outcomes.

A – Attainable

 To attain my goal, I will leverage various resources and seek support from experts within my healthcare organization. This includes:

Collaborating with the Quality Improvement Department to access existing data and expertise on patient satisfaction.

Engaging with patient experience officers or representatives to gain insights into best practices and innovative approaches (Hughes, 2008b).

Utilizing the support of the interdisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and administrators, to ensure buy-in and participation in the patient feedback system.

Attending leadership development workshops and seeking guidance from mentors to enhance my leadership skills in driving patient-centered care initiatives.

R – Realistic

The goal of developing and implementing a patient feedback system is realistically obtainable within my professional practice. As a healthcare professional, I have a direct role in patient care delivery and the opportunity to influence the processes and practices that shape patient experiences (Hardavella et al., 2017) By leveraging available resources, collaborating with experts, and engaging the interdisciplinary team, I can lead and drive meaningful change in enhancing patient-centered care.

T – Time-bound

To accomplish each task related to my leadership goal, I have set the following time-bound milestones:

Needs assessment completion: By the end of Month 1.

Development of the patient feedback system: By the end of Month 2.

Pilot project implementation: By the end of Month 3.

Data analysis and identification of improvement areas: By the end of Month 4.

Implementation of targeted interventions: By the end of Month 5.

Evaluation of interventions and impact assessment: By the end of Month 6.

Conclusion 

By setting a SMART goal focused on enhancing patient-centered care through the implementation of a comprehensive patient feedback system, I aim to make a positive impact on the quality of care provided in my professional practice. This goal emphasizes the importance of leadership in driving patient-centered care initiatives and involves collaboration with interdisciplinary team members and active patient engagement. Through the successful achievement of this goal, I anticipate improved patient satisfaction, enhanced healthcare outcomes, and a culture of continuous improvement within the healthcare facility.

References

Hardavella, G., Aamli-Gaagnat, A., Saad, N., Rousalova, I., & Sreter, K. B. (2017). How to give and receive feedback effectively. Breathe, 13(4), 327–333. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.009917

Hughes, R. G. (2008b, April 1). Tools and Strategies for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Patient Safety and Quality – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/ 

Rosen, M. J., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D. R., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018c). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high-quality care. American Psychologist, 73(4), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000298