Stakeholders’ Needs In Healthcare Facility Development Essay Example

Introduction

Owing to the nature of the healthcare industry, projects focused on enhancing performance are subject to various stakeholders’ interests. Thus, projects have varying effects on various stakeholders while stakeholders have varying influence on the project. In that view, it is crucial to identify the various stakeholders’ needs as are the determiner of the effect that the project has on them as well as the influence that they have on it. With that understanding, the development of a Cancer Center at the University of Miami Hospital will require identification of the key stakeholders’ needs and determining how to address them. That will be crucial in ensuring that the project succeeds in achieving its intended goals and gains support from the stakeholders. The process to assess those needs, specific stakeholders needs and a determination of how to address them is the subject of this report.

Analysis

Process of identifying needs
Identifying the stakeholders need swill entail brainstorming and consultation for identification of the key stakeholders who have an influence on the project as well as those who are likely to be affected. With their identification, the stakeholders will be engaged in expressing their interest and concerns regarding the project. Thus, there will be use of stakeholders mapping that will help in identifying the nature and extent of the effect that they could have or could be affected by the project. Upon the interest identification, the project can be designed and managed in a way that considers and balances the interest hence gaining support and increasing its potential for success. (Lawrence & Weber, 2008)

Facility and staff needs

Cancer treatment requires advanced technology application as well as use of state of the art equipments. That owes to the complex nature of the disease’s diagnosis and treatment as well as the varying nature of complications those patients face. In that respect, the facility needs to be advanced in terms of adequate equipment and technologies. In addition, the facility should be capable of enhancing research for further improvement on the processes. Further, the facility needs to accommodate the university and promotes learning about the disease that will be crucial in advancing the treatments and diagnosis for treatment of more complex problems.
In terms of staff needs, the facility will require to be manned by qualifies personnel equipped with the right skills for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The staff also needs to be acquainted with the advanced technologies and equipments use for efficient utilization of the facility. Thus, there will be a need for requiring qualified staff, providing suitable remuneration as well as providing them with suitable training to enhance their effectiveness. On the other hand, the facility needs to be safe for the staff.

Community needs

The community within which a project is set has an influence on its success and is also affected by the project. In that respect, the immediate community for the project is the Miami University and surrounding community. The University has a need for research development hence will benefit from the facility’s development. In addition, the surrounding communities have a need for advanced treatment of cancer hence have a need for a facility that is more efficient in the treatment compared to the current available facilities. (Lawrence & Weber, 2008)

Other needs

Owing to the crucial role that the facility is expected to serve, there are other stakeholders who're interest are crucial to the project. Those needs include those of the patients, partnering institution as well as healthcare regulators interest. The following is the summary of the stakeholders’ interest and the need for their consideration. (Logsdon, Wood & Benson, 2000) 
Patients: Patient are in need for a facility that provides more efficient diagnosis and treatment to reduce the cost of treatment as well as the time spent addressing the complex cancer problems. (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001)
Partnering institutions: The partnering institutions including the Miami University have a need for the system to have suitable equipments and systems that will enhance their collaboration in terms of research and information exchange.
Regulators: Regulators have a mandate to ensure that healthcare facilities are safe and suitable for use by patients and the medical staff. In that respect, the regulators will require the facility to be fitted with safety equipments and be designed in a manner that minimizes risks. (Logsdon, Wood & Benson, 2000) 

Process of determining the needs to address

In determining the needs that should be addressed, there will be rating of the various stakeholders’ involvement and interest. Thus, an influence diagram will be the key tools that will be used in determining the interest and impact. (Logsdon, Wood & Benson, 2000) 

Plan for addressing major project needs

In view of the identified stakeholders needs, the following is a summary of the plan on how to address the key needs.
Safety needs: The safety needs will be addressed by designing the facility in line with the hospital regulator’s guidelines. That will ensure that patients and staff’s safety is provided for in terms of safe equipments
Efficiency needs: To address efficiency needs, the facility will be fitted with advanced equipments and technologies in liaison with researchers the equipments suppliers. That will ensure that the facility has all the necessary equipments and technologies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001)
Research needs: The facility is expected to operate as a key research center for Miami University hospital. Thus, it will be developed in liaison with the University for the purpose of identifying the necessary systems that will enhance collaboration between the facility’s staff and the university. That will involve having suitable communication systems, as well as space for research and medical tests. (Harper & Pitt, 2004)

Conclusion

The analysis has demonstrated that the project has a number of stakeholders whose interest will influence its success or will be influenced by the project. The key stakeholders have been identified as the owners, staff, patients and the community. Thus, the needs will be identified through stakeholder's mapping, and the needs will be rated for the purpose of determining those that should be addressed. To address the needs, a plan has been outlined to include a stakeholders’ consultation through which the stakeholders will express their interests. In that respect, there will be a strategy to balance the interest as a means of enhancing the project’s support. The strategy will involve enhancing the facility’s efficiency in providing patients required solutions, enhancing staff’s efficacy while guaranteeing their safety. In addition, there will be measures to ensure that the facility design addresses all regulator’s requirements in terms of safety and efficiency.

References

Harper P. & Pitt A. (2004). On the challenges of healthcare modeling and a proposed project
Life cycle for successful implementation. Journal of the Operational Research Society 55(6), 657–661.
Lawrence, A., & Weber, J. (2008). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public
Policy. 12th Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Logsdon, J., Wood, D., & Benson, L. (2000). Research in Stakeholder Theory 1997–1998:
The Sloan Foundation Mini-grant Project. Toronto, ON: Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics.
Plsek P. & Greenhalgh T. (2001). The challenge of complexity in health care. British Medical