Running head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING PAPER 1

Professional Meeting Paper

Kate Hardrick

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 3142 Leadership and Business of Healthcare

Dr. Carol DuBois

April 26, 2020

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The town hall meeting at Mount Sinai Hospital was to provide updated information

regarding their response to COVID-19. The president and lead physicians of the hospital

provided safety measures in place, visitor limitations, and details about how the hospital was

dealing with the virus. They finished by answering questions that had been posed to them

regarding the pandemic. This paper will analyze the aspects of authoritative leadership,

population health, policy changes, and healthcare quality that were displayed during the meeting.

Leadership

In times of crises, organizations rely on their leaders to make quick and well-informed

decisions. The leadership of Mt. Sinai Hospital has been faced with the same choices and

shortages that have affected the rest of the world during this COVID-19 pandemic. During a

town hall meeting, the president of the hospital as well as some of the leading physicians held a

meeting to disseminate the most recent actions taken to combat the virus. This action displays the

authoritative leadership style that is common and effective during an emergency situation. The

administration made a decision regarding the steps that should be taken to prevent further spread

and then put that plan into action. The swift decision-making decreases confusion and allows the

plan to be executed soon after a disaster occurs.

The meeting displays the importance of communication that is described in the ANA

Standards of Professional Performance. This standard requires healthcare workers to be

adaptable and have the skills required to communicate information clearly and concisely

(Standards of professional nursing practice). The leadership at Mt. Sinai Hospital utilized the

streaming service of YouTube to reach a wider audience in order to get their message out to the

public. They were able to describe the situation clearly and update their viewers on the new

measures that were being put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This communication
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technique allows staff and family members to remain in compliance with the changing culture of

healthcare during the pandemic.

Business of Healthcare

The administration at Mt. Sinai Hospital and the world are focused on the population

health aspect of the IHI Triple Aim. Population health refers to health and functionality of a

community, how at risk the community is, the prevalence of disease, and the mortality rate (IHI

triple aim measures). COVID-19 affects all four of these domains; the town hall meeting focused

mainly on how to keep society healthy and functioning properly as well as reduce risk.

Information was provided on social distancing policies and universal precautions that can lower

the chance of viral spread; these efforts are aimed to keep individuals healthy which translates to

a healthy population. The healthier the population is, the less overwhelmed healthcare

institutions, like Mt. Sinai, will be when the number of cases reaches its peak.

Evidence-based research and practice are important aspects of the ANA Standards of

Professional Performance (IHI triple aim measures). It has been demonstrated that proper hand

hygiene and social distancing can limit the spread of respiratory illnesses like the flu; this is why

the Mt. Sinai leadership are putting these measures into place. They have seen how quickly

respiratory diseases can spread and are aiming to decrease the percentage of the population who

get sick by utilizing the most up-to-date research available.

Advocacy

An important part of being an advocate is having the ability to influence policy. Policies

are an important part of any organization because they denote how things should be run;

COVID-19 has forced all of this to change. The administration at Mt. Sinai Hospital has the

opportunity to be advocates for their staff, patients, and the surrounding community by putting in
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place new policies that will be effective in combating the pandemic. One purpose of the town

hall meeting was to reiterate the changes occuring in the hospital as well as answer any questions

that the changes caused. The knowledge base provided by the range of physicians acts as a

trusted source for the community and other healthcare leaders to rely on. All of these factors

increase the likelihood of compliance to the new policies set in place.

An important aspect of being an advocate is having proper leadership skills in order to

effectively meet other’s needs. The ANA Standards of Professional Performance cite leadership

as a core tenant on which to practice (Standards of professional nursing practice). Leadership

skills are required to introduce new policy to a healthcare system; leadership is also required to

push for what is right for your patient, staff, and community. The leadership demonstrated by

Mt. Sinai Hospital will help reduce the spread and devastation caused by COVID-19.

Quality and Safety

The National Quality Strategy (NQS) serves as a resource from the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services to providing safe and effective healthcare. One aspect of the NQS is

to provide information on best practice strategies to enable people to live healthy lives

(Introduction to the national quality strategy). The leadership of Mt. Sinai Hospital recognizes

that in a global pandemic the best practice must change to suit the times and the town hall

meeting represents the new best practice for the hospital and community to promote healthy

living. The president and physicians of the hospital are providing quality care to their community

by updating the strategies that are being put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19. They

realize that quality care is a fluid idea and must be adapted to fit the situation at that moment.

Quality of practice is a skill that comes directly from the ANA Standards of Professional

Performance (Standards of professional nursing practice). The fact that the Department of Health
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and Human Services and the ANA focus directly on quality of practice is an indicator of just

how important it is. Consistent high quality of healthcare is crucial to attain and maintain the

trust of the community. The community around Mt. Sinai Hospital knows that it’s administration

can be looked at as a trusted source because of their reputation for providing proper care. The

more a community trusts its source of information the more likely it is to heed the advice that is

given; this represents an essential part of stopping the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflection

The most significant lesson that I’ve learned from this virus is how quickly

misinformation can spread when there is a health crisis. This problem can be dangerous and

detrimental to public health as a whole. I have found it scary how one misinterpretation can

spread across the country and lead to further problems. I hope this acts as a lesson about the

importance of listening to reputable sources and not believing everything that you read.

I learned the importance of strong leadership during emergencies and how it can reduce

conflicting information and allow for quick action. Initially, our country was hit by the pandemic

and there was no unified response which led to a rapid increase in the number of cases. Once

governors began stepping up themselves and shutting down states, people began to understand

the gravity of the situation. I think a more unified, early response from the country’s top leaders

could have prevented the spread that we’re seeing now.

I have seen how this country reacts with panic at the conflicting information that is

provided to them which creates distrust and fear. This age of social media has created an age

where people are able to get information 24/7 from any platform; this has led to a hoarding of

medical supplies and people demonstrating on the streets. There need to be sources easily
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accessible to the public that aren’t biased by politics or financial gain to prevent this type of mass

spread of bad information.

Conclusion

Mount Sinai Hospital has done an impressive job of simultaneously providing important

information as well as answering questions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. It is this type

of leadership, emphasis on public health, policy-focused, quality healthcare that provides a way

through such a health crisis. During this time of uncertainty, it is healthcare systems that need to

step up and educate the public about the way forward. This display of leadership demonstrates

how to keep individuals and communities safe by providing accurate and concise information.

References

IHI triple aim measures: IHI. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.ihi.org/Engage/Initiatives/TripleAim/Pages/MeasuresResults.aspx

Introduction to the national quality strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved from

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https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/workingforquality/nqs/toolkits/nqs-

intro.pdf

Standards of professional nursing practice. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.ferris.edu/health-professions/Nursing/standards-of-Professional-nursing-

practice.htm