Skip to content
RMIT University Library - Learning Lab

Stage 3: Developing solutions

 

Once you have analysed the problems, you need to develop possible solutions using research, theory and industry practice.

You then need to evaluate these solutions to make recommendations for action.

Potential solutions should be developed for each of the key problems you have identified. Often there is more than one solution, so it is useful to evaluate each solution in terms of its advantages and disadvantages.

Your evaluation of a solution may need to consider constraints such as:

  • effectiveness
  • costs
  • time
  • resources

The solutions section should be clear and concise. Use headings and subheadings where appropriate to set out the advantages and disadvantages of a course of action.

Evidence Problem Relevant theory Solution
CEO
  • Office location on top floor
  • 'mythical figure'
  • Focussed on results
  • HealthCo is 'his baby'
CEO leadership style
  • 'autocratic'
  • Weber (Bureaucratic management)
    (Houghton 2010)
  • Taylor (Scientific theory of management)
    (Van Vugt et al. 2004
  • Mintzberg Management roles model
    • interpersonal
    • ...
    • ...
    (Mintzberg 2004)
  • No respect for staff ('only a number)
  • No rewards ... only punishment ('super snoops')
  • No initiative allowed
    • staff leaving
Management culture
  • 'distrustful'
  • controlling
  • Mechanistic
  • Autocratic leadership style
    (Bass & Bass 2008)
  • Fayol's Principles (Administritive theory)
    • equity, ..., etc.
    (Houghton 2010)
  • Human Performance System
    • feedback
    • ...
    (Baker 2010)
  • Communication 'top down'
Communication
  • memos only
  • Impersonal communication style
    (De Hoog et al. 2015)
  • Good communication key to unified work environment.
    (Kessler 2010)

2.2 Solutions


Organisational culture was the major issue identified at HealthCo. This culture was expressed through poor communication between management and staff, as well as the leadership and management of the company. Potential solutions to improve HealthCo's communication issues could include:

2.2.1 Flatten the management structure of the organisation


Advantages
Removing some levels of management from the company structure would encourage more direct communication between the CEO, management and frontline staff. Streamlining and flattening the structure would benefit HealthCo in terms of cost savings in management salaries. Other benefits would include more direct contact with customers by management and the CEO and more immediate feedback from frontline staff (Baker 2010; Kessler 2010). These actions would allow HealthCo to respond more efficiently to their members, creating greater customer satisfaction and improving competitiveness.

Disadvantages
Large organisations require a hierarchical structure to operate efficiently. Fewer managers would have more staff reporting to them and this could actually decrease communication between staff and management. In addition, management have strategic responsibilities in their roles which may be lost if they are working directly with customers alongside frontline staff.

2.2.2. Timetable regular staff meetings


Advantages
... etc.

Disadvantages
... etc.

Numbered headings and sub-headings

Issue identified

Solutions proposed
 

Finally, the student has used the theory and treatments they researched to identify solutions to the patient's individual case.

Evidence Problem Relevant theory Solution
CEO
  • Negative side effects from ... = still gets severe symptoms
  • POsitive treatment from ...
Drug therapies

Therapeutic management of ... (Lichtenstein, 2014).

Side effects: Vedolizumab ...

Prednisolone (Lichtenstein, 2014).

  • Regular drinker (beer & wine) High cholesterol
Diet therapies

Dairy & ... (Lichtenstein, 2014)

FODMAP diet

FODMAP diet - reduce alcohol, caffeine & ... (Tuck et al., 2014).

Post-operative vital signs -

  • Temp 37.2
  • Pulse ...
Post-procedure complications

Colonoscopy - procedure (Paraskeva & Paspitis, 2014).

Haemorrhage ... Infection ... (Brown et al., 2014).

Patient history - anxiety and ... GORD management Drug treatment ... & surgery ... (Brown et al., 2014) Education (Brown et al., 2014).

The paragraph below identifies a range of drug therapies relevant to the treatment of the patient's condition. The student has evaluated the benefits and limitations of these treatments based on the patient's history to recommend an appropriate solution.

The example below has used the RMIT APA referencing style guide.

Management of Ulcerative Colitis (UC)


Ulcerative colitis (UC) is chronic inflammation of the lining of the large intestine, affecting the lower part of the colon and rectum (Stansfield, 2014). The condition is incurable and can have a ignificant effect on a patient's physical, social and psychological self as it is characterised by cycles of exacerbations and remissions, as Mr Rogers has experienced (Lichtenstein, 2014).

Drug Therapies

Drug therapies aim to induce and maintain remission periods of the disease (Lichtenstein, 2014). Patients with mild to moderate UC are usually initially treated with 5-ASA agents including sulfasalazine, mesalamine, balsalazide and olsalazine (Lichtenstein, 2014). Mr Rogers was prescribed Vedolizumab, a monoclonal antibody used for severe UC, as more conventional corticosteroid treatments, such as oral budesonide, and probiotics failed (Dignass et al., 2012). While side effects caused him to discontinue this therapy, he has had some relief using mesalazine (Stansfield et al., 2016). However, other corticosteroids such as Prednisone have proven to benefit patients by reducing inflammation and maintaining periods of remissions (Lichtenstein, 2014). This therapy could be used alongside other antibiotics or immunosuppressants such as Azathioprine 6-MP or Methotrexate as these can be used at low doses and have few recorded side effects (Lichtenstein, 2014). A combination of drug therapies to treat the effects of UC as well as treatments to reduce anxiety or relieve pain can be effective in managing the condition (Love, 2016). In conjunction with diet, a more complex drug therapy treatment is likely to provide the best outcomes for patients in the management of their UC.

Diet Therapies

Diet therapy treatment of UC, in conjunction with other drug treatments, can contribute to ...

Use of headings (based on case questions)





Use of sub-headings (if required)

Topic sentence

Solutions for treatment therapies

Examples from the case

Solutions for treatment therapies







Concluding/linking sentence



Following paragraph topic sentence