Applying the conceot of Positive Deviance Article

Applying the conceot of Positive Deviance - Article Example The patient developed septic shock after contracting an HAI called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Tragic demise of my friend’s relative was an event which was preventable, but it happened because more attention was laid on treatment and less on prevention. Lack of awareness regarding HIAs is also a big problem. The need of the time is to use a different approach to handle the growing problem of HIAs as current approaches have had poor success in terms of outcomes. We need to bring in the method of PD to identify those individuals or positive deviants who are present in every community and who use unconventional practices or behaviors to successfully solve even the most intractable problems (Bradley et al., 2009). Such individuals offer better solutions than their peers who remain unsuccessful even while having access to same kind of resources. This is why PD is popularized as â€Å"a refreshing theory for social change† (Pascale et al., cited in Sellnow & Seeger, 2013). In order to prevent HIAs and address this grave healthcare issue, strategic initiatives should be taken based on introducing and promoting new behaviors till they transform into permanent habits and creating sustainable change. Research claims that one of the biggest hurdles in the way of PD is to get large numbers of people to quickly embrace a desired behavioral change (Seidman & McCauley, 2009, p. 27). Any behavioral change should be slowly â€Å"communicated over time among members of a social system† (Rogers, cited in Dingfelder & Mandell, 2011). This is called the process of diffusion. In case of HIAs, we should especially remember the famous awareness iceberg according to which crisis in the form of untimely death occurs because there is lack of awareness regarding the intensity of the issue in hospitals. Only 4% problems are visible or known to top managers. Remaining problems remain hidden under the water (Gardam, 2009). Research identifies an established