Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
Quite often, nurse leaders are faced with ethical dilemmas, such as those associated with choices between competing needs and limited resources. Resources are finite, and competition for those resources occurs daily in all organizations.
For example, the use of 12-hour shifts has been a strategy to retain nurses. However, evidence suggests that as nurses work more hours in a shift, they commit more errors. How do effective leaders find a balance between the needs of the organization and the needs of ensuring quality, effective, and safe patient care?
In this Discussion, you will reflect on a national healthcare issue and examine how competing needs may impact the development of policies to address that issue.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and think about the national healthcare issue/stressor you previously selected for study in Module 1.
- Reflect on the competing needs in healthcare delivery as they pertain to the national healthcare issue/stressor you previously examined.
By Day 3 of Week 3
Post an explanation of how competing needs, such as the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients, may impact the development of policy. Then, describe any specific competing needs that may impact the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected. What are the impacts, and how might policy address these competing needs? Be specific and provide examples.
GRAB AN ORIGINAL DISCUSSION HERE
DISCUSSION : Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
Introduction
In the healthcare department, the people who are considered frontline caregivers are the nurses who work day and night to ensure that patients receive high-quality, cost-effective care. Several factors are applied for better and superior care to be provided successfully (Lee & Kim, 2017). These factors include ensuring progress in the care delivery models and a good investment in staff and equipment. The inadequacy of staff members challenges an organization’s ability to provide better quality services. There is a need for the addition of the workforce to address the challenge, which will raise the need for more resources. The high cost of healthcare delivery can be reduced by investing more in healthcare support technology, although some providers find it challenging due to its initial cost. The high cost may bring about conflicts among the caregivers. To avoid conflicts, the following policies are essential.
Ethical Considerations
The nurses should be aware of the ethical consequences of their practices to avoid and resolve any arising complications while at the same time addressing patients’ needs. They should enhance their patients’ safety by considering the risks that are associated with competing needs (Organization, 2017). The focus of the policy should be emphasizing the training of the staff on matters to do with ethical dilemmas; This will help propose solutions and goals on how tasks are accomplished.
Competing needs
Many different competing needs can be considered when addressing the shortage of nurses due to stress and their mental health. Provision of health care that is satisfactory and affordable to patients is one of them (Shelton et al., 2018). Therefore, there is needed for the availability of a sufficient number of highly qualified nurses in the department.
Relevant Policy or Practice
The competing needs of a healthcare department require specific vital policies. Here, the department has full responsibility for determining whether these policies give room for adequate staffing. For instance, the ED and medical units are considered fast-paced departments that cause a system failure; This makes nurses experience quick burnout while on their shifts, increased workloads, and insecure ratios. They have no choice other than enduring suppressed knowledge judgment because health centers focus on profit and cost control (Lee & Kim, 2017).
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is a need to provide patients with better quality care. Nurses and other health care providers should be provided with a safer environment, adequately scheduled and regular shifts, and good leadership. There is also a need to consider maintaining a balance in the limited available resources and the competing needs. Workload and substantial needs that are associated with stress will be satisfied by the proposed measures.
References
Lee, I. S., & Kim, C. H. (2017). Conflict management style, communication competence, and collaboration among hospital nurses and physicians. The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing,, 20(1), 69-78.
Shelton, R. C., Cooper, B. R., & Stirman, S. W. (2018). The sustainability of evidence-based interventions and practices in public health and health care. Annual review of public health, 39, 55-76.
World Health Organization. (2017). Patient safety: making health care safer (No. WHO/HIS/SDS/2017.11). World Health Organization.
Required Readings
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from
https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Note: Review all, with special attention to “Provision 6” (pp. 23–26).
Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man06. Retrieved from
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Nursing-Cost-Containment.html
Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical Awareness: What it is and why it matters. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man01. Retrieved from
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Awareness.html
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Ethical, Moral, and Legal Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.