Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

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Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

The Quadruple Aim provides broad categories of goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each goal are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may have a positive impact on outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are being tasked to shift from an emphasis on disease management often provided in an acute care setting to health promotion and disease prevention delivered in primary care settings. Efforts in this area can have significant positive impacts by reducing the need for primary healthcare and by reducing the stress on the healthcare system.

Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true; namely, that the healthcare field has always faced significant challenges, and that goals to improve healthcare will always involve multiple stakeholders. This should not seem surprising given the circumstances. Indeed, when a growing population needs care, there are factors involved such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare. Generally, it is not surprising that the field of healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve over time.

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In this module’s Discussion, you reviewed some healthcare issues/stressors and selected one for further review. For this Assignment, you will consider in more detail the healthcare issue/stressor you selected. You will also review research that addresses the issue/stressor and write a white paper to your organization’s leadership that addresses the issue/stressor you selected. Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

To Prepare:

  • Review the national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the Resources and reflect on the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for study.
  • Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post for the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
  • Identify and review two additional scholarly resources (not included in the Resources for this module) that focus on change strategies implemented by healthcare organizations to address your selected national healthcare issue/stressor.

The Assignment (3-4 Pages):

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Develop a 3- to 4-page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:

  • Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).
  • Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources on the national healthcare issue/stressor. Explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.
  • Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples. Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Answer Rubric

Develop a 3- to 4-page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing the selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:
Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).

Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources, on the national healthcare issue/stressor and explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.

  Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected and explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.

Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:
Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.

Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards:
Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation

Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Looking Ahead

The paper you develop in Module 1 will be revisited and revised in Module 2. Review the Assignment instructions for Module 2 to prepare for your revised paper.

Discussion wk3 due 3/17

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 polices 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.

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. Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

 

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 Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

I will post for replies after classmates make their post for this discussion

Student 1

Nursing shortages are at an all-time high, with a 17.1% turnover rate nationally (Vaughn, 2020). Companies are struggling to maintain nursing staff which leads to overworked nurses with high patient ratios. High patient ratios lead to unsafe situations, and nurses working long hours are more likely to make mistakes. Some nurses are leaving the profession altogether due to short staffing, lack of leadership, underpayment, career advancement, and overwhelming tasks per nurse (Suarez, n.d.).

In rural areas like where I live, there is already an inherent issue in recruiting nurses that want to live in this area. Furthermore, the health care agencies are competing to retain the nursing staff that they have. Nursing turnover costs nearly 300,000 annually for the average hospital (Suarez, n.d.). More creative ways other than simply posting a job vacancy needs to be done to recruit new nurses (Suarez, n.d.). Studies have also shown that sign-on bonuses are not effective in retaining nursing staff (Suarez, n.d.). They may initially draw in nurses, but after their contract is up, they most likely will leave the agency (Suarez, n.d.)Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue.

There are three nursing leadership models: transformational, transactional, and democratic (Laureate Education [Producer], 2018). Transformation leadership inspires others through effective communication, transactional leadership develops transparent chains of command, and democratic leadership likes to include ideas from staff before making final decisions (Laureate Education [Producer], 2018). Studies have indicated that management that is styled as transformational leadership has a higher staff rendition rate (Halter et al., 2017).

Nursing shortages specific to correctional setting has its inherent issues. Not only does correctional nursing face similar issues as a hospital setting, but it also has the dangers of prison life. Correctional nursing needs to address the growing shortage and make some changes to recruit and retain nursing staff. Studies have shown the preceptorships, internships, and mentorships have significantly increased nurse retention (Halter et al., 2017). Developing an academic-partnership with the local university would allow nursing students to complete a clinical rotation inside the prison to learn about it and have firsthand experience inside the facility. This is an excellent way for new nurses to have an opportunity to learn about correctional nursing.

Developing a mentorship program is an excellent way for new hires to feel comfortable that they will have the support and training they need while starting their new career as a correctional nurse. Another strategy to retain nurses is to have career advancement opportunities such as tuition reimbursements and offer to pay for RN to BSN program (Vaughn, 2020). The prison, at the moment, does not provide tuition reimbursement or tuition payments to further your education. Offering flexible hours is another strategy that has been linked to higher nurse retention (Vaughn, 2020). When nurses are required to work beyond 12-hour shifts and over 40-hour workweeks, they are more likely to leave the agency (Vaughn, 2020).

The prison is competing with the local hospitals to recruit and retain nursing staff. Although the prison has offered signing bonuses, it has not proven to keep nursing staff successful. The prison runs on transactional leadership, and nurses do not feel appreciated or heard. There are no internship or mentorship programs, so it is difficult for nurses to see the environment they will be working in until they are hired. Training only takes six weeks or less, and then you are on your own with little support from other staff leading to many frustrations. The prison is so short-staffed that nurses are working 16-hour shifts almost every day they are scheduled to work. Correctional nursing is a unique entity and requires the recruitment of the right people. An academic-partnership with the university would be an excellent way to recruit new nurses, and developing a mentorship program would be suitable for new employees.

Unfortunately, the health care business is a 24-hour, 7-days a week business. When nurses quit, that only compiles the workload onto the existing nurses creating dangerous situations. The company must continue with the staff that they have, and patients need to be taken care of, but that leaves the nurses overworked. Even when nurses are given an 8-hour shift or 12-hour shift, those often turn into 16-hour shifts. When nurses don’t feel valued or essential, they are also likely to leave an agency. It is imperative to recruit the right nurses for your business and then create a solid culture to support your staff to retain nurses. With the prison being ran strictly on policy and procedures, implementing change can be difficult, but something needs to be done to retain nurses to keep a safe environment for staff and patients.

References

Halter, M., Pelone, F., Boiko, O., Beighton, C., Harris, R., Gale, J., Gourlay, S., & Drennan, V. (2017). Interventions to Reduce Adult Nursing Turnover: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews. The Open Nursing Journal, 11, 108–123. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.2174/1874434601711010108

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Moral Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Suarez, L. (n.d.). 4 ways to recruit & retain engaged nurses who love their jobs. Healthcare Source. Retrieved from http://education.healthcaresource.com/recruit-retain-engaged-nurses/

Vaughn, N. (2020). Nurse turnover rates: how to reduce healthcare turnover. Retrieved from https://www.relias.com/blog/how-to-reduce-healthcare-turnover#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Current%20Nurse,keep%20up%20with%20staffing%20ratios Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue.