NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
According to Kelly and Porr, today’s healthcare culture has taken on more of a business approach than a patient-centered approach. This means that hospitals are trying to continue to provide the same level of care with much fewer resources to save money. This has placed a strain on the nurses who are trained in patient advocacy and standing up for their patient needs. Nurses are having a hard time providing high-quality care without the necessary supplies, staffing, or finances to do so (2018). It is important for nurses to continue to stand up for the well-being of their patients despite the lack of resources. It is up to nurses to rally together to bring awareness to the appropriate legislators and policymakers on the rights of the patient population. It is the responsibility of the nurse to bring legal and ethical issues to the attention of management and administrators. If the issue is not addressed, the nurses must then bring the issue to nursing associations. These associations are formed to protect and advocate for nurses who are providing safe, efficient, and ethical patient care (American Nurses Association, pg. 13, 2015). Bringing these issues to the attention of policymakers is the only way to bring change to the healthcare world. NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
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When hospitals cut their staffing budget to save money, they are putting their patients in harm’s way. Nurses are required to give high quality, patient-centered care despite the high number of patients they are assigned. Today’s pandemic has placed an additional strain on the nursing staff due to the increased influx of patients seeking medical attention for COVID19. According to a study done by Needleman et al., they found that facilities with adequate staffing reported less incidence of urinary tract infections, sepsis, and hospital-acquired pneumonia (2002). When nurses can give adequate attention to each patient, they are more likely to have better medical outcomes. California is the only state to this date that has mandated nurse to patient ratios. Since 2004, by law, nurses in acute care settings can take up to five patients, and nurses in critical care units can only take two patients. This was done to increase patient outcomes and decrease nursing injuries and burnout. When this new law was put into place the state of California reported a 15% increase in nursing employment (Leigh, 2015). Nurses want to work in states and for companies that not only care for patients, but their own wellbeing is taken into consideration. The companies that do this have proven to have higher retention rates and a higher number of applicants. This gives them the upper hand against their competitors.
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Kelly, P., Porr, C., (January 31, 2018) “Ethical Nursing Care Versus Cost Containment: Considerations to Enhance RN Practice” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 23, No. 1, Manuscript 6.
Leigh, P. (2015). California’s Nurse-to-Patient Ratio Law Reduced Nurse Injuries by More Than 30 Percent. Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.epi.org/blog/californias-nurse-to-patient-ratio-law-reduced-nurse-injuries-by-more-than-30-percent/ NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
Needleman, J., Buerhaus, P., Mattke, S., Stewart, M., & Zelevinsky, K. (2002). Nurse- Staffing Levels and the Quality of Care in Hospitals. The New England Journal of Medicine, 346, 1715-1722. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa012247
Discussion: 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? NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
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.
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.
By Day 6 of Week 3
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts described.
response
I want to thank you for your contribution to this discussion. Many healthcare organizations are cutting budgets and placing that burden on the shoulders of nurses. Nurses can only provide patient care with the resources available, and nursing staff shortages are a serious concern. It is like expecting a mechanic to fix a car without the necessary tools to do the job. However, nurses are responsible for improving their patient’s health by trying to administer quality evidence-based care. Likewise, employers are expecting the same level of patient care with limited staffing, which is unreasonable. Nurses are competing in a tug of war. NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
The impact of the employer’s illogical mentality on nurses is horrendous and extremely frustrating. The strain on nurses is beyond measure. Nurses feel helpless in some situations and fail to advocate for their patients as they should. When a nurse becomes silent, it is counterproductive in the working environment and will cause unnecessary stress and dissatisfaction, causing personal damaging effects (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Burnout is a consequence of nursing staff shortages. A nurse may become withdrawn, less productive, and treat patients as objects instead of individuals (Bakhamis et al., 2019).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nurse’s cry for help is much more substantial, and the working conditions are overwhelming. Ethical awareness is present, but how do nurses address moral issues affecting their patients when the nurses are barely surviving themselves? California staffing mandates and positive results are commendable. Hopefully, other states will follow suit.
References
Bakhamis L., Paul III, D.P., Smith, H. & Coustasse, A. (2019). Still an epidemic: The burnout
syndrome in hospital registered nurses. Health Care Manager, 38(1), 3-10.
https://doiorg.esp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/HCM.0000000000000243
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.
https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/
JIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Nursing-Cost
Containment.html NURS 6053 week 3 Discussion
