Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly.
Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice.
Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction. In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization.
To Prepare:
• Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1, and review the analysis of the healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
• Identify and review two evidence-based scholarly resources that focus on proposed policies/practices to apply to your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post regarding competing needs.
The Assignment (1-2 pages):
Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
The new section should address the following in 1-2 pages:
• Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
• Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
• Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.
Full Answer Section
Competing Needs:
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Workforce Well-Being vs. Patient Care: While high-quality patient care is paramount, demanding workloads, mandatory overtime, and inadequate staffing contribute to burnout among healthcare workers. This can lead to decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates, ultimately compromising patient safety.
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Financial Sustainability vs. Staffing Levels: Hospitals strive to operate efficiently, which often translates to pressure to minimize staffing costs. However, inadequate staffing levels directly impact the quality of care patients receive, potentially leading to errors and complications.
Current Policy Analysis:
The hospital has implemented a mandatory overtime policy to address staffing shortages during peak periods. This policy aims to ensure patient care continuity but disregards the well-being of healthcare workers, potentially leading to fatigue, decreased focus, and increased risk of medical errors.
Critique of the Policy:
- Ethical Considerations: The policy fails to consider the ethical obligation to provide safe and effective patient care. By prioritizing staffing needs over worker well-being, the hospital exposes patients to potential harm.
- Strengths: The policy helps address immediate staffing shortages and ensures continuity of care during peak periods.
- Challenges: The policy promotes an unsustainable work environment, leading to burnout, decreased employee morale, and potentially compromising patient safety.
Policy Recommendations:
- Implement flexible scheduling options: Offering flexible scheduling options like part-time work, job sharing, and compressed workweeks can improve work-life balance and reduce burnout risk.
- Support staff with adequate resources: Providing adequate resources such as equipment, supplies, and support staff can improve workflow efficiency and reduce stress on individual healthcare workers.
- Invest in staff education and development: Offering ongoing educational and professional development opportunities can increase skill levels, job satisfaction, and retention rates.
- Create a culture of safety and well-being: Implement initiatives that promote psychological safety, encourage open communication, and address staff concerns promptly.
- Develop a data-driven approach to staffing: Implement a data-driven system to accurately assess staffing needs based on patient volume, acuity, and other relevant factors.
Evidence-Based Support:
- A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nurses who worked mandatory overtime were more likely to report burnout and job dissatisfaction.
- A systematic review published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies found that interventions aimed at improving work-life balance and reducing stress can significantly reduce burnout rates among healthcare workers.
Conclusion:
Balancing competing needs in healthcare requires a holistic approach that prioritizes both patient safety and the well-being of healthcare workers. By implementing the recommended policy changes, the hospital can create a more sustainable work environment, reduce burnout rates, and ultimately improve patient care quality.
Sample Answer
Introduction:
Healthcare organizations face a constant struggle to balance competing needs, particularly those of the workforce, resources, and patients. This paper addresses the issue of healthcare worker burnout and its impact on patient safety. It analyzes existing policies and practices at a large, urban hospital, proposing changes to improve the work environment and enhance patient care.