Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues Essay

Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues Essay

Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues Essay

Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues Sample Essay

The complex and evolving nature of the care environment places healthcare practitioners in a position to experience diverse practice issues. These issues/stressors can impact patient care and overall health outcomes locally, nationally, and globally. Policy formulation effectively addresses national healthcare issues since it helps outline actions and plans for practical solutions (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2019). However, competing needs affect policy development profoundly, and it is crucial for nurses to understand this influence.

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Unequal access to care is among the national healthcare issue that significantly impacts people’s health. Its causes are diverse, but social determinants of health play a critical role in influencing access due to health disparities (Daniel et al., 2018; Islam, 2019). When developing policies to promote access to care, healthcare professionals must examine the influence of competing needs that should be balanced to prevent inadequacy in some areas while addressing others. When addressing access to care problems, healthcare professionals and leaders should balance the needs of the workforce, patients, and resources. Health resources are limited and should also be used efficiently (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Therefore, policy development should be based on the available resources and ensure patient and workforce needs are given the necessary priority.

Competing needs that may impact access to care problem include limited organizational resources, nurses’ needs, and patients’ increasing demand for quality care. For instance, a policy/practice intervention like community-based education and visits to promote healthy living and access to care in rural areas must not overuse the organization’s financial resources at the expense of nurses’ immediate needs. Such a policy should not also deny nurses the ample time required to attend to patients in regular care or increase their workload due to the possibility of job dissatisfaction. From these intersections, it is apparent that competing needs determine a policy’s design and who should be involved in its execution. The other observation is that a policy might address these competing needs by addressing the area where solutions might impact other areas positively.

References

Daniel, H., Bornstein, S. S., Kane, G. C., & Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians*. (2018). Addressing social determinants to improve patient care and promote health equity: an American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of Internal Medicine, 168(8), 577-578. https://doi.org/10.7326/M17-2441

Islam, M. M. (2019). Social determinants of health and related inequalities: Confusion and implications. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00011

Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical Nursing Care Versus Cost Containment: Considerations to Enhance RN Practice. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man06

Teitelbaum, J. B., & Wilensky, S. E. (2019). Essentials of health policy and law. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

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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.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.