Assignment: Review of Current Healthcare Issues Essay

Assignment: Review of Current Healthcare Issues Essay

 

If you were to ask 10 people what they believe to be the most significant issue facing healthcare today, you might get 10 different answers. Escalating costs? Regulation? Technology disruption?

These and many other topics are worthy of discussion. Not surprisingly, much has been said in the research, within the profession, and in the news about these topics. Whether they are issues of finance, quality, workload, or outcomes, there is no shortage of changes to be addressed.

In this Discussion, you examine a national healthcare issue and consider how that issue may impact your work setting. You also analyze how your organization has responded to this issue.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and select one current national healthcare issue/stressor to focus on.
• Reflect on the current national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and think about how this issue/stressor may be addressed in your work setting.

BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 1

Post a description of the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for analysis, and explain how the healthcare issue/stressor may impact your work setting. Then, describe how your health system work setting has responded to the healthcare issue/stressor, including a description of what changes may have been implemented. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 1

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who chose a different national healthcare issue/stressor than you selected. Explain how their chosen national healthcare issue/stressor may also impact your work setting and what (if anything) is being done to address the national healthcare issue/stressor.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 1

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 1 Discussion

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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.

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.

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.

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.

By Day 7 of Week 2

Submit your paper.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 2 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 2 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 2 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 2 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 2

To submit your Assignment:

Week 2 Assignment

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Review of a Current Healthcare Issue: Nursing Shortage Example Paper

While numerous factors contribute to the effective delivery of healthcare services, the process is also hampered by a set of drawbacks. One of the most important drivers of healthcare service delivery is the availability of adequate, well-trained, regulated, and supported healthcare providers. Healthcare delivery is jeopardized if there are insufficient healthcare providers. According to a report by the United Nations High-Level Commission on Health, Employment, and Economic Growth, investing in education and job creation in the health and social sectors results in a triple return of improved care outcomes, global health security, and inclusive economic growth (Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, 2020), emphasizing the importance of having an adequate number of healthcare workers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a current healthcare issue—nursing shortage—its impact on my work environment and the strategies my organization has implemented to address the issue.

Nursing Shortage

The scarcity of adequately trained care providers jeopardizes the effective delivery of healthcare. According to Haddad et al. (2022), a nursing shortage occurs when the demand for nursing professionals exceeds the supply locally (for example, in a healthcare facility), nationally, or globally. The World Health Organization (2022) estimates that there are 27 million men and women in the nursing and midwifery workforce globally, with 3.9 million of those individuals working in the United States. Because nurses and midwives account for more than half of the global health workforce, so their shortage would significantly impact healthcare delivery. The aging workforce, with the majority reaching retirement age, nurse burnout, career advancements, family migrations, violence in healthcare, and other factors, have all been blamed for the growing shortage of nurses and midwives (Haddad et al., 2022). Due to nurses’ and midwives’ frontline roles in care delivery across various settings, the impact of the nursing shortage is felt across all healthcare organizations.

Impact of the Nursing Shortage in my Work Setting

I work for a primary care organization that offers various healthcare services, from promotion and prevention to treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. Nurses and midwives receive adequate training to perform their care duties in the various settings mentioned. In my facility, for example, nurses frequently make the first contact with patients during triaging, assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Regarding the medical surgical department, the facility is better positioned to handle various conditions; however, a shortage of nurses can impede the initial triage process and subsequent patient management, jeopardizing patient care outcomes. However, the organization has taken steps to ensure nurse retention and mitigate the effects of any resulting nursing shortage.

Organization’s Response to the Issue

The organization has put in place safeguards to ensure that nurses affiliated with the facility are retained and happy to be a part of the organization. First, the organization has established a support system for nurses, ensuring that they are respected, protected, and motivated to work at the facility. Recognition of nurses who perform their duties well, free meals for nurses while on duty, and an effective shift arrangement with a seamless transition ensure that nurses are not pressed to work unnecessarily long or extra hours. Second, the facility has preceptors who guide new nurses in collaboration, provide quick feedback, provide emotional support, and model professional behaviors. The system has assisted in the retention of the majority of the nurses in the organization, which has resulted in an outstanding reputation for the facility in the community, county, and statewide.

Conclusion

The nursing shortage is a global healthcare issue that is wreaking havoc on healthcare delivery. Even as interventions are implemented, the deficit appears to be growing, owing to factors such as an aging workforce, nurse burnout, career growth and development, and family migrations. The impact of the shortage is felt across multiple healthcare sectors, including preventive, treatment, rehabilitative, and palliative care. Each facility, such as my primary care organization, can implement measures to increase nurse retention, thereby mitigating the effects of the nursing shortage. A proper motivation system, as well as the use of preceptors who model professional behaviors for young nurses, are among the strategies that have worked for my organization and others.

References

Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2022). Nursing Shortage. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/

Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. (2020, April 8). OADN applauds State of the World’s nursing 2020: Investing in Education, Jobs and Leadership Report -. Oadn.org. https://oadn.org/news/oadn-applauds-state-of-the-worlds-nursing-2020-investing-in-education-jobs-and-leadership-report/

World Health Organization. (2022). Nursing and midwifery. Who.int. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nursing-and-midwifery