NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 3 Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 3. 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.
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.
NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 3 Answer
Balancing Competing Needs in Policy Development for Nurse Staffing
In the realm of policy development, competing needs such as those arising from the workforce, patients, and available resources pose challenges, demanding alignment with the advocated policy. Take, for instance, a policy focused on addressing nurse staffing; it must find a delicate balance between meeting the needs of the workforce and patients while simultaneously mitigating financial costs. The efficient utilization and deployment of the workforce emerge as key factors in ensuring healthcare delivery that is not only effective but also of high quality and cost-efficient.NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 3
A critical competing need affecting staffing issues is the financial demand of the organization. While the organization strives to maintain an adequate workforce to meet patient demands and ensure quality care, the associated costs can present a significant hurdle. Organizations are actively exploring strategies to reconcile the imperative of sufficient nursing staff expertise and size with the financial constraints, all while prioritizing the delivery of quality and cost-effective patient care (Livanos, 2018).
Ethical considerations must underscore the policy development process, ensuring that decisions align with principles of fairness and prioritize patient well-being. The complexity of these competing needs necessitates a nuanced and comprehensive approach to policy development, one that acknowledges the intricacies of workforce management, patient satisfaction, and financial sustainability (Reference: Livanos, 2018).NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 3
