Scrutiny of The Pertinent Healthcare Issue
Scrutiny of The Pertinent Healthcare Issue
The scarcity of nurses has continued to be a notable provocation in health care delivery not only at a national level but also globally. This implies that it has affected the quality of healthcare delivered to the patients, and also, it has negatively affected the sick people and the nurse’s contentment and motivation. At the global level, researchers have estimated that the shortage of nurses could go up to 13 million in the next one and a half-decade. Recently, there’s a shortage of close to 8 million nurses in the world. Several health organizations, including the world health organization, have expressed their concerns on this issue. Word health organization asserts that if this instance is not looked into, it will have dire inferences on the health of many people in the world. Also, the shortage has repressed the attainment of the set goals as far as quality healthcare is concerned. Also, if the issue is not given priority, it is likely to subvert the attainment of sustainable development goals. (Jiang et al., 2015)
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The shortage of nurses is notably being encountered in my organization. Their inadequacy has resulted in the organization’s nurse encountering long working hours. Besides, the number of nurses per shift is quite small. As a result, the nurses are subjected to strain aggravation which may be reflected in the quality of the services delivered. The nurses are overworked and become exhausted both physically and mentally and as a consequence, they become inadequate in performing their duties. Apart from these stresses, there is insufficient leader support for the nurses that are essential in dealing with extreme cases such as death. Instances of medical error are also on the rise in the organization. Furthermore, there have been delays in meeting the patient’s needs, including compassion. Patients have also been dying following nurses’ ignorance. As a consequence of the stress experienced at the workplace by nurses, many have become unambitious and opted to leave the organization. Therefore, the scarcity of nurses has resulted in immoral acts that have put patients at risk. (Bittner & Bechtel, 2017)
Organizations Approach to Nurse Shortage
Different stakeholders in the healthcare sector are handling the shortage of nurse’s crises differently. For instance, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has devoted to ensuring there is quality healthcare among the American citizens. Their main aim is to make sure there are sufficient bedside nurses, and the patients are receiving quality care. To address this issue, they have qualified staff that is enabling them to walk towards their target.
Approach 1: Expansion of communication programs.
The organization has put in place a communication master plan aimed at targeting the nursing shortage. It has been in the lead of developing communication partnerships in the region of healthcare employee’s development. Central communication boosts confidence among the employees and as a result, a good relationship between the top officials and the staff created. The healthcare organization has been the lead in advocating for labor management in the region of healthcare workers’ development. (Mehdaova, 2017)
Approach 2: Engaging the employees
The organization is working tirelessly to ensure that the nurses are engaged in decision making. This creates a feeling of belonging as the nurses will be motivated to be part of a team. Also keeping nurses entailed and having them as part of the decision-making committee is very important because it implies that there is shared leadership. Increasing nurse’s engagement involves providing them with a variety of resources that will aid them when handling their duties. The healthcare organization sector has resulted in employing shared leadership techniques as a way of engaging the nurses. As a consequence, the nurses become jovial, satisfied, and embrace their work. Nurses who are satisfied show commitment to the organization. (Mehdaova, 2017)
Approach 3: Education of Nurses
The healthcare organization has extremely devoted to investing in nursing education as a way of fighting a shortage of nurse’s crises. They are doing this by offering a lot of education opportunities. This also encourages society to value nurses and nursing teachers. As a result, there could be double potential applicants to the healthcare sector. Rewards are also a way of motivating healthcare workers. This could be through paid vacations, paid leaves, chances to further their education, promotions, and bonuses. (Bittner & Bechtel, 2017)
Applying these strategies, the organization will help to curb the shortage of nurses. For instance, by investing in nursing education, more people are encouraged to pursue nursing as a carrier. Providing a conducive workplace environment encourages nurses to work efficiently and to embrace their work. When nurses are engaged when making a major decision in the healthcare sector, the develop a sense of belonging feel motivated. Nevertheless, sone of these strategies such as investing in nursing education is very expensive and might drain the organization economically. Also, constantly engaging the employees in decision making might create contempt and hence the juniors might fail to respect their seniors as they would feel that the leadership is shared. (Mehdaova, 2017)
Conclusion
In conclusion, a shortage of nurses is a major crisis in the healthcare sector. Failure to provide a conducive working environment, not engaging the nurses, and when the communication is poor, the nurses are more likely to quit their jobs. Nevertheless, when the nurses are engaged, happy with the communication, and are working in a conducive environment, their service delivery becomes efficient and are more productive. Therefore, healthcare top managers should consider implementing the key strategies aimed at addressing the nurse shortage menace in the healthcare sector.
References
Bittner, N. P., & Bechtel, C. F. (2017). Identifying and describing nurse faculty workload issues: A looming faculty shortage. Nursing education perspectives, 38(4), 171-176.
Jiang, H., Li, C., Gu, Y., & He, Y. (2015). Nurses’ perceptions and practice of physical restraint in China. Nursing Ethics, 22(6), 652-660.
Mehdaova, E. A. (2017). Strategies to Overcome the Nursing Shortage.
Scrutiny of The Pertinent Healthcare Issue