BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 3
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts described.
CLASS RESPONSE 1 MODULE 2 DISCUSSION MAIN POST
Throughout my experience as a registered nurse, I have seen the healthcare world become increasingly more focused on a business, cost-saving model that ultimately draws focus away from individualized patient care and the humanization of nursing. Over the last several decades, healthcare has shifted from treat-heal-care model to a more corporate or business paradigm, with emphasis on efficiency and cost outcomes as opposed to patient outcomes. Administrators are required to shift the priorities of the system to keep delivery of care efficient, effective, and equitable (Kelly & Porr, 2018). This shift in culture and focus on monetary outcomes takes focus away from patient-centered care and not only increases stress and demands of the nurse, but also impacts patient outcomes. Ultimately, it is the nurses and providers at the bedside who are the experts in what is truly needed to provide ideal patient care and what support and resources that care requires. It is the frontline providers who are the most well-versed in how optimal care is limited by organizational policies, allocation of resources, and staffing ratios based on cost-effective business models (Kelly & Porr, 2018). In my experience, this is seen most drastically in staffing ratios. One of the easiest ways for a healthcare organization to save money is to have less nursing staff caring for the same census of patients. This does not account for acuity, workload, increased tasks, or increased documentation protocols for these nurses. Less nurses are required to do the same work with additional patients in their direct care to decrease spending and increase overall profits of the organization. Not only does this increased demand have a poor impact on nurses’ quality of life, mental well-being, and stress, but ultimately negatively impacts patients. This directly relates to my experience as a nurse in the ICU. I was expected to take care of three critical patients each day during COVID-19, adapt to non-stop changes in protocols, and provide the best care possible for my patients and families. This experience was overwhelming and took a severe toll on my mental well-being as it was a nearly impossible task to complete all the needs expected to provide optimal care for three acutely ill patients each day. In one study I researched, it was found that intensive care units with ratios of 1:3 had significantly higher patient complications and increased length of stay for patients than hospitals with smaller ratios of either 1:2 or 1:1 ratios (Curtin, 2003). This is a direct example of prioritizing cost-saving staffing over nurse well-being and patient outcomes. According to American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, nurses have an obligated to “do good” and to do the right thing morally to provide the best care with the best intentions. If an organization is not upholding the standards of nursing practice and the rules and regulations do not allow the nurse to practice according to the code of ethics, it is the duty of the nurse to raise these concerns to the necessary chain of command. If the necessary changes do not occur, it is the duty of the ethical nurse to step away from such organization. The workplace should remain a morally good environment for the nurse, and a nurse should never feel obligated to remain in a morally unethical workplace environment (American Nurses Association, 2018). It is important for nurses to stand true to our ethics and prioritize patient care as well as our own mental well-being and not become complacent to a system focused on monetary gains in healthcare.
References
American Nurses Association. (2018, February 15). Code of ethics PDF. ANA.
Curtin, L. (2003). An integrated analysis of nurse staffing and related variables: Effects on patient outcomes. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.3912/ojin.vol8no01sp01
Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN Practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/ojin.vol23no01man06
CLASS RESPONSE 2 Module 2 Discussion Main Post
The high cost of technology and the nursing shortage contributes to the rise in healthcare prices in the United States. Hospital bills reflect this cost-shifting by healthcare providers to patients, contributing to overall healthcare inflation. According to Shang et al. (2019), nursing shortages influence the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections, increasing morbidity rates and healthcare costs.
The nursing shortage's effect on healthcare prices is one of the industry's top concerns. There is a widespread shortage of skilled nurses in the nation's hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities. If the scarcity persists, it might severely affect healthcare costs. Hospitals are spending more on recruitment and training due to the nursing shortage. Overtime pay for healthcare workers must be increased (Haddad et al., 2023).
Over the past several decades, health policymakers have prioritized cost containment to address the accelerated rise in healthcare costs. In every type of healthcare system, various measures have been implemented. Almost all of these strategies share a common trait: they failed to accomplish cost containment. The innovations that save so many lives appear to be financially crippling our healthcare systems. The precise effect of new medical technology on the growth of long-term expenditures remains controversial. Most experts believe that advances in medical technology account for between half and two-thirds of annual expenditure increases. New medical technology is the leading cause of rising healthcare costs and insurance premiums (Kumar, n.d.).
The nursing shortage can be mitigated, and expensive technology maintenance costs can be lowered using an efficient recruitment plan. Successful healthcare organizations have rules and practices that consistently yield positive results for patient care.
Reference:
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2023, February 13). Nursing Shortage – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. Nursing Shortage – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
Kumar, R. K. (n.d.). Technology and healthcare costs. PubMed Central (PMC). https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2069.79634
Shang, J., Needleman, J., Liu, J., Larson, E., & Stone, P. W. (2019). Nurse staffing and healthcare associated infection, unit-level analysis. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(5), 260. https://doi.org/10.1097%2FNNA.0000000000000748
