NURS 6053 Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare IssueThe Quadruple Aim provides broad categ

---

NURS 6053 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.

Also read:

NURS 6053 Assignment: Personal Leadership Philosophies

NURS 6053 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment

NURS 6053 Discussion: Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues

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.

NURS 6053 Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue Sample Paper

National Healthcare Issue

The shortage of workforce in the health sector is one problem that continues to plague the United States. While Registered Nurses form the largest group of care providers in the country, their shortage persist as only about sixty percent practice in public hospitals. This shortage is projected to worsen further through 2022 with the current system of healthcare in the country (American Nurses Association, n.d.) owing to the anticipated retirement of the currently available workforce and advancing ages of baby boomers.

The quadruple aim has been promoted to improve the provisions of the tipple aim that advocated for improvement in population health, individual care experience, and healthcare cost reduction. The quadruple aim adds the improvement of healthcare provider’s experience as another objective to the triple aim (Valaitis et al., 2020).

In fact, Park et al. (2018) notes that it is possible to improve the providers’ experience by promoting the caregiver’s joy at work and providing meaning to their work experience. Therefore, the shortage of workforce can only prevent the achievement of the quadruple aim through enhancing nurse stress at the workplace.

Workplace stress will imminently worsen the already existing shortage of healthcare workforce. The increasing need for primary care due to the increasing prevalence of chronic disease necessitates balancing the nurse-to-patient ratio (Pittman & Scully-Russ, 2016). The inclusion of other strategies by other organizations has proved to be a great solution to the workforce shortage and workplace stress and emotional distress of nursing care providers.

Impact on My Practice Setting

My health organization is not spared by the low nurse-to-patient ratio. The recommended country average ratio of nurse to clients is 1:5 while in my organization, this ratio is lower in various departments. This has caused delayed shift reporting, increased medical errors, increased nurse fatigue, and deterioration in nurse’s mental health. While some nurses have transferred from the organization, others have increased their shift duration to cover for the shortage.

Workload stress has been evident through depression and anxiety among workers, workplace conflicts and incivility, and increased delegation of duties to other junior practitioners. Early retirement of some of the most experienced nurses has also been observed. This trend has also been encountered in nursing practice in some countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada (MacPhee, Dahinten, & Havaei, 2017). The ultimate consequences are compromised professional standards and constant depreciation in care quality.

Research Articles Review

Management of workload-related stress among nurses involves interventional strategies employed at the national, organizational, and personal levels. Herr et al. (2018) conducted a study on the long-term effectiveness of work stress management strategies employed among 101 male industrial workers. The study assessed the outcome of stress management on the subjects’ mental health and sleep quality at the end of the observation time.

The intervention focused mainly on alterations in reactivity to stressors at work, such as social conflicts, workload, work stress, and anticipatory reactivity. The study established that reduction in reactivity to social stress had long-term positive benefits on reduction of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.

A study by Havermans et al. (2018), on the other hand, investigated the need for stress prevention strategies among employees and workplace supervisors in various organizational sectors such as finance, services industry, and health care. In this focused group discussion study, researchers guided 7 employees and 8 supervisors in expressing their experiences and opinion about their needs in work-related stress prevention. The emergent themes were analyzed and four main subthemes necessary to prevent stress in the workplace emerged, namely communication, social support, stakeholders’ involvement, and availability of preventive measures.

Summaries of the Strategies in Addressing Organizational Impacts of Workload due to Workforce Shortage

The national government should be at the forefront in preventing organizational consequences of nursing workforce shortage. The federal and state governments, through their departments of health, should empower nurse educators to train more nurses to cover for the deficit resulting from retirement and increase in nurse-patient ratio resulting from high care demand associated with increased prevalence of chronic conditions.

However, organizational strategies are also critical in curbing the impacts of increased workload such as work-related stress and deterioration in quality. Prevention of anticipated work-related stress and management of already evident stress requires input from the nurses and the administration, including supervisors.

Modification of workers’ responses should form the basis in managing work-related stress due to increased workload. According to Herr et al. (2018), modifications in nurses’ reactivity to stressors have long-term benefits in managing workplace stress. The reduction in depression, anxiety, and conflicts such as workplace incivility were significant outcomes following the implementation of workplace stress management strategies.

Proper communication strategies, the involvement of all stakeholders in creating a favorable environment, and availability of functional social support would confer more advantages in preventing work-related stress in situations of anticipated increase in workload (Havermans et al., 2018). The effectiveness of these strategies had been shown through evidence-based practice.

Conclusion

Work-related stress among nurses is a national stressor that results from increased workload due to low average nurse to patient ratio. However, the organizational impact is preventable through well-executed strategies. It is possible to manage impacts such as nurse depression, anxiety, and conflicts through the participation of nurse leaders and nurses. Such strategies can be very specific to every organization depending on the structural arrangements. However, the major concepts include proper communication and inter-stakeholder collaboration and involvement.

NURS 6053 Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue References

• American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Workforce. Nursingworld.Org. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/
• Havermans, B. M., Brouwers, E. P. M., Hoek, R. J. A., Anema, J. R., van der Beek, A. J., & Boot, C. R. L. (2018). Work stress prevention needs of employees and supervisors. BMC Public Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5535-1
• Herr, R., Barrech, A., Riedel, N., Gündel, H., Angerer, P., & Li, J. (2018). Long-term effectiveness of stress management at work: Effects of the changes in perceived stress reactivity on mental health and sleep problems seven years later. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(2), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020255
• MacPhee, M., Dahinten, V., & Havaei, F. (2017). The impact of heavy perceived nurse workloads on patient and nurse outcomes. Administrative Sciences, 7(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci7010007
• Park, B., Gold, S. B., Bazemore, A., & Liaw, W. (2018). How evolving United States payment models influence primary care and its impact on the Quadruple Aim. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: JABFM, 31(4), 588–604. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2018.04.170388
• Pittman, P., & Scully-Russ, E. (2016). Workforce planning and development in times of delivery system transformation. Human Resources for Health, 14(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-0154-3
• Valaitis, R. K., Wong, S. T., MacDonald, M., Martin-Misener, R., O’Mara, L., Meagher-Stewart, D., Isaacs, S., Murray, N., Baumann, A., Burge, F., Green, M., Kaczorowski, J., & Savage, R. (2020). Addressing quadruple aims through primary care and public health collaboration: ten Canadian case studies. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 507. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08610-y

NURS 6053 Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue Example 2

Addressing Nursing Shortages in Our Healthcare Organization

The healthcare institution is currently facing a deteriorating deficit of nurses and nurse managers, a trend that has been observed nationwide in recent years. This ongoing and escalating shortage of nursing professionals is unparalleled in the annals of modern healthcare (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2023). Within our organization, seasoned nurses have exited the profession due to retirement or career transitions, leaving behind vacancies that the remaining nurses and leaders have struggled to fill (Broome & Marshall, 2021). 

This challenge is exacerbated by the absence of nursing education opportunities in baccalaureate nursing programs and the lack of experience among potential candidates for these open positions. As Beitz (2019) note, the scarcity of academic nursing education programs in the United States has been a persistent issue since the early 1970s. The purpose of this paper is to explain evidence-based strategies to curb the nursing shortage and how the strategies can be applied to our institution. 

Two Outside Articles and How Issue is Addressed in Other Organizations

The issue of nursing shortages has been a long-standing challenge, and its effects on our institution are reflected in various important indicators (Baker, 2022). Based on our internal records, there has been a 15% rise in nurse-to-patient ratios in the last year, resulting in heavier workloads and possible risks to patient safety. Furthermore, there has been a 20% surge in burnout and discontentment among nursing staff, impacting overall staff morale per the survey done three months ago.

Two reputable sources have provided insights into how different organizations are addressing the nursing shortage problem. The initial article, authored by Ma et al. (2022), focuses on “Innovative Staffing Solutions for Nursing Shortages.” It examines the impact of a newly implemented therapeutic staffing model at the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT). The article identifies several themes among the staff, including shift patterns, ward duties/workload, and morale. While the new model shows promise, it also highlights certain issues. The article suggests recommendations to enhance team cohesiveness, foster a sense of value, and strengthen professional identities. 

The second article, published by NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. in 2021, is a report on national healthcare retention and RN staffing. According to this article, one measurable indicator of the severity of a hospital’s vacancy rate is the utilization of contract labor and overtime. The management should not perceive contract labor costs as mere operating expenses but rather incorporate them into the position control system. A more accurate understanding of the direct labor cost can be obtained by including these costs within the payroll cost line.

Strategies to Address Organizational Impact and the Positive/Negative Impact in Our Organization

The scholarly resources provide valuable strategies that could greatly benefit our organization. One such strategy is the flexible therapeutic staffing model introduced by Kent and Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust, which outlines staffing levels for each service line and ward (Ma et al., 2022). This model emphasizes the importance of flexible rotas, career development for healthcare workers, and safe staffing through therapeutic models involving various disciplines. This model allows our organization to manage patient loads, especially during peak times, effectively.

Implementing strategies aimed at retaining employees, as suggested by NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2021), has the potential to enhance job satisfaction and decrease burnout within our nursing team. To enhance the financial performance of our hospital, it is imperative to focus on enhancing our ability to retain staff, addressing vacancy rates, strengthening recruitment efforts, and managing labor costs effectively. The establishment and maintenance of a high-quality workforce are crucial for successfully managing the challenges associated with staffing.

The healthcare system faces mounting pressure due to the growing general population and aging population, leading to a higher demand for health services and, subsequently, nurses. While these strategies have their advantages, it is vital to acknowledge the potential challenges they pose. For example, the upfront costs of introducing new staffing models or retention programs could put a strain on our financial resources. Additionally, resistance to change from current staff members could impede the effective execution of these initiatives.

Conclusion

One of the most critical challenges facing our organization is the shortage of nurses, which has a significant impact on our overall well-being. To address this challenge and ensure the smooth functioning of our operations, we need to adopt effective strategies that can help us attract and retain nursing staff. These strategies can be sourced from presented external sources.

Customizing these strategies to suit the organizational environment is also important, as it can help the organization achieve the desired outcomes and meet the unique needs of staff and patients. By investing in effective strategies, the organization can create an environment that supports the growth and development of our nursing staff, resulting in improved patient outcomes and overall organizational success.

References

Baker, D. W. (2022). Addressing the nursing shortage in the United States: An interview with Dr. Peter Buerhaus. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 48(5), 298–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2022.02.006

Beitz, J. M. (2019). Addressing the perioperative nursing shortage through education: A perioperative imperative. AORN Journal, 110(4), 403–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.12805

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer. https://books.google.com/books?id=jkC9DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Ma, E., Kritsimali, A., Olby-Clements, B., Boyd, K., & Demirbasa, B. (2022). Innovative staffing solutions to nursing shortages in acute mental health inpatient wards. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 43(2), 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2021.1961331

NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2021). 2021 NSI national health care retention & RN staffing report. http://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf

Tamata, A. T., & Mohammadnezhad, M. (2023). A systematic review study on the factors affecting the shortage of nursing workforce in the hospitals. Nursing Open, 10(3), 1247–1257. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1434

MODULE 2 ASSIGNMENT – DEVELOPING ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES

Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly.

Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice.

Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction. In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

• Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1, and review the analysis of the healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
• Identify and review two evidence-based scholarly resources that focus on proposed policies/practices to apply to your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post regarding competing needs.

The Assignment (1-2 pages):

Developing Organizational Policies and Practices

Add a section to the 2-3 page paper you submitted in Module 1. The new section should address the following in 1-2 pages:

• Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
• Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
• Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.
• Due to the nature of this assignment, your instructor may require more than 7 days to provide you with quality feedback.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Required Readings

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statementsLinks to an external site.. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-onlyNote: Review all, with special attention to “Provision 6” (pp. 23–26).
• Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practiceLinks to an external site.. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man06. Retrieved from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Nursing-Cost-Containment.html  
• Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it mattersLinks to an external site.. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man01. Retrieved from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Awareness.html

Rubric – NURS_6053_Module02_Week03_Assignment_Rubric

CriteriaRatingsPtsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Add a section to the 2-3 page paper you submitted in Module 1. For this assignment, in 1-2 pages, address the following: · Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.25 to >22.0 pts Excellent The response accurately and thoroughly identifies and describes at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
22 to >19.0 pts Good The response identifies and describes at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
19 to >17.0 pts Fair The response vaguely or inaccurately identifies and describes two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
17 to >0 pts Poor The response vaguely or inaccurately identifies and describes one competing need impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected or response is missing.25 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome· Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor. · Critique the policy for ethical considerations and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.30 to >26.0 pts ExcellentThe response accurately and thoroughly describes a relevant policy or practice in the organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected. …The response accurately and thoroughly critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains in detail the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
26 to >23.0 pts Good The response accurately describes a relevant policy or practice in the organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected. …The response accurately critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
23 to >20.0 pts Fair The response is vague or inaccurate in describing a relevant policy or practice in the organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected. …The response vaguely or inaccurately critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
20 to >0 pts Poor The response is vague and inaccurate in describing a relevant policy or practice in an organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected or response is missing. …The response vaguely and inaccurately critiques the policy for ethical considerations and vaguely and inaccurately explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics or response is missing.30 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome· Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.25 to >22.0 pts Excellent The response provides one or more accurate, clear, and thorough recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. …Specific and accurate examples are provided. 22 to >19.0 pts Good The response provides one or more recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. …Specific examples are provided.
19 to >17.0 pts Fair The response vaguely or inaccurately provides one recommendation for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. …One example is provided.
17 to >0 pts Poor The response vaguely and inaccurately provides one recommendation for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients; response vaguely addresses any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies or response is missing. …Examples are missing.25 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Resource Synthesis5 to >4.0 pts Excellent Using proper in-text citations, the response fully integrates at least 2 outside resources and 2 or 3 course-specific resources.
4 to >3.0 pts Good Using proper in-text citations, the response fully integrates at least 2 outside resources and 1 course-specific resource.
3 to >2.0 pts Fair Using proper in-text citations, the response minimally integrates outside and course-specific resources.
2 to >0 pts Poor The response does not integrate outside and course-specific resources or no in-text citations are used.5 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting—Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided, which delineates all required criteria.5 to >4.0 pts Excellent Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. …A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion are provided, which delineates all required criteria.
4 to >3.0 pts Good Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. …Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment are stated but are brief and not descriptive.
3 to >2.0 pts Fair Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60–79% of the time. …Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.
2 to >0 pts Poor Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time. …No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion is provided.5 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting—English Writing Standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation.5 to >4.0 pts Excellent Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.
4 to >3.0 pts Good Contains a few (one or two) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
3 to >2.0 pts Fair Contains several (three or four) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
2 to >0 pts Poor Contains many (five or more) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.5 ptsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting: The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.5 to >4.0 pts Excellent Uses correct APA format with no errors.
4 to >3.0 pts Good Contains a few (one or two) APA format errors.
3 to >2.0 pts Fair Contains several (three or four) APA format errors.
2 to >0 pts Poor Contains many (five or more) APA format errors.5 ptsTotal Points: 100

MODULE 2 DISCUSSION – ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO SUPPORT HEALTHCARE ISSUES

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 organi

---

Solution: