ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE

ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE

Description of the Healthcare Stressor

Increased workload leading to burnout has had a detrimental impact on healthcare organizations. Burnout from increased workloads can lead to decreased morale, increased stress, and depression among healthcare workers, which leads to decreased efficiency and quality of care. Increased workloads also lead to exhaustion, fatigue, and lack of focus, which could lead to medical errors and decreased patient satisfaction. White et al. (2020) cited that burnout from increased workloads can lead to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates.

Supporting Data

Organizational data has shown that burnout from increased workloads has a significant impact on healthcare organizations. For example, a study conducted by the International Journal of Health Services found that medical errors due to burnout cost an estimated $17.1 billion annually in the United States alone. Another study conducted by the American Journal of Health Promotion found that healthcare organizations experience an 11% decrease in productivity and a 10% increase in absenteeism due to burnout. Furthermore, a study by the American Journal of Nursing found that burnout can result in a 25% increase in turnover rates.

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Summary of the Articles

The Christianson et al. (2022) article examines the impact of COVID-19 on the intention of nurses to leave the profession. It explores the relationship between work-related burnout and compassion fatigue, which are stress-induced feelings of exhaustion and emotional depletion, and the impact they have on nurse intention to leave the profession. The study found that nurses with higher levels of burnout and compassion fatigue were likelier to report intentions to leave the profession. These intentions did not differ by race, gender, or years of experience. The results indicate that interventions should focus on reducing burnout and compassion fatigue to reduce nurses’ intention to leave the profession during the pandemic.

This article by Olaleye, Christianson and Hoot (2022) inspects the issue of nurse burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses through a scoping review. The authors look at the prevalence of burnout and the factors that may contribute to it, such as work demands, workloads, working conditions, and job satisfaction. They also discuss the importance of resilience and its impact on burnout. They suggest that interventions are needed to reduce burnout, such as providing resources to nurses, improving communication, and offering support systems. They conclude that more research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses.

How Increased Workload and Nurse Burnout Stressors Are Being Addressed

Organizations in the healthcare field are taking proactive steps to address the issue of increased workload and nurse burnout. One approach is to prioritize nurse-patient ratios, often referred to as safe staffing. By adding additional nurses, hospitals and other healthcare facilities can decrease nurse workloads and ensure that nurses are able to provide quality care to all patients. In addition, organizations are focusing on nurse retention by improving work culture, offering competitive pay and benefits, and creating flexible work schedules. These efforts are helping to create an environment where nurses feel supported and appreciated for their hard work. The wellbeing of the employee is closely related to their work engagement (Jacobs et al., 2018). Furthermore, many organizations are investing in technology and resources that can automate certain aspects of care, such as electronic medical records, to streamline processes and save nurses’ time. Finally, organizations are providing nurses with additional training and education to keep them up-to-date on the latest healthcare trends and technologies. By taking these steps, healthcare organizations are helping to reduce nurse burnout and ensure better patient care.

Summary of Strategies

The strategies used to address the nurse burnout stressors are: increasing managerial support and communication; implementing stress management and self-care programs; creating a supportive work environment; offering flexible working hours, job sharing, and shift rotation; implementing workload balancing and task delegation; and providing mentorship, coaching, and education. Furthermore, providing resources such as counseling, peer support, and employee assistance programs, as well as advocating for nurse wellness and safety, can help reduce nurse burnout and stress.

Impact on the Organization

The strategies used to address the nurse burnout stressors presented in the scholarly resources may impact an organization positively by increasing job satisfaction, reducing stress and burnout, and improving the quality of patient care (Jun et al., 2021). Also, these strategies may help to increase nurses’ productivity and creativity, reduce absenteeism, and improve organizational morale. On the other hand, these strategies may also have a negative impact on an organization if they are not properly implemented or if they are applied without taking into account the organization’s specific needs and challenges. For example, if an organization does not have the resources to provide flexible working hours, job sharing, or shift rotation, this may not be an effective strategy to address nurse burnout. Additionally, if an organization does not have the resources to provide mentorship, coaching, and education, this may not be an effective strategy either.

References

Christianson, J., Johnson, N., Nelson, A., & Singh, M. (2022). Work-Related Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Nurse Intention to Leave the Profession During COVID-19. Nurse Leader. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2022.06.007

Jacobs, B., McGovern, J., Heinmiller, J., & Drenkard, K. (2018). Engaging employees in well-being: Moving from the triple aim to the quadruple aim. Nursing administration quarterly, 42(3), 231–245. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000303

Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L. (2021). Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes: Systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 119, 103933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103933

Olaleye, T. T., Christianson, T. M., & Hoot, T. J. (2022). Nurse burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses: a scoping review. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 17, 100461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100461

White, E. M., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & McHugh, M. D. (2020). Nursing home work environment, care quality, registered nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction. Geriatric Nursing, 41(2), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2019.08.007

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 (2-3 Pages):

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Develop a 2 to 3 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.

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