Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue
There are many healthcare issues affecting the healthcare delivery industry. They include regulatory requirements, reimbursement models, emerging diseases, complex medical conditions, nurse shortages, and mental problems. Despite these challenges, healthcare leaders should be bold and visionary to develop and implement solutions to the healthcare industry’s challenges (Marshall & Broome, 2021). Covid-19 is a current pandemic that has disrupted the healthcare delivery industry. It has resulted in financial implications for healthcare organizations, morbidity and mortality, stress, burnout, and psychological issues for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.
Pertinent Healthcare Issue: Covid-19
Covid-19 is a contagious medical condition caused by SAR-CoV-2 (Poudel et al., 2021). It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Since its outbreak, many governmental agencies, medical experts, and public health specialists have worked tirelessly to develop guidelines and interventions to help control the transmission and impact of COVID-19. Covid-19 has exposed fragilities within the healthcare organization. Covid-19 can affect multiple organs in the body. Older adults and individuals with preexisting symptoms may have a severe form of the disease (Poudel et al., 2021). Despite being at the front line to help fight the pandemic, healthcare professionals, such as nurses, are not immune from the virus. Many healthcare professionals have been affected by the virus. Many of them have been infected, while some have died from complications related to the virus.
The healthcare organization I work in was affected by Covid-19. After Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, many healthcare professionals experienced shock and fear. Every day, statistics revealed that the infection rates rose, and many people were dying. Many of us knew little about the disease and how to manage it. New information and treatment guidelines kept getting released, worsening the situation. Hospital units were filled with many suspected COVID-19 cases; therefore, the staff started working longer shifts. Accordingly, this resulted in burnout and increased stress levels. Most of us worked for longer hours without sleep or rest. Despite trying hard to save our patients, most of them still succumbed to the virus. As a result, this reduced our morale, and most of us experienced depression and anxiety issues.
Moreover, the healthcare organization was also impacted by the pandemic. Covid-19 guidelines require the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols to help reduce the spread of the virus. This involved buying personal protective equipment (PPE) and installing handwashing stations. There was a high demand for PPEs, which required regular restocking. A lot of finances had to be used on restocking PPEs. More than 30% of the hospital’s budget was purposed for purchasing PPEs and implementing IPC programs. Due to the COVID-19 guidelines, the hospital had to cancel elective surgeries and reduce hospital admissions to reduce congestion. The limited generation of revenue also resulted in layoffs. More than 50 healthcare professionals were laid off. In addition to this, over 150 staff members were also sent on temporary unpaid leave. The releases resulted in increased working hours, which increased burnout and stress levels for nurses. Many healthcare professionals were also directly affected by the healthcare effects of the virus. More than 200 nurses were infected, while 25 of them died of complications of the virus.
Brief Summary of Articles
Healthcare professionals are vital in the fight against the pandemic. Study results have revealed that healthcare professionals have high rates of mental issues, which negatively affect the quality of care they give (Kock et al., 2020). Healthcare professionals are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues because of the virus. Many media reports focus on the number of mortalities of healthcare professionals and infection rates in hospitals, which may worsen the mental health issues of healthcare professionals. Covid-19 guidelines recommend using personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce infection rates. Many healthcare professionals have uncertainties about the quality and quantity of PPE, frequently changing policies on PPE use, and uncertainties concerning the risk posed when caring for patients (Kock et al., 2020). Study results have revealed that many healthcare professionals suffer from burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic (Kock et al., 2020). High levels of anxiety and stress result in increased absenteeism, decreased morale, and reduced job satisfaction and care quality (Kock et al., 2020). Therefore, healthcare professionals should be provided with appropriate tools to help mitigate the pandemic’s effects.
Physicians and nurses are the front-line medical staff in the fight against the pandemic. The study revealed that front-line healthcare workers experienced stress during the pandemic (Cai et al., 2020). They, however, continued to work due to their professional obligations and moral responsibilities. The main concern for many healthcare professionals was their concern that they would transmit the virus to their families and loved ones (Cai et al., 2020). This concern increased the stress levels of healthcare professionals. Another reason that caused stress to healthcare professionals was the mortality rates associated with Covid-19. Healthcare professionals experienced psychological stress when they saw their colleagues’ anxiety (Cai et al., 2020). Thus, healthcare organizations must implement interventions that reduce the spread of the virus and offer psychological support to their staff.
Strategies Used to Address the Organizational Impact of the Covid-19 Issue
Evidence-based practice can be defined as incorporating current evidence into clinical practice to enhance patient outcomes (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). Several evidence-based practices have been proposed to help reduce the negative impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare professionals. The first strategy is training healthcare professionals on positive coping strategies. Training helps alleviate psychological stress and increases self-knowledge, promoting positive coping strategies (Kock et al., 2020). Adequate PPE provision promotes positive mental health since healthcare professionals will feel safe and protected (Kock et al., 2020). Good hospital guidance and team support reduce stress and anxiety. Healthcare organizations should thus create a healthy work environment to prevent burnout (Kock et al., 2020).
A positive and healthy work environment and reassurance of personal safety will encourage healthcare professionals to continue working during the pandemic (Cai et al., 2020). Thus, healthcare organizations and leaders must create a healthy work environment by providing adequate PPE and psychosocial support for their employees. Healthcare professionals should also be trained on the benefits of prevention measures. Awareness of the impact of disease prevention strategies will reduce stress levels (Cai et al., 2020). Healthcare organizations should also implement prevention strategies such as PPE and hand washing.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious healthcare issue currently affecting the world. The pandemic has negatively impacted many healthcare professionals. The mental effects of the pandemic on healthcare professionals include stress, burnout, anxiety, and low morale. Healthcare organizations should implement strategies to help reduce the cognitive impact of the pandemic. Accordingly, this involves creating a healthy work environment by implementing prevention programs and adequately providing PPE.
References
Cai, H., Tu, B., Ma, J., Chen, L., Fu, L., Jiang, Y., & Zhuang, Q. (2020). Psychological impacts and coping strategies of front-line medical staff during COVID-19 outbreak in Hunan, China. Medical Science Monitor, 26. https://doi.org/10.12659/msm.924171
Kock, J. H., Latham, H. A., Leslie, S. J., Grindle, M., Munoz, S., Ellis, L., Polson, R., & O’Malley, C. M. (2020). A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers’ mental health: Implications for supporting psychological well-being. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-62472/v2
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. E. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Poudel, A. N., Zhu, S., Cooper, N., Roderick, P., Alwan, N., Tarrant, C., Ziauddeen, N., & Yao, G. L. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on health-related quality of life of patients: A structured review. PLOS ONE, 16(10), e0259164. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259164
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Question 
Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue
Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue
The Quadruple Aim provides broad goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each plan are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may positively impact outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are tasked to shift from emphasizing disease management, often provided in acute care, to healing, 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 the stress on the healthcare system.
Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true: that healthcare has 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, factors such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare are involved. Generally, it is not surprising that healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve.
In this module’s Discussion, you reviewed some healthcare issues/stressors and selected one for further review. For this Assignment, you will consider the healthcare issue/stressor you chose in more detail. 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 (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 impacts 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 effect (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate corporate stakeholders).
Briefly summarize 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 your selected scholarly resources. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.
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