Systems Theory and Practice Issues
One major issue that nurses experience in my current practice area is the exposure to workplace hazards, especially bloodborne pathogens. Some of the most common bloodborne pathogens from which healthcare workers are at risk include Human immune deficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nurses are potentially exposed to these diseases when injured by sharp objects, thereby causing a percutaneous injury, or when exposed to a mucocutaneous incident with contact of a mucus membrane. Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens is very frequent among workers in my current practice area and also in the healthcare industry. A statement from the World Health Organization shows that approximately three million healthcare workers have come into contact with sharp objects that have been contaminated with some bloodborne diseases such as HIV and HBV.
Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens occurs at the micro level; the exposure is characterized by the high number of accidents occurring from sharp objects. In order to curb this problem, I will propose that all nurses adhere to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards (OSHA) focused on enhancing the provision of immediate guidelines from which reference concerning the mitigation of bloodborne pathogens is drawn. (United States Department of Labor, 2020).
OSHA prescribes safeguards that are intended to place workers’ interests first and avail artificial immunity against health perils caused by bloodborne pathogens. The safeguards are focused on ensuring that nurses and other health workers wear protective gear, conduct post-exposure follow-ups, and observe exposure control plans.
Moreover, OSHA prescribes a needlestick safety and prevention act that requires safe implementation and evaluation of medical equipment such as sharps and needless systems that postulate sharp protections by employers. Laboratory safety regulations, especially on needle recapping, will lead to an increase in educational and biosafety training for nurses on how to effectively dispose of bloodborne pathogens.
Reducing the workload on nurses is also a solution worth considering as it will offer them more time to follow the laboratory safety guidelines and also give them ample time to attend biosafety training (Balci, 2016). The above-mentioned solutions will affect the macro-level institutions and the state; the latter and its territories will be required to adopt a bloodborne pathogen standard whose effect corresponds to that of the federal OSHA standard.
The meso level will also be affected since all hospitals operating in the medical and health industry will be required to adhere to the Needle Stick Prevention and Safety Act. Nurses will be at the forefront of implementing the standards since they manage the patient care process, making them vulnerable to sustaining injuries from sharps that are contaminated.
The interprofessional collaboration will provide clarity by clearly defining what each nurse is required to do, especially when upholding OSHA standards; team success should be apprehended at all costs, however, how much individual contributions are valued. Moreover, interprofessional collaboration will build trust and confidence in nurses, thus developing a culture of practice and implementation of policies and procedures based on concepts of time management and interaction with other healthcare fields as well as proximity (Bosch & Mansell, 2015).
The interprofessional collaboration will foster the ability of nurses to overcome adversities involved with complex patients who fail to adhere to safety standards and procedures or staff shortages; adversities require every member to remain committed to the collective goal despite setbacks.
Furthermore, interprofessional collaboration enables nurses to provide collective leadership in different sectors that involve the application of standards for mitigating bloodborne pathogens. Collective leadership consists of one domain that is focused on developing competency for interprofessional education; it alienates unnecessary pressure from a nurse and evenly pools it within the group.
Implementation of health and safety standards requires adequate allocation of time; nurses should, therefore, reduce the amount of workload that they have in order to strategically execute OSHA standards that aim at minimizing occupational bloodborne diseases.
References
Balci, F. (2016). Isolation gowns in health care settings: Laboratory studies, regulations and standards, and potential barriers of gown selection and use. Retrieved from: CDC stacksstacks.cdc.gov
Bosch, B., & Mansell, H. (2015). Interprofessional collaboration in health care: Lessons to be learned from competitive sports. Canadian Pharmacist’s Journal: CPJ = Revue des pharmacies du Canada: RPC, 148(4), 176–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163515588106
United States Department of Labor, (2020). Quick Reference Guide to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/bloodborne_quickref.html
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Question 
Many of you have experience in complex adaptive systems, whether you realize it or not. Thinking about your current or future practice area, identify an issue or concern.
Systems Theory and Practice Issues
In your initial response, please describe the concern. Does the concern primarily occur at the micro, meso, or macro level? How would you address this issue? What impact might your solution have on the other levels of the system? In what ways could interprofessional collaboration be used to resolve the issue?