Description
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 (2-3 pages):
Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Add a section to the paper you submitted. The new section should address the following in 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.
Assignment Rubric
Criteria
Ratings
Pts
Add a section to the paper you submitted previously. For this assignment, in 2-3 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 pts
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
Excellent
The 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 pts
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 pts
Resource Synthesis
5 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 pts
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 pts
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 pts
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 pts
Total Points: 100
Unformatted Attachment Preview
1
Current Health Issue: COVID-19
Name
Institution
Course
Professor
Date
2
Current Health Issue: COVID-19
Despite introducing the different vaccines, COVID-19 is still a national health stressor.
Recent news shows that there has been resurgent of COVID-19 in many states. In February 2024,
there were more than 5000 daily admissions in the country. Also, despite the ready availability of
the vaccines, only 69% of people had been vaccinated, and a smaller group (17%) had taken the
booster shots that people need to remain immune to the virus (New York Times, 2024). The
disease impacts older people more seriously than it affects younger people. Also, its transmission
through the air and body fluids makes it very easily transmissible. Therefore, it is still necessary
for care providers and other sectors that deal with many people to implement protective measures
for their staff and clients.
The stressor affects my work setting, increasing the infection risk. The ease with which
COVID-19 spreads makes healthcare settings high-risk places. Because there remains a huge
number of unvaccinated people and people who have not taken booster shots, healthcare settings
may enable high transmission rates unless extra care is taken (Kafadar et al., 2023). COVID-19
has, therefore, made it necessary for people in care settings to be extra careful and avoid close
contact unless one is wearing protective gear and is working with the person. It also affects care
accessibility and quality because professionals must protect themselves.
Several social determinants impact COVID-19. First, the person’s socioeconomic status
impacts people’s access to resources and their perception of their groups. People’s income and
occupation affect their use of care and the risk of such illnesses (Kafadar et al., 2023). it impacts
their living arrangements and their coverage by social systems. For instance, poor elderly in the
US must register to get Medicaid. People’s education impacts how they see vaccination. Poor
literacy promotes misinformation about vaccines. Misformation affects people’s acceptance of
3
preventive measures, leading to high incidences. The internet enables propagandists and other
groups to misinform people (Kafadar et al., 2023). For instance, there are articles about people
dying or becoming extremely sick because of vaccines that aim to resist vaccination. Politicians
and celebrities have also participated in misinformation and adversely affected vaccination rates.
My work setting has responded by implementing preventive measures. First, posters on
the various boards and communications frequently remind staff about hygiene. Communication
about hygiene and vaccination aims to ensure that they take optimal care. Also, nurses remind
patients and other staff about vaccination. Including health education about the illness aims to
empower people to protect themselves to reduce the incidence. Also, the organization requires
that employees be vaccinated unless for religious reasons. The facility has had to make the
changes with nurses’ and other professionals’ help to ensure that the people implement measures
to reduce incidence and infection at work.
Covid-19 remains to be a serious issue for the country’s healthcare system. The incidence
is still high, and many people are unvaccinated. Therefore, healthcare environments have been
risky environments for people who are predisposed to the disease. As a result, nurses, patients,
and other people in healthcare settings have had to become more careful than in pre-pandemic
times to protect themselves and others. The facility has intensified health education about the
disease and the need to vaccinate. The organization understands that factors like literacy and
socioeconomicsocioeconomic status may affect people’s perception of the virus and vaccines.
Therefore, nurses and other providers are encouraged to practice care while also using the social
determinants to guide their information to people about the disease.
4
References
Kafadar, A. H., Tekeli, G. G., Jones, K. A., Stephan, B., & Dening, T. (2023). Determinants for
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the general population: a systematic review of
reviews. Journal of Public Health, 31(11), 1829-1845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389022-01753-9
New York Times. (2024, February 24). Track COVID-19 in the U.S.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/covid-cases.html
1
Competing Needs
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
2
Competing Needs
Competing needs are those that develop together and need to be satisfied simultaneously.
In healthcare, many competing needs exist. They include the need for profits, more resources,
and information security while enabling proper coordination. Such needs are usually complex to
fix because solving one usually adversely affects the other needs. Hence, professionals must
determine how to prioritize fairness and ensure operations continue. The needs must also be
considered in policy-making to ensure that the policies serve their purposes while having limited
adverse effects on other aspects.
Competing Needs
Competing needs are usually challenging to solve due to their effects on each other.
Usually, they develop from the existence of diverse stakeholders who are impacted differently
and also affect the system. For instance, patients seek services that should be accessible.
Professionals require resources to serve patients, and they must be trained enough to do so. On
the other hand, the organizational administration must ensure that it remains sustainable. Forprofit organizations seek to make profits out of their services. Hence, they must balance getting
the needed care resources and making money for investors. The failure to meet any other
competing needs may adversely affect the various parties. For instance, having inadequate
employees to save costs may cause poor care delivery and hence cause patient injuries. When
patients develop low satisfaction, they are likely to avoid the facility. Therefore, when
organizations develop policies, they must consider how to balance the needs and ensure that no
one problem is solved at the expense of other problems.
3
Effects of COVID-19 on Various Competing Needs
COVID-19 indeed affects several competing needs. The disease caused a sudden demand
increase. Therefore, the organization had to change its operations to facilitate the changes that
the disease caused. The virus has remained even after the pandemic ended because of poor
vaccination levels. Hence, it has remained important to maintain hygiene and protection. For
instance, professionals still require extra protection like masks and more cleaning to remain clear
of the infection (Silva et al., 2020). However, the organization also faces poor resource
availability. For instance, despite low care costs, the facility must buy protective gear and other
resources. The facility has also had to employ more staff despite also needing to save money.
Therefore, policies that have developed post-pandemic have incorporated the preventive needs
that the disease created. Policies can address the issues by ensuring policymakers consider how
the illness has impacted the various aspects of care (Silva et al., 2020). for instance, the
administration should consider how the need for staffing and resources has been impacted. They
should consider the implications of solving and failing to solve the various needs and prioritize
appropriately.
Additional Ideas
Competing needs also affect staffing. Facilities must have enough labor to care for
patients. Staffing needs cause the need for money. Staff must get salaries and the equipment they
need. They must also be educated. Usually, having enough nurses will ensure that each patient
gets the required level of care. Facilities may also need more staff and acquire other resources
with limited budgets (Apornak, 2021). For instance, an organization may need to hire staff and
train the current ones with a limited human resource budget. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
organizations faced the challenge of hiring more people and ensuring their protection while also
4
training them to face the new challenge (Apornak, 2021). facilities had to develop policies that
determined how to handle the various human resource functions while ensuring enough staff.
5
References
Apornak, A. (2021). Human resources allocation in the hospital emergency department during
COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(1), 264–270.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1861173
Silva, K. R. D., Souza, F. G. D., Roquete, F. F., Faria, S. M. D. C., Peixoto, B. C. F., & Vieira, A.
(2020). Allocation of resources for health care in COVID-19 pandemic times: integrative
review. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73, e20200244. https://doi.org/10.1590/00347167-2020-0244
1
National Healthcare Issues/Stressors: COVID-19
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
2
National Healthcare Issues/Stressors: COVID-19
The health issue stressor/issue selected is the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the emergence
of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease has significantly affected various healthcare facilities in
different ways. Before the emergence of this disease, the volume of patients in healthcare
facilities, especially ours, could be easily predicted since the number of patients received each
day was almost the same. However, after the emergence of the disease, it was impossible to
predict the number of patients likely to be received in a given day due to their significant
volume. Various aspects regarding COVID-19 have been discussed, including the impact of the
pandemic on my organization, a summary of scholarly articles, and the strategies used to address
the organizational impact of the disease.
Impact on Our Organization
Our organization is among the healthcare facilities significantly affected by the
emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a significant difference between how the
facility was before and after the disease emerged. In this case, the facility has experienced
several challenges from the impact of the disease, leading to the inability to deliver high-quality
services efficiently. For instance, the number of patients visiting the facility daily for various
healthcare services related to COVID-19 is significantly high. This has made the organization
strain in using the available resources in an attempt to provide the patients with high-quality
services. Each problem experienced in the facility due to COVID-19 is associated with the
increased number of patients received daily. For instance, the increased number of patients
received in the facility has contributed to overcrowding in the organization, thus increasing the
risk of spreading the disease. This is because the distance between uninfected and infected
persons is among the ways COVID-19 is spread, especially if no one uses personal protective
equipment (PPE).
3
Another impact of COVID-19 in the facility is resource shortages due to the increased
number of patients received within a short period. For instance, there are insufficient healthcare
providers available to deliver care services to the increased number of patients. This causes some
patients to receive delayed services, leading to deterioration in their health conditions. In
addition, there is a resource shortage in the facility in terms of beds available for the patients.
Due to the increased number of patients visiting the facility within a short period, the beds
available have been insufficient. This has made the facility set aside some units in an attempt to
accommodate the large number of patients. The large patient volume in the facility has also
contributed to the decreased quality of services delivered to patients due to the increased
workload for healthcare providers, especially the nurses. The ratio of healthcare providers to
patients has significantly decreased, leading to minimal attention given compared to what
patients require.
Quantifying the impact of COVID-19 in the facility can be evident through staff
shortages, increased patient admissions, and financial strain. For instance, the organization has
experienced a 20% decrease in the number of healthcare professionals available due to burnout,
quarantine requirements, and contracting the infection. Besides, the facility has experienced a
40% increase in the number of patients admitted daily for COVID-19 infection. Moreover, the
facility has experienced a 20% decrease in revenue generated due to increased expenditure on
costs in managing large patient volumes, adopting safety measures, and purchasing PPE.
Summary of Scholarly Articles
One of the articles reviewed was authored by Danesh et al. (2021) regarding nursing
challenges brought about by the emergence of COVID-19. According to this article, COVID-19
has significantly impacted various nursing settings, leading to the delivery of relatively lowquality services (Danesh et al., 2021). For instance, according to the article, some impacts of this
4
disease on various nursing settings include increased workloads, reduced resources available,
and high spread of the virus due to overcrowding.
Another article reviewed regarding COVID-19 was authored by Khoshrounejad et al.
(2021). According to this article, various healthcare facilities are adopting different measures to
address the impact brought about by COVID-19. However, most healthcare facilities have
adopted telehealth to address the COVID-19 impact, and it has been evident to be effective
(Khoshrounejad et al., 2021). This strategy enables healthcare providers to remotely deliver care
services to COVID-19 patients, thus addressing various issues such as increased workloads,
reduced resources available, and high spread of the virus.
Summarize the Strategies Used and Their Impact on My Organization
According to the articles reviewed, telehealth technology is the most significant strategy
that healthcare organizations use to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This strategy
has addressed almost all the problems brought about by the disease in various healthcare
facilities. This strategy has both positive and negative impacts on my healthcare organization.
For instance, some positive effects of telehealth technology in the organization include improved
access to care among patients with the disease, reduced workloads due to fewer patients visiting
the facility physically, and improved patient safety due to the reduced risk of spreading the virus.
However, some negative impacts this strategy will likely cause in the facility include increased
cost of adopting the technology and resistance from various staff members.
5
References
Danesh, M. K., Garosi, E., & Golmohamadpour, H. (2021). The COVID-19 Pandemic and
nursing challenges: A review of the early literature. Work, 69(1), 23-36. 10.3233/WOR213458
Khoshrounejad, F., Hamednia, M., Mehrjerd, A., Pichaghsaz, S., Jamalirad, H., Sargolzaei, M.,
… & Aalaei, S. (2021). Telehealth-based services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a
systematic review of features and challenges. Frontiers in public health, 9, 711762.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.711762
1
Competing Needs
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
2
Competing Needs
Competing needs are those that develop together and need to be satisfied simultaneously.
In healthcare, many competing needs exist. They include the need for profits, more resources,
and information security while enabling proper coordination. Such needs are usually complex to
fix because solving one usually adversely affects the other needs. Hence, professionals must
determine how to prioritize fairness and ensure operations continue. The needs must also be
considered in policy-making to ensure that the policies serve their purposes while having limited
adverse effects on other aspects.
Competing Needs
Competing needs are usually challenging to solve due to their effects on each other.
Usually, they develop from the existence of diverse stakeholders who are impacted differently
and also affect the system. For instance, patients seek services that should be accessible.
Professionals require resources to serve patients, and they must be trained enough to do so. On
the other hand, the organizational administration must ensure that it remains sustainable. Forprofit organizations seek to make profits out of their services. Hence, they must balance getting
the needed care resources and making money for investors. The failure to meet any other
competing needs may adversely affect the various parties. For instance, having inadequate
employees to save costs may cause poor care delivery and hence cause patient injuries. When
patients develop low satisfaction, they are likely to avoid the facility. Therefore, when
organizations develop policies, they must consider how to balance the needs and ensure that no
one problem is solved at the expense of other problems.
3
Effects of COVID-19 on Various Competing Needs
COVID-19 indeed affects several competing needs. The disease caused a sudden demand
increase. Therefore, the organization had to change its operations to facilitate the changes that
the disease caused. The virus has remained even after the pandemic ended because of poor
vaccination levels. Hence, it has remained important to maintain hygiene and protection. For
instance, professionals still require extra protection like masks and more cleaning to remain clear
of the infection (Silva et al., 2020). However, the organization also faces poor resource
availability. For instance, despite low care costs, the facility must buy protective gear and other
resources. The facility has also had to employ more staff despite also needing to save money.
Therefore, policies that have developed post-pandemic have incorporated the preventive needs
that the disease created. Policies can address the issues by ensuring policymakers consider how
the illness has impacted the various aspects of care (Silva et al., 2020). for instance, the
administration should consider how the need for staffing and resources has been impacted. They
should consider the implications of solving and failing to solve the various needs and prioritize
appropriately.
Additional Ideas
Competing needs also affect staffing. Facilities must have enough labor to care for
patients. Staffing needs cause the need for money. Staff must get salaries and the equipment they
need. They must also be educated. Usually, having enough nurses will ensure that each patient
gets the required level of care. Facilities may also need more staff and acquire other resources
with limited budgets (Apornak, 2021). For instance, an organization may need to hire staff and
train the current ones with a limited human resource budget. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
organizations faced the challenge of hiring more people and ensuring their protection while also
4
training them to face the new challenge (Apornak, 2021). facilities had to develop policies that
determined how to handle the various human resource functions while ensuring enough staff.
5
References
Apornak, A. (2021). Human resources allocation in the hospital emergency department during
COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(1), 264–270.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1861173
Silva, K. R. D., Souza, F. G. D., Roquete, F. F., Faria, S. M. D. C., Peixoto, B. C. F., & Vieira, A.
(2020). Allocation of resources for health care in COVID-19 pandemic times: integrative
review. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73, e20200244. https://doi.org/10.1590/00347167-2020-0244
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