Description of Competing Needs Impacting a Healthcare Issue
The lack of doctors and nurses is a significant problem that affects home care agencies. Most patients who required care did not have their suggested shifts filled. Many doctors have left my organization to pursue more well-paying positions.
Approximately 20 percent of healthcare professionals are believed to leave their positions within the first year of employment (Devi et al., 2021). As a result of this tendency, family members and skilled caregivers now have to spend more hours looking after their family members when a nurse is not present (Devi et al., 2021). The loss of healthcare workers financially impacts the company because it incurs additional costs to train new employees to fill the roles left vacant by experienced professionals.
Relevant Policy and Ethical Considerations on a Healthcare Issue
While some organizations have a considerable waiting list of customers who may wait for months or years without receiving care, most agencies must turn down some referrals due to a shortage of healthcare providers. To boost pay, education, recruitment, and retention efforts, authorities should allocate additional funds in accordance with the guidelines. Once the baby boomers retire, the shortfall is expected to worsen (Devi et al., 2021). The strength of this policy proposition is the possibility of retaining healthcare professionals in care homes. However, its challenge is connected to the restricted opportunities for hiring young medical specialists.
Recommended Policies to Address Competing Needs and Ethical Shortcomings
By providing competitive salaries, most healthcare organizations attempt to attract nurses by standing out. Other financial perks offered by specific home care organizations include PTO, medical coverage, and workers’ compensation. Additionally, they provide loans and advances of money to their staff members. Lastly, many home care organizations offer various services, including therapy and counseling, to improve coping to deal with stress related to work, a factor that is the root of the high rate of turnover leading to a nursing and physician shortage (Milliken, 2018). A flexible schedule is also an effective way to retain healthcare professionals.
Several competing needs could impact the provision of high-quality treatment. Healthcare practitioners must adhere to the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity to ensure that patients receive quality care without suffering harm (American Nurses Association, 2015). One strategy to enable healthcare professionals to function as moral agents and give patients secure and responsible treatment is to increase their ethical awareness.
All of the measures above are advantageous and may help attract and retain physicians and nurses. Flexible scheduling regulations, for instance, can occasionally be abused, leading to errors and uneven effort (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Offering a more competitive salary and other financial perks will increase an agency’s operating expenses, which in turn will lead to higher healthcare expenditures (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Additionally, due to their participation, nurses may experience burnout or develop compassion fatigue.
Summary
The physician and nurse shortage is a significant problem for the healthcare sector and substantially affects the home health sector. The lack of professionals in healthcare facilities is caused by some circumstances, with stress playing a significant role. A significant departure of healthcare educators and the retirement outflow will occur when the baby boomer population leaves. The issue is exacerbated by the fact that there are more senior people, most of whom are living longer due to advancements in science and technology. People of all ages with chronic diseases require expert medical care regularly, which makes the scarcity of healthcare experts worse.
The lack of qualified healthcare professionals is a severe problem for healthcare institutions, especially in the home health sector. Adopting evidence-based policy and allocation of resources at the level of the hospital and government is necessary to address this shortage. In addition to pay and training, the work environment has a significant impact on employees’ well-being.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD.
Devi, R., Goodman, C., Dalkin, S., Bate, A., Wright, J., Jones, L., & Spilsbury, K. (2021). Attracting, recruiting and retaining nurses and care workers working in care homes: The need for a nuanced understanding informed by evidence and theory. Age and Ageing, 50(1), 65–67.
Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6.
Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it matters. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1.