Introduction
This report is aimed at discussing two goals. At first, it is necessary to reduce the number of call-ins in the hospital. Furthermore, one should focus on fall prevention. These two goals have been chosen because they are related to the problems that profoundly affect a great number of patients whose health or even lives can be endangered. This is why these problems should be effectively addressed.
Goal One: Staffing
Brief description of the goal
My first goal is to reduce the number of call-ins by the end of September 2014. In this context, the term call-in can be understood as the absenteeism of an employee who may have to be away from work due to health problems or other urgent issues. This goal is particularly relevant if one speaks about various medical professionals, especially nurses. This issue has become urgent at a time when many hospitals struggle with the shortage of nurses.
Peer-reviewed articles
Researchers pay attention to the risks which are associated with understaffing of medical organizations. In particular, one should mention an article that throws light on the problems faced by European hospitals (“Nurse Staffing, Education Affect Patient Mortality”, 2014, p, 7). According to this study, the increasing workload of nurses contributes to mortality in medical institutions (“Nurse Staffing, Education Affect Patient Mortality”, 2014, p, 7).
Although, this article does not provide recommendations for achieving my objective, nevertheless, it is quite valuable. In particular, it shows that the shortage of nurses profoundly affects the quality of patient care. Moreover, hospital administrators should make sure that the shift has a certain number of nurses with an undergraduate degree (Nurse Staffing, Education Affect Patient Mortality”, 2014, p, 7). This is why this source should not be overlooked.
Websites
Various online resources can throw light on this issue. For instance, one can mention the website maintained by AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nurses). In particular, with its help, one can learn about the effects of understaffing on patient outcomes (American Association of Colleges of Nurses, 2014).
Additionally, this website is valuable because it can enable hospital administrators to develop strategies for reducing the number of call-ins. For example, one can mention the need to set proper staffing requirements for hospitals. Overall, this online resource can be used for developing appropriate policies that can help policies overcome the problem of call-ins.
Interview with an expert
While working on this goal, I had to interview a nurse manager who is responsible for organizing the work of other healthcare professionals. In turn, she perceives call-ins as one of the main problems that hospital administrators should address. Overall, this interview has been quite valuable because I was given several important insights into this problem. In particular, the nurse manager discussed how my goal can be attained.
For instance, at least one nursing professional should be on call during certain shifts. This approach can be useful provided that a medical worker has to be absent due to illness or some unforeseen circumstances. This is one of the details that singled out. Additionally, it is important to identify those circumstances when a call-in can be allowed. Furthermore, a nurse should provide evidence demonstrating that he/she had to be away from work. These recommendations have been of great importance to me and I will use them to achieve my goal.
Goal One: Fall Prevention
Brief description of the goal
My second goal is related to fall prevention in the unit. In particular, I would like to reduce the number of falls by 50 percent during the upcoming months. This task can be critical for many patients whose movements are temporarily or permanently impaired. These are the main details that can be identified.
Peer-reviewed articles
The second goal has also become an important concern for many medical workers and researchers. For example, it is possible to mention the research article written by Josea Kramer et al. (2014). The researchers examine the factors that contribute to patients’ falls (Kramer et al., 2014). For instance, it is possible to mention such factors as muscle weakness, functional impairment, or the use of psychoactive medications (Kramer et al., 2014, p. 372).
This article is valuable because it highlights the main strategies that can be used to reduce the number of falls in the hospital. For example, it is possible to mention balance exercises (Kramer et al., 2014). By using this information, hospital administrators can improve the experiences of many patients.
Therefore, this source has significant implications for many practitioners.
Websites
Additionally, the second goal, which I have identified, has attracted the attention of many healthcare organizations. One can refer to the website maintained by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (2012). This organization provides information about the dangers of falls. More importantly, healthcare practitioners can learn more about the methods which are useful for reducing the number of falls.
For instance, it is possible to mention hourly rounds, the use of non-skid slippers, clear documentation of every case, risk-assessment of a patient’s physical state, and many other precautions which can protect a person from various injuries (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). Overall, the recommendations offered by this organization have been of great use to me. These are the main points that can be made.
Interview with an expert
I have also discussed this goal with a nurse manager who has to safeguard patients from falls. This expert is keenly aware of this issue. In particular, she offered many valuable suggestions that can be important for achieving this goal. For instance, she emphasized the necessity for regular screening of patients since this procedure is critical for identifying at-risk patients. Furthermore, in her opinion, this goal requires the cooperation of all nurses who work in the hospital. In this way, they can better shield patients from various risks. Overall, I will take into account the suggestions provided by this expert.
Summary
Overall, the study of various sources has demonstrated to me that the goals that have been identified have significant implications for healthcare organizations. In particular, the reduction of call-ins is critical for improving the quality of patient care. Additionally, it is important to make sure that there are on-call medical workers. In turn, fall prevention, which is the second goal, is also of great concern to healthcare administrators.
In particular, much attention should be paid to the screening of patients and the use of appropriate equipment. Finally, the interviews with informational experts proved to be valuable. These interviews indicate that there are specific methods that are necessary for achieving the goals that I identified.
Reference List
American Association of Colleges of Nurses. (2014). Impact of the Nursing Shortage on Patient Care. Web.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Falls Prevention. Web.
Kramer, J., Creekmur, B., Mitchell, M., Rose, D., Pynoos J., & Rubenstein, L. (2014). Community Fall Prevention Programs: Comparing Three InSTEP Models by Level of Intensity. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 22(10), 372-379.
Nurse Staffing, Education Affect Patient Mortality. (2014). AACN Bold Voices, 1, 7.