Appropriate staffing levels at healthcare facilities are important for ensuring safe working conditions for healthcare providers (HCPs) and safe care for patients. Thus, maximizing interventions and performance improvement initiatives is essential for protecting HCPs, patients, and visitors at all times, including during public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Because staffing shortages occur due to various reasons, ranging from the lack of skilled professionals to burnout and turnover, a performance improvement initiative should combine both conventional and unconventional strategies.
Performance Improvement Initiative
The recommended performance improvement plan that will help address the problem of staffing shortages at healthcare facilities will be two-fold. The first part of the strategy entails the implementation of conventional approaches that have been shown to work in evidence-based practice (CDC, 2022). Specifically, it is necessary to understand the normal staffing needs and the minimum number of practitioners necessary for providing a safe work environment and adequate patient care. In addition, it is advised to communicate with local healthcare partners on various levels to identify additional HCP when needed. Strategies to increase the number of HCPs include hiring more providers, recruiting retired practitioners, as well as using students or volunteers when the staffing levels are below critical.
The second part of the initiative entails long-term approaches to ensuring adequate staffing levels at a healthcare facility. Specifically, it is necessary to establish a culture of engagement within the healthcare context to make sure that HCPs feel safe and accepted in their workplace. Additionally, it is recommended to make career development a top priority in their practice so that they have a specific goal in mind that they can pursue and stay motivated. When promoting career development, the management of a facility should accelerate clinical advancement programs, such as the thoughtful design of clinical ladders, from a staff nurse to an RNFA. Throughout career development, high-performing nurses should be recognized for reinstating their value to the healthcare facility and the process of patient care. Increasing flexibility in the work schedule can be another perk for HCPs for implementing a shared governance approach, allowing taking extra shifts and incentivizing unpopular shifts with bonuses.
The type of data that will reveal a quality outcome is quantitative, showing the difference in the numbers between the healthcare providers who retained and those who turned over. The quality of care is expected to reflect the outcomes of shortages or sufficient staffing – improved patient outcomes by cases will show that the staffing is enough and vice versa (Kovacs & Lagarde, 2022). While it is important not to focus continuously on data because the emphasis on numbers can hinder the process; however, using the data as a source of improvement is necessary within such an initiative. Increasing staffing levels at a healthcare facility requires a multi-dimensional approach to the issue to reach favorable outcomes.
Implementation of the Plan in the Organization
The implementation of the initiative is based on the ongoing collaboration between team members. The plan is expected to be communicated among departments in regular meetings intended to track staffing levels and measure care quality outcomes. It is important that heads of all departments at a healthcare facility meet and regularly collaborate to express their concerns and share either progress or the lack thereof in their settings (Rosen et al., 2018). Data that they will track and discuss should be readily available and updated at least every two weeks to ensure that it is up-to-date and relevant. Making connections between staffing levels, HCPs’ engagement and satisfaction, and patient outcomes will allow for determining whether the implemented efforts allow for addressing the issue.
If the plan for the initiative was implemented in real life, the hypothetical effects on patient care outcomes would be multi-dimensional. First, more healthcare providers at the facility means more time spent on each patient, offering the necessary level of care. As a result of the increased attention that patients receive, their condition can improve significantly, leading to shorter recovery (Rosen et al., 2018). Second, increased staffing may also facilitate stronger patient-provider relationships and boost satisfaction with the services offered at that specific healthcare facility. Patients want to feel that their needs are met, which may cause them to become more compliant with treatment, which is an essential aspect of recovery.
The hypothetical effect of the recommended initiative on the culture of safety will entail the establishment of long-term efforts aimed at guaranteeing good work conditions for HCPs and adequate care quality for patients. The strategies embedded in the recommended initiative illustrate the need to pay attention to the needs of providers and create an environment in which they feel accepted and highly motivated to keep working and grow as professionals. A context that allows for career development, educational opportunities, and the meeting of providers’ needs is more conducive to establishing a safety culture. Finally, when HCPs feel more confident within their work setting, they will contribute with new ideas on how to enhance safety using their experience and expertise.
References
CDC. (2022). Staff shortages. Web.
Kovacs, R., & Lagarde, M. (2022). Does high workload reduce the quality of healthcare? Evidence from rural Senegal. Journal of Health Economics, 82, 102600. Web.
Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high-quality care. The American Psychologist, 73(4), 433–450. Web.