Introduction
Quality implementation and nursing practices in the twenty-first century are challenged by various factors, including an increase in the number of elderly and critically ill patients, rising healthcare costs, a shortage of nursing staff and nurse educators, and a shift in the nursing workforce’s age. Other current concerns affecting these aspects include bettering health education, a lack of respect for nurses, and cost reduction. Although these issues are not clinical, they impact the efficiency and quality with which nurses deliver services. This paper will highlight the administration’s struggle to execute quality and safety requirements for patients at Almegat Hospital in Medinah due to a lack of nurse staffing.
Nurse Staffing: Quality and Safety Requirements
Patients’ welfare can be jeopardized when healthcare institutions have insufficient nurses on staff which may lead to quality decrease. Furthermore, overworked nurses may not pay enough attention to the nuances or fail to interact properly with patients. The Almegat Hospital is faced with shortage of nursing staffing and this challenge as led to some problems in the organization. Inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource-constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention, and return policies, ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilization, poor incentive structures, and inadequate career support are the causes of nursing shortages in the hospital (Cho, 2020). Therefore, budget cuts have resulted in fewer nurses being hired and decreased pay for those hired. In addition, it has resulted in nurses caring for many more patients than they can safely and adequately care for.
Since nurses are responsible for enhancing medical care and applying evidence-based practices for improved healthcare delivery, nursing personnel shortages restrict the success of quality and safety programs. Nurses are burdened by long working hours and job turnover. Their safety difficulties arise when nurses receive insufficient education and training, harming both nurses and patients and workplace violence. These medical specialists experience stress due to poor self-care, which leads to burnout. During a nursing shortage, patients are put in danger in various ways. They may be turned away from hospitals and clinics because staffing levels are insufficient to satisfy demand. Those who are admitted frequently encounter nurses who are overworked and overscheduled (Cho, 2020). Overworked nurses are exhausted, stressed, and more likely to make mistakes and decrease quality provision levels.
There is always a need to develop a health care system that addresses the problem of quality care and efficiency and addresses the shortage of nurses. Nurse retention is concerned with preventing nurse turnover and keeping nurses employed by a company. Nurses should be included in decision-making about patient care delivery, practice and quality control. Creating a safety culture, restricting nurses’ work hours, guaranteeing adequate staffing levels, providing flexible work schedules and employment options, such as job sharing, and raising nurses’ pay increases staff retention.
One of the problems that can block a company from improving the quality of services provided may be a lack of information. This aspect may affect all the most critical sections of the functioning of a medical institution. Firstly, little data on internal and external conditions can contribute to the loss of a competitive position and the ability to adapt to changes. The hospital may significantly lag in the applied practices of working with staff and clients. In addition, pieces of training for employees of the institution play an essential role. Updating knowledge directly affects how well employees provide medical care.
Hiring the Right Personnel
The interview procedure is the initial phase in establishing whether someone is a good fit for the unit — and vice versa. It is an opportunity for the hospital to clarify expectations for potential staff. During the interview process, asking the proper questions can assist the hospital in selecting individuals who are more probable to stay and recognize future leaders of the group.
Offering Evocative Advantages
Individuals want to work for a company that is focused on them. Checking competitiveness by looking at other hospitals in the area and determining if their remuneration packages are comparable to what the hospital is currently offering. The hospital should explore granting paid time off for birthdays each year, reducing on-call time for nurses who need it, increasing suppleness to work from home, and providing free education conference days.
Recognizing Staff
The administration should take the time to highlight the wonderful work that all medical specialists accomplish daily. They should have a pre-shift huddle to congratulate staff members who received great patient feedback, discuss unit improvements, and share encouraging and positive news. They should make sure that people have a say in the hiring and onboarding procedure (Cho, 2020). It concerns training implementation which is vital for the quality management in the company. Personnel with more experience can address questions that a new employee might be afraid to ask their management or Human Resource representative.
Individual Touch
In this step, the administration should get to know the nursing staff as persons. They should take time out of their day to inquire about their well-being. The personal touch of a manager goes a long way. People want to know that their leaders care about them and become more loyal to the hospital. Checking up on them and learning about their life makes this feasible.
Improving the Data Collection Process
Understanding the opportunities and confronting the problems in nursing practice is beneficial. The data gathering procedure and quality assurance procedure aid in improving patient care. Electronic health records (EHR) allow faster data entry and reporting for better health care quality (Cho, 2020). Collaboration among healthcare providers is one of the key goals of Electronic Health Records. Using telemedicine to collect data and share information improves patient safety and quality assurance.
Administration’s Help
The management should go around the unit and inquire how they can assist medical specialists in being outstanding currently. Cooperation aids in the development of a trusting environment among employees and service quality increase. They can begin by preparing new international value standards, repairing a fragmented piece of apparatus, or determining staffing for the next shift. They can enquire the nurses on the floor about what else they can do to assist (Cho, 2020). These six measures will assist in the creation of a constructive culture and develop a robust team of nurses who are content and satisfied in their jobs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a sufficient nursing staff is the main challenge in implementing quality improvement, which is a vital aspect in ensuring the safety and health of patients. Therefore, the nursing shortage’s challenges must be addressed proactively to support efforts that provide good patient care for patients, families, and communities. Furthermore, healthier settings would aid in preventing nursing burnout, which would result in low morale. Finally, if the hospital wants to increase the quality of provided care it must have enough information and data and pay attention to external and internal factors.
Reference
Cho, S. H., Lee, J. Y., You, S. J., Song, K. J., & Hong, K. J. (2020). Nurse staffing, nurse’s prioritization, missed care, quality of nursing care, and nurse outcomes. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(1), e12803.