Introduction
Every organization tends to have its own ethical issues. Moreover, health care organizations face more ethical issues than most organizations. This happens because nursing roles in health organizations overlap. In addition, health care settings require professionals to work as a team. Teamwork requires patience and commitment. Ethical standards are, therefore, essential in all employment settings. Consequently, it is necessary that DNP graduates be conversant with nursing codes of ethics. Additionally, DNP graduates need to be familiar with acceptable ethical standards in care giving. This would enable nurses to provide quality services to patients. Additionally, it would enable nurses to work within acceptable ethical framework. This paper will explore ethical issues in nursing environment (Gul & Ali, 2010).
A summary of clinical practice problem
The clinical problem required a concept map to help in management strategy for a health care organization. It was noted that most organizations face conflict due to overlapping roles of clinical workers. This required decision making to achieve success. A concept map was therefore essential in achieving strategic management of health organization. Additionally, it would help to aid effective decision making as well as manage ethical issues in health care settings. It should be noted that ethical issues are pronounced in healthcare settings due to the high number of variant stakeholders in such organizations. In essence, conflicts are quite pronounced in healthcare organizations. Moreover, ethical issues are also dominant due to cultural barrier in institutions with professionals and patients from various backgrounds. In essence, decision making for managers in nursing sector has been challenging. Most managers encounter complex situations in nursing environment. As a nurse manager, I have to think thoughtfully to ensure that units within the clinic work effectively.
Working relationships are usually at stake in nursing environments. Strategic management is, therefore, necessary for efficient delivery of services. In nursing environment, roles and responsibilities tend to overlap; this requires collaboration as well as tolerance to achieve teamwork objectives. Conflicts and overlapping roles are sometimes encountered in nursing environment where caregivers tend to perform similar tasks. Strategic management is vital for solving such issues in nursing environment. In essence, nurse managers are required to be well equipped with conflict resolution skills to manage nursing environment.Clinical problem presented in week five was about creating a concept map on strategic management. Most organizations face issues ranging from strategic management to ethics. Strategic in management in health care sector is significant to the development of heath sector. Additionally, it enables management to handle issues in a punctual and effective manner. Clear communication is essential for effective management of heath care issues. Moreover, perceived areas of conflict should be understood to pave way for convenient resolution. This cannot happen without a clear strategy on handling conflict issues (Houghton, Casey, Shaw & Murphy, 2010).
It should also be noted that healthy working environment could only be achieved through tolerance. Health sector bring together people from different cultures and perspectives in life. These people cannot world together without a good strategy for handling cultural difference. Poor management strategies have the ability to cause patient errors because of breakdown in communication, among others. Therefore, I believe that strategic management is a significant issue for health care managers. Strategic management is essential in achieving good nursing practice such as collaboration and understanding. Additionally, it promotes unity and commitment among workers, which fosters quality health care delivery. In essence, a concept map was created to help manage change in healthcare environment. Essentially, this clinical problem has dominated most healthcare organizations. Finding its solution through formulation of effective strategies would be beneficial to the organizations. Additionally, creating a clear concept map for strategic management would be helpful in mitigating most clinical issues.
Conceptual framework that supports investigation of problem
Based on the kind of clinical problem summarized, conceptual framework on interpersonal relations would be essential in investigating the problem at hand. Peplau’s theory on interpersonal relations is essential in explaining the problem at hand. Most ethical issues result out of misunderstandings. Good Interpersonal relations, therefore, is very important in helping resolve such issues. For instance, one health worker may come from a different cultural background to another. Language barrier or understandings based on the different cultures may cause conflict between the two workers. Moreover, this can easily happen between nurses and patients as well as between doctors and nurses. Interpersonal relations, therefore, provided a good base for understanding the problem as well as a solution on how this problem can be mitigated. Peplau’s theory talks about the importance of good interpersonal relations in nursing environment. As stated earlier, nursing responsibilities are many. Usually, these responsibilities overlap. This has the ability to cause tensions between nurses on how to share responsibilities. Additionally, nurses may be involved in conflict with other professional in hospital settings. Many at times, these issues come up due to misunderstandings, which can easily be resolved through implementing good interpersonal relations. In essence, effective communication should be cultivated in nursing environment.
When good communication is strengthened in nursing settings, it works to minimize gross misunderstandings. Additionally, it would assist in fostering collaboration between various departments in a nursing environment. Nurses need to incorporate personalities with considerations for patients. Essentially, nurses who are committed to their work tend to incorporate psychodynamic nursing in their work. This helps to instill tolerance and understanding in a nurse’s work. Peplau’s theory on interpersonal relations is, therefore, essential for efficient delivery of healthcare services. Moreover, strategies should be put in place to effect cordial working relations between health care workers as well as between healthcare workers and other stakeholders in health care settings. The concept of relationship is therefore important in outlining the problem in health care settings. Additionally, it gives clear insight into investigation of the clinical problem. Strategic management is therefore very essential in outlining details of the problem. Moreover, it makes it easy to mitigate on such problems in the future.
Theoretical framework on the clinical problem concerns middle range theories like that on interpersonal relations. This makes it central to the investigation of the clinical problem as seen in the clinical problem mentioned above. According to Peplau, most nurses have advocated for good interpersonal relations without knowing its benefits fully. Moreover, he states that nurses have worked to relate well with patients in the past. In essence, the theory of interpersonal relations has been practiced before and nurses keep working to perfect it. Peplau expands on interpersonal relations with the aim of deepening its understanding to nurses who would wish to be socially useful and effective in working environment. Clinical instructors have also been tasked with the responsibility of advancing ways of promoting nurses’ skill in interpersonal relations. All these efforts are geared towards improving the relationship between nurses and their patients as well as between nurses and colleagues. Peplau outlines principles, which nurses who are useful to patients portray. Additionally, Peplau explores principles and concepts that motivate interpersonal relations. These principles also help to change working environments into fields of learning.
Research question for investigating the clinical practice problem
A number of research questions can a rise to investigate clinical practice problem. However, the most relevant question concerns the importance of strategic management in health care settings.
Worldview that is consistent with your research question
The world considers strategic management as important in every aspect of management. In fact, most businesses formulate and implement effective strategies aimed at improving productivity.
Ethical considerations for exploring this problem through an EBP project
A number of ethical considerations are significant to exploring clinical problem. These include following ethical standards as laid out in health policy. This ensures that nurses work in accordance with the required standards. Additionally, nurses can work in effect a better standard than the one in place. This can only be achieved through integration of evidence-based practice to know the best practices. Current developments in evidence-based practice have enabled integration of interdisciplinary model into nursing, public health, social work as well as psychology, among others. Additionally, interdisciplinary model has also led to the development of “three circles” model, which have been important in showing developments in evidence-based practice across all disciplines. In essence, interdisciplinary model of evidence-based practice is the best model that would tackle the practice problem effectively. Essentially, ethical considerations are important in promoting best practices. These can be strengthened through integration of evidence-based practice into the project to achieve efficacy in service delivery.
As mentioned earlier, the practice problem in question involved creation of a concept map. However, to achieve this, ethical considerations must be enshrined in the concept map. For instance, ethical standards such as holistic approach to care giving, compassion, commitment, integrity, reliability, efficiency and trust must be considered in provision of health care services. Moreover, strategic management in health care setting should be effective and unifying to help accelerate service delivery.
Collaboration in care giving is binding; therefore, strategic management should encompass unity among stakeholders in health care settings. Moreover, strategic management should be effective. Additionally, strategies should be made to help resolve conflicts, which may arise from overlapping roles. As earlier explained, the practice problem was aimed at achieving specific objectives in health care organizations. To achieve this, a concept map was outlined with objectives and course of action. Essentially, interdisciplinary evidence based practice model would best suit this practice problem because it draws from different disciplines (Relf, Laverriere, Devlin & Salerno, 2009)
Strategies for mitigating problems
To mitigate problems, effective strategies must be implemented in healthcare organizations. Strategic planning is very important in promoting an organization’s competitive edge. Furthermore, it ensures that the company accomplishes its set goals in a systematic manner. Strategic planning has set a criterion that is to be followed in order to achieve successful strategic planning. The criterion follows a stipulated plan in which strategic development process, objectives and implementation are considered. Firstly, a clear concept map that defines all the factors targeted in healthcare organization should be created. Secondly, research based on evidence based practice should be effected to ensure that the best practices are put into consideration. Thirdly, the organization must ensure that heath standards as stipulated in health care policy are followed. Moreover, ethical standards should also be followed to ensure that clear objectives are laid out in strategic management. When these are done , service delivery will be improved. Moreover, best practices would be enshrined in the organization. Patient care would be eased as well as the relationship between stakeholders in health care settings will be improved. Additionally, it should be noted that best practices would influence research and development. Moreover, the organization would be highly productive in service delivery to patients. In essence, integrating evidence based practice in solving clinical problems would be effective in improving service delivery to patents.
Strategic development process involves a detailed evaluation of strategic planning process. This constitutes exploration of how the organization conducts strategic planning, steps, main participants, blind spots, advantages, competencies and challenges, among others. Strategic considerations are also explored to ensure that strategic planning addresses the organizations key elements. Strategic objectives are also categorized into key objectives and other strategic objectives, which are expected to address the challenges and advantages of organizational strategy. The criterion also looks into strategic implementation, which is expected to show how an organization converts its strategic objectives into working plans.
This involves evaluation of action plan, development, implementation, resource allocation, workforce plans, performance measures and modifications. Finally, the process involves evaluation of performance projections. This focuses on the main performance indicators, benchmarks and their usage for both short and long term planning horizons. When these considerations are put into place in healthcare organizations, best practices would emerge. Moreover, when strategic planning is combined with evidence based practice, health care delivery would be improved. Essentially, this would work to mitigate clinical problems in healthcare settings (Brien, Duffy & Shea, 2010).
Conclusion
Health care issues are quite critical. In fact, they intensify when poor policies are formulated to curb them. Several issues arise in hospitals. These occur because hospitals bring together people from various cultures and disciplines. Leadership is therefore essential to health care settings in fostering unity and purpose. This ensures that everyone works for the benefit of the patient. Moreover, it harnesses harmony and concurrence between all stakeholders. The article singles out one common issue in healthcare settings all over the world. Decision-making is a very significant issue in health care settings. Most healthcare organizations are plagued with different issues, which relate to decision making. In some cases, these issues relate to ethics and service delivery.
Ethical issues are predominating in healthcare settings. This happens because of the high number of individuals who interact in health settings. For instance, nurses meet other professionals as well as patients and their relatives. These people may come from different parts of the world with different cultures. In this regard, cultural barrier becomes a major issue in health care environment. In addition, overlapping roles among health care workers increases tension in healthcare settings. To achieve cooperation, good strategies should be put in place to handle overlapping roles and cultural barrier. Peplau’s middle range theory comes in handy in handling such issues. Morever, a clear concept map should be created to envisage and mitigate such issues.
References
Brien, I., Duffy, A., & Shea, E. (2010). Medical futility in children’s nursing: Making end-of-life decisions. British Journal of Nursing, 19(6), 352–356. Retrieved from the CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.
Gul, R. B. & Ali, P. A. (2010). Clinical trials: The challenge of recruitment and retention of participants. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(1/2), 227–233. Web.
Houghton, C. E., Casey, D., Shaw, D., & Murphy, K. (2010). Ethical challenges in qualitative research: Examples from practice. Nurse Researcher, 18(1), 15–25. Retrieved from the CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.
Relf, M., Laverriere, K., Devlin, C., & Salerno, T. (2009). Ethical beliefs related to HIV and AIDS among nursing students in South Africa and the United States: A cross-sectional analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46(11), 1448–1456. Web.