Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices

Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly.
Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice.
Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction. In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization.
To Prepare:
Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1 (mental health system in this country, will upload original discussion post), and review the analysis of the healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
Identify and review two evidence-based scholarly resources that focus on proposed policies/practices to apply to your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post regarding competing needs.
The Assignment (4-5 pages):
Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Add a section to the paper you submitted in Module 1 (WRITER: you wrote the first paper). The new section should address the following:
Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.
Due to the nature of this assignment, your instructor may require more than 7days to provide you with quality feedback.
RUBRIC:
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Add a section to the paper you submitted in Module 1. In 4–5 pages, address the following:
· Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
23 (23%) – 25 (25%)
The response accurately and clearly identifies at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
20 (20%) – 22 (22%)
The response identifies at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
18 (18%) – 19 (19%)
The response identifies at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected that is vague or inaccurate.
0 (0%) – 17 (17%)
The response describes at least two competing needs impacting the healthcare issue/stressor selected that is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.
· Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
· Critique the policy for ethical considerations and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
27 (27%) – 30 (30%)
The response accurately and thoroughly describes in detail a relevant policy or practice in an organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
The response accurately and thoroughly critiques in detail the policy for ethical considerations and explains in detail the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
24 (24%) – 26 (26%)
The response accurately describes a relevant policy or practice in an organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
The response accurately critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
21 (21%) – 23 (23%)
The response describes a relevant policy or practice in an organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected that is vague or inaccurate.
The response critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics that is vague or inaccurate.
0 (0%) – 20 (20%)
The response describes a relevant policy or practice in an organization that may influence the healthcare issue/stressor selected that is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.
The response critiques the policy for ethical considerations and explains the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics that is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.
· Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
· Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.
27 (27%) – 30 (30%)
The response provide one or more accurate, clear, and thorough recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies.
Specific and accurate examples are provided.
Accurate and detailed evidence is cited that informs the healthcare issue/stressor selected and a specific synthesis of at least two outside scholarly resources in full support of the policy or practice recommendations is provided. The response integrates at least 2 outside resources and 2 or 3 course-specific resources that fully support the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
24 (24%) – 26 (26%)
The response provides one or more recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies.
Specific examples may be provided.
Evidence is cited that informs the healthcare issue/stressor selected and a synthesis of at least one outside scholarly resource that may support the policy or practice recommendations is provided. The response integrates at least 1 outside resource and 2 or 3 course-specific resources that may support the healthcare issue/stressor selected.
21 (21%) – 23 (23%)
The response provides one or more recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies that is vague or inaccurate.
Examples may be provided.
Vague or inaccurate evidence is cited from 2 or 3 resources that informs the healthcare issue/stressor selected and may support the policy or practice recommendations provided.
0 (0%) – 20 (20%)
The response provides one or more recommendations for policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies that is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.
Examples are missing.
Vague and inaccurate evidence is cited that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and may include at least 1 scholarly resource that vaguely and inaccurately supports the policy practice recommendations is provided, or is missing.
Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:
Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.
A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.
Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time.
Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided. Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%) Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Contains many (? 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding. Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct APA format with no errors. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors. 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%) Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Contains many (? 5) APA format errors. Total Points: 100 ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE !! Solution Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor. Mental health has in recent years come to the fore in terms of awareness for its need and importance. Mental health, however, remains a stigmatized issue that is plagued by isolation and limited resources. The main barriers are lack of access and limited ability in finding care. One of the needs from mental health is increased investment in psychiatric services in the hospital. This investment is in terms of psychiatric doctors and support staff such as nurses to help patients with management, interpersonal relationships and functional disabilities stemming from mental health illnesses (Tsui, & Tsang, 2017). Healthcare organizations owe a duty of care to the society. Society facilitates research and education that has helped the medical profession grow to become the pillar of society it is. Compared to 100 years ago, the medical profession has achieved breathtaking advancements and they all have come at a cost to society more so than to the individual caregivers themselves. Mental health affects individuals and through them affects the sense of balance in the society. Given that mental health patients have specific needs that society is becoming increasingly aware of, it is up to healthcare organizations such as ours to rise up to the occasion and meet the society’s needs. It may not be the most profitable to do so, but it needs to be done. The other need for the healthcare organization is to make investment decisions that yield the most returns since ours is a for-profit organization. The organization has a limited amount of resources to allocate to different pathways of solving health issues and in doing so achieve the greatest yields to itself. Doctors, nurses, and time are resources to optimally allocate in meeting the health demands of the populace. They are elements in an economic enterprise that meets the healthcare needs of society and by doing so creates value for itself (Oortwijn et al, 2017). This is a dynamic that informs the decision-making of healthcare leaders and is fundamental to the survival and continuation of the organization. Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor. Investment in telehealth would have an impact on mental health since telehealth has proven to be efficient increasing access to mental healthcare for patients and have higher rates of compliance due to increased privacy. There is also the added benefit of it being capable of being bundled together with physical health appointments. Implementation of a telehealth program in the organization could go a long way in helping to relieve the burden of mental health in our nation. Implementing a telehealth program involves acquiring the requisite hardware, setting it up, training mental health practitioners, and creating awareness among patients of its availability. This requires the organization to utilize time, staff, and money, which are limited resources. As such, this practice change places an allocation problem to the organization. Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics. Healthcare organizations have limited resources that they have to allocate to different care needs based on different criteria. One criteria is care as a social good. Di Costanzo (2020) argues that in this scenario, healthcare is recognized as social enterprise that serves to advance the broader society and functions to maximize returns to society, that is, to produce the greatest amount of good for the maximum number of people. The question as to whom is served is determined by how much they vary from what is considered norm by society with those varying the most taking precedence. In mental health this takes the form of hospitals specializing in psychiatric care. Notably, there are patients whose mental health varies from the norm by a significant margin but not to the extreme and these are the targeted recipients of care via telehealth. The other criteria is care as an economic commodity. Here, the consideration of maximum good to the society is replaced by cost of providing care and the returns accruing from doing so to the organization (Oortwijn et al, 2017). In this perspective, the organization is more of an economic enterprise than a social one. The problem becomes one of costs and benefits and the capacity for patients to pay is a crucial consideration when practitioners are providing care and when patients are seeking care. Both criteria have ethical considerations when it comes to the organization’s decision to introduce mental health care via telehealth. As already mentioned, doing so requires funds, time and staff, resources that have to be allocated to achieve both the maximal good for the society and still sustain the care organization as an economic enterprise. Treating mental health services as a commodity is based on the fact that is it a limited resource with both demand and supply and therefor is an economic good (Di Costanzo, 2020). One could pose the question, does providing mental health services via telehealth provide the greatest good to society? The answer is yes, and no. Yes, because telehealth psychiatric care reduces readmission rates for patients, reduces relapses, and increases access and compliance, and prevents the buildup of illnesses to the point of becoming chronic. Given the understanding that there often exist comorbidities between mental health and physical health and one aggravates the other when untreated, providing mental health services in a way that makes it accessible and easy to find facilitates whole-person treatment (Tsui, & Tsang, 2017). It is also worth noting that mental health issues, when untreated, affect other people in the society apart from the patient. Depression could lead to notions of suicide, and the notions of suicide could lead to poor perception on the value of human life with the potential for harming others. In this sense, investing in the practice of mental health services via telehealth enables a positive externality where treating one patient confers benefits to others who are not ill, similar to vaccination in logic (Oortwijn et al, 2017). This, in a sense, it at the core of what the medical profession is about. Conversely, it’s a no, because investing in telehealth mental care denies other units resources that could be invested there to improve health, let’s say, investment in the emergency department to deal with increased workloads from respiratory complications. In the economic scenario, investing in telehealth does not make sense since there are other practice changes that have potential for far greater returns to the organization. Notably, the economic model is notorious for exploiting nursing staff since the objective of leadership is efficient standardized operations and profit. Healthcare as an economic good puts caregivers under stress as they are overworked and their concerns silenced especially if addressing them requires additional resources be incurred (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples. Hiring more workers would be helpful. Since working from home and online consultations became commonplace, there is a new type of stress, namely Zoom fatigue, that has come up as an issue with regard to spending a lot of time interacting with others through computer networks. Ours is a large organization that caters to the needs of numerous patients. As such, the telehealth program would require more mental health practitioners to be hired in order to relieve each other of the strain of spending too much time online. Investing in more psychiatric practitioners would also help to relieve the stress that mental health places on our national healthcare system. As mentioned, there is increased awareness and thus demand for mental health services. Barring economic returns issue, demand for mental wellness is far higher than the supply of practitioners. In the present, licensed mental health practitioners will be burdened by the high numbers of patients before new practitioners are trained to meet the demand. It stands to reason that since training and education happen as a lagged response to need in the healthcare sector, hiring more practitioners is a medium-term to long-term strategy that will help balance competing needs on the organization. In the short term, implementing the practice change will be stressful for caregivers and allowances need to be made to help them cope. References Di Costanzo, C. (2020). Healthcare Resource Allocation and Priority-setting. A European Challenge. European Journal of Health Law, 27(2), 93-114. Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical Nursing Care Versus Cost Containment: Considerations to Enhance RN Practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1). Oortwijn, W., Sampietro-Colom, L., & Habens, F. (2017). Developments in value frameworks to inform the allocation of healthcare resources. International journal of technology assessment in health care, 33(2), 323. Tsui, M. C., & Tsang, H. W. (2017). Views of people with schizophrenia and their caregivers towards the needs for psychiatric rehabilitation in urban and rural areas of mainland China. Psychiatry research, 258, 72-77.