NURS 6053 Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
NURS 6053 Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Competing needs in healthcare organizations impact their ability to develop policies and integrate best practices to attain expected patient outcomes. These competing needs require scarce and limited organizational resources to satisfy the different stakeholders and attain quality care delivery as well as results. The opioid epidemic is a national stressor that has several competing needs that impact the development of policies and practices in organizations offering mental health care services (Marquez et al., 2021). The purpose of this paper is to describe the competing needs related to the opioid epidemic, describe a relevant policy in the organization that may affect the issue, and critique it for ethical consideration; especially its strengths and challenges in enhancing ethics. The paper also recommends changes aimed at creating a balance among the competing needs based on resources, workers, and patients.
Competing Needs
The two main competing needs affecting the opioid epidemic as a national stressor include a shortage of healthcare workers to offer appropriate care to those recovering from substance abuse and sufficient resources through expanded health coverage through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Many healthcare facilities do not have psychiatric mental nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) and other mental health providers to adequately handle the rising number of affected individuals who require services (Pérez-Chiqués et al., 2021). The limited number of providers leads to long queues and waiting lists yet these individuals require prompt care based on their conditions and needs. Secondly, limited resources are a competing need as hospitals lack sufficient funds to develop dedicated areas and spaces to offer comprehensive and long-term care to these individuals.
Recovery from addiction and substance abuse disorder requires long-term monitoring for effective outcomes. However, many organizations do not get reimbursed for mental care provided since most health insurance plans do not integrate mental health care services (Solberg et al., 2021). Improving access to mental health care services is integral to addressing this problem because it ensures that stakeholders; from organizations to state and federal governments, develop appropriate interventions and offer sufficient resources to meet different needs associated with the stressor.
Policy or Practice Influencing Healthcare Stressor
Healthcare organizations and providers should be innovative to meet competing needs like sufficient workforce and resources in the provision of mental health care for individuals affected by the opioid epidemic. A core practice and policy that the organization can adopt is the increased use of healthcare technologies that include telehealth. Telehealth is an evidence-based practice that can improve access to patients and reduce the need to physically be present for therapies in the facility. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2021) asserts that using telehealth improves access to treatment for patients with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Close to 15 million people living in rural parts of the U.S. struggle with mental illness, substance dependence, and comorbidities yet do not get adequate health care. By developing a policy on using telehealth, the organization will ensure that it reaches such people, especially those who cannot afford transportation costs. In her study, Talarico (2021) showed that utilizing telehealth improves access to services and promotes adhering to medications for patients in remote and rural locations. Again, Lee et al. (2023) assert that using telehealth solves the problem of not having sufficient mental care services accessible. Through telehealth, the organization can increase access to all services and ensure effective monitoring of patients, regardless of their locations.
Criticizing the Policy and Practice for Ethical Considerations: Strengths and Challenges
The core ethical issues that can arise by implementing this policy and practice include privacy of the patient data and security. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates health entities and providers to securely protect patient’s information based on its rule on protected health information (PHI) (Pérez-Chiqués et al., 2021). As such, sharing such information without the patient’s consent, possible intrusion during telehealth conferences with the patient, and potential hacking can affect the expected ethical requirements by HIPAA and even professional organizations like the American Nurses Association based on the code of conduct for nurses.
The policy’s core strengths include protection of patient data and information, an encrypted system that secures all shared information, and its convenience for the patient and providers. Conversely, the policy can face legal hurdles if it fails to adhere to the set legal parameters by HIPAA. Unauthorized access to patient information and lack of privacy are challenges that may not promote ethics through the policy.
Recommended Policy or Practice Change to Balance the Competing Needs
Creating a balance among the competing needs in care provision is critical for organizations to attain set goals and improve patient satisfaction. In this case, the policy or practice change would entail implementing a balanced policy where the organization leverages technology and available human resources. The organization should implement telehealth for patients who cannot access the facility and also employ more mental health practitioners (Talarico, 2021). The implication is that the policy should address both competing needs and increase the quality of care provided and revenues.
Conclusion
Organizational policies and practices to improve access to mental health services are essential. However, competing needs within the organization can hinder these policies and practices. As such, organizations should be innovative and generate policies that will satisfy the competing needs to attain their set goals, especially in addressing the opioid epidemic as a national health stressor by increasing access to mental health services through telehealth.
References
Lee, H., Palmer, J., Mullick, P., & Kiely, C. (2023). Patient experience with telehealth services
in a mental health setting. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 43, 150-152.
DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2023.03.001
Marquez, J. L., Loveluck, J., Marshall, J. K., & Power, L. (2021). Assessing the community
needs to combat the opioid epidemic in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 27(1), S174-S178. DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001316.
Pérez-Chiqués, E., Strach, P., & Zuber, K. (2021). Competing emergencies: a policy analysis of
the opioid epidemic during COVID-19. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 23(1), 85-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-022-00431-4
Solberg, L. I., Hooker, S. A., Rossom, R. C., Bergdall, A., & Crabtree, B. F. (2021). Clinician
perceptions about a decision support system to identify and manage opioid use disorder. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 34(6), 1096-1102. DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.06.210126.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2021). Evidence-
Based Resource Guide Series: Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep21-06-02-001.pdf
Talarico, I. (2021). The use of telehealth to increase mental health services access and promote
medication adherence in rural locations. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 33(11), 1074-1079. DOI: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000495.
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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.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
Module 2: Learning Resources
Learning Resources
Required Readings
- American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements
- Links to an external site.. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from
https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Note: Review all, with special attention to “Provision 6” (pp. 23–26).
- Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice
- Links to an external site.. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man06. Retrieved from
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Nursing-Cost-Containment.html
- Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it matters
- Links to an external site.. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man01. Retrieved from
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Ethical-Awareness.html
Required Media
- Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2012). Ethical, Moral, and Legal Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
- Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2009b). Working with Individuals [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
To Prepare:
- Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1, 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 (1-2 pages):
Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Add a section to the 2-3 page paper you submitted in Module 1. The new section should address the following in 1-2 pages:
- 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 7 days to provide you with quality feedback.
By Day 7 of Week 3
Submit your revised paper.
submission information
Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.
- To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK3Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
- Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
- Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
NURS_6053_Module02_Week03_Assignment_Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Add a section to the 2-3 page paper you submitted in Module 1. For this assignment, in 1-2 pages, address the following: · Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome · 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. |
|
30 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome · 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. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Resource Synthesis |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 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 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting—English Writing Standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation. |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting: The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. |
|
5 pts | ||||
| Total Points: 100 | ||||||