To begin with, competing needs greatly impact the development of policies in organizations all across the country. The competing needs of workforce and patients are two that I feel are held in high priority. Policies are put into place to better the patient and the workplace as a whole. Polices are put into place to make the nurse and healthcare team care for the patients in the most holistic way possible. Becoming ethically aware is very important because it allows nurses to identify the problems of patients and figure out ways to best treat those patients (Milliken, 2018). Policies are put into place because of the workforce. There is a need for policies to set up a standard for healthcare professionals to practice under to ensure that the patients are receiving the best care possible. By setting up policies for the workforce, we can give the employees guidelines to go by to make sure the job is done effectively and efficiently. Also, by setting up payment policies that are competitive with other companies, organizations can help to relieve the healthcare issue of nursing shortage. The policy of raising payment to the employees help to make that organization competitive and alleviate the nursing shortage at that organization. Nursing shortage greatly impacts patient outcomes and patients’ satisfaction. The nursing shortage can lead to prolonged wait time for care, prolonged wait time for lab results and increased errors in the healthcare system as a whole (Buerhaus et al. 2005). The needs of patients may be the most important when discussing policies. There are multiple policies put into place to ensure that the patients receive the most affordable and quality care. For example, there are certifications, exams, and licensures the healthcare staff must have in order to care for the patients. These are all put into place for patient safety. Patient safety is at the forefront of healthcare and will remain at the forefront forever. These policies impact the nursing shortage because it could place a strain on the nurses and may cause some people to deter away from the profession. However, these are policies that must be put into place to make sure the patients are receiving safe and effective cares at all times. With inappropriate nurse-patient ratios and decreased nursing satisfaction comes an increase in negative outcomes for the patients (Peate, 2020). Yet, all of these certifications and licensure are a must to ensure the nurses are capable and quality healthcare professionals.
In conclusion, there are multiple needs to be considered when discussing implementation of policies. Healthcare is always changing but the most important thing will always be the patient and that is what should remain of the highest priority.
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