Regardless of how much training, preparation, or awards receives, every healthcare facility has their own p challenges to overcome. Even if a healthcare facility is near perfect with minimal short falls, there is always room for improvement. The main objective is to gather the most common issues from various hospitals and turn it into a focal point in order to correct the problems and prevent them in the near future. This paper will identify two problems common hospitals face, along with possible solutions. Furthermore, action steps recommended by the Institute of Medicine will be revealed to the applicable common problems.
Problem #1
Though the economy is demonstrating to balance out for the first time in three years, jobs for health care providers are dwindling down. The increase in opioid abuse and addiction is putting a strain on Doctors’ prescribing properly. This leads to a shortage of Doctors, Nurses, and other health care providers. Thus leading us to our first common problem hospitals are facing: Physician and Nurse shortages.
Physician and nurse shortages lead to a laundry list of problems for any healthcare facility. People go to the hospital to receive care and healing. A lack of providers in a hospital will create longer wait times to be seen, overcrowded hospitals, long pharmacy wait-times, a chaotic environment, an unhappy and overworked staff, and much more. The bottom line is that health care providers are necessary and our patients deserve the utmost patient care available.
Instituting one’s facility into a teaching hospital is an impressive and intuitive idea. This solution addresses the problem head on by bringing in medical and nursing students to assist. In doing so, Doctors and Nurses get an extra pair of hands, the students get their clinical rotations, and the students get the right amount of experience and exposure. Patients will not be neglected, while students get to assist with on-scene injuries and diseases. (Becker’s Hospital Review, 2011).
Out of the ten action steps recommended by the Institute of Medicine, the following should be applied to this common problem: safety is a system property, needs are anticipated, and cooperation among clinicians is a priority. (IOM, 2001). Safety is or at least, it should be every facility’s number one priority. A decrease in health care providers will create an unsafe environment for the patients, visitors, and its staff. Healthcare administrators should be closely monitoring staff levels and manpower logs to anticipate the hospital’s needs. If a hospital suddenly falls short on properly staffing its facility, the patients are the ones who suffer the most. By anticipating the facility’s needs, one can better prepare themselves and prevent chaotic situations. Lastly, cooperation among clinicians must be mandated in order to ensure the lines of communications are open and information is being distributed accordingly.
Problem #2
The next common problem many hospitals are facing may sound silly, however, it has caused detrimental effects. Poor communications between providers is a common problem from facility to facility. While in the Navy, I served as an Independent Duty Corpsman which transfers in the civilian sector as a Physician Assistant. I worked as an independent provider under the license of a Medical Doctor. Many people do not realize that after a provider sees their patient, they have to write/type a note of their findings, exams, plan, treatments, consults, and more.
One can only imagine after seeing ten to fifteen patients a day, how chaotic it can get in writing notes after each patient or after seeing all patients. At times, providers do not have the allotted time to write the notes, which causes a block in the communication lines. In other cases, emergencies occur and there is insufficient time for a proper turnover. Additionally, Doctors and Nurses are human beings, meaning that they are imperfect and are capable of making a mistake.
Frankly, Doctors can be intimidating to work for, some possess a god-like complex. Nevertheless, the solution is simple – Each department should have a Healthcare Manager in charge of that department’s staff, schedules, and administrative tasks. The Healthcare Manager should appoint a Chief-Nurse and a Chief-Doctor to lead their peers and ensure minimization of communication between providers.
Out of the ten action steps recommended by the Institute of Medicine, the following should be applied to this common problem: Safety is a system property, transparency is necessary, and cooperation among clinicians is a priority. (IOM, 2001). Poor communication between providers have caused patients to be given the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, and the wrong treatment. Lamentably, fatalities have occurred as a direct cause of poor communication between providers. Transparency is necessary for the patients but for the medical staff as well. By demonstrating transparency to your medical staff, it will display a level of trust. That level of trust and minds at ease will lead to reducing the communication challenge in the hospital. Conclusively, there has to be a clean slate and the air has to be cleared in order for clinicians to begin cooperating amongst each other. They need to be reminded that viruses, diseases, pain, illnesses, cancer, and more are the bad guys. By improving the fellowship between clinicians, the cooperation and professional courtesy will follow. (IOM, 2001)
References
Becker’s Hospital Review. (2011). 5 Common Hospital Problems – And Suggestions For – How to Fix Them. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/5-common-hospital-problems-and-suggestions-for-how-to-fix-them.html
Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing The Quality Chasm: A New Health System For The 21st
Century. Retrieved from http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2001/Crossing-the-Quality-Chasm/Quality%20Chasm%202001%20%20report%20brief.pdf