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Develop a white paper by adding a section that addresses at least two competing needs impacting your chosen healthcare issue/stressor. Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that influences this issue, critique its ethical considerations, and discuss its strengths and challenges in promoting ethics. Recommend policy or practice changes to better balance resource, workforce, and patient needs while addressing ethical shortcomings, providing specific examples. Support your discussion with evidence and scholarly resources.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Healthcare organizations constantly face competing needs driven by complex interactions among staff, resources, and patient care priorities. Leaders are tasked with aligning organizational policies and practices to address these conflicting priorities ethically and effectively. This paper expands upon a previously identified healthcare issue by analyzing two specific competing needs, evaluating existing organizational policies, critiquing their ethical implications, and proposing evidence-based policy recommendations to create a more balanced and ethically sound environment.

Identification of Two Competing Needs

The first competing need concerns staffing adequacy versus workload management. In many healthcare settings, staffing ratios often fall short due to resource constraints, with mandatory overtime frequently utilized to fill staffing gaps. This situation can lead to nurse fatigue, increased errors, and compromised patient safety (Weiss et al., 2020). The second competing need involves resource allocation between education and clinical service delivery. Budget cuts may restrict funding for ongoing staff education and professional development, threatening workforce competency and morale, versus the imperative to maintain high-quality patient care (Drauglis & Jones, 2019).

These competing needs reflect a broader tension: prioritizing immediate staffing needs to ensure patient safety may limit investments in workforce development, ultimately impacting long-term organizational sustainability.

Organizational Policy and Its Influence on the Issue

A prevalent policy impacting staffing issues is the implementation of mandatory overtime, often stipulated in organizational staffing policies during periods of under-staffing. While this policy aims to maintain patient care continuity, it raises ethical concerns related to worker fatigue, autonomy, and safety (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Similarly, policies that restrict funding for staff education aim to control operational costs but may inadvertently undermine the ethical obligation to promote ongoing professional development and excellence in care (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015).

These policies influence the healthcare issue by shaping staff work conditions and resource availability, directly impacting patient outcomes and staff well-being. However, their ethical implications warrant scrutiny to balance short-term operational goals with long-term ethical responsibilities.

Ethical Critique of the Policy

Mandatory overtime policies pose ethical challenges related to nonmaleficence and justice. Overworking staff can cause fatigue-related errors, risking patient safety, which conflicts with the ethical duty to "do no harm" (Milliken, 2018). Additionally, such policies may disproportionately affect vulnerable staff members, raising issues of justice and fairness in workload distribution.

Restrictions on funding for staff education reflect organizational priorities but challenge the ethical principle of beneficence. Lack of ongoing training diminishes staff competency, potentially affecting patient safety and quality of care (Kelly & Porr, 2018). These policies may also conflict with the professional ethical standards outlined in the ANA Code of Ethics, which emphasizes the duty to foster ongoing professional development.

Strengths and Challenges of the Existing Policies

The strength of mandatory overtime policies lies in their immediate capacity to address staffing shortages, reducing the risk of care discontinuity. However, their challenge lies in the potential erosion of staff well-being and patient safety over time. Regarding education funding, the advantage is cost containment, but the primary challenge is compromising workforce development, which can hinder ethical standards of care and professional growth.

Both policies lack flexibility and fail to account for the ethical implications of sustained staff fatigue and professional stagnation, highlighting the need for balanced approaches.

Recommendations for Policy or Practice Changes

To mitigate ethical concerns and promote balance among resource allocation, staff well-being, and patient safety, healthcare organizations should implement policy changes such as:

1. Establishing limits on mandatory overtime, coupled with recruitment strategies that prioritize staffing stability, such as hiring additional staff or utilizing float pools to reduce reliance on mandatory overtime (Weiss et al., 2020). For example, adopting a policy that caps overtime hours to prevent fatigue aligns with ethical principles of nonmaleficence.

2. Increasing investment in staff education through dedicated funding and protected time, emphasizing the significance of continuous professional development. An example could include allocating a fixed percentage of the organizational budget specifically for ongoing training, fostering a culture of learning that supports beneficence and professional growth (Drauglis & Jones, 2019).

3. Incorporating ethical reviews into staffing and resource allocation decisions, ensuring transparency and accountability, and including frontline staff in policy development aligns with participatory governance and ethical practice standards.

4. Utilizing data-driven staffing models that balance workload and resource availability while considering staff well-being and patient safety, thus adhering to ethical principles of justice and beneficence.

5. Developing strategic partnerships or external funding sources to support education initiatives, diminishing financial barriers that compromise workforce development.

These changes aim to balance competing needs ethically by reducing staff fatigue, supporting ongoing education, and enhancing patient care quality.

Conclusion

Addressing competing needs within healthcare organizations requires careful evaluation of existing policies from an ethical perspective and implementing strategies that balance resource constraints, workforce well-being, and patient safety. By critiquing policies like mandatory overtime and funding limitations, organizations can develop more ethical, sustainable practices. Evidence-based policy changes—limiting overtime, increased investment in education, and inclusive decision-making—foster an environment where ethical principles guide organizational priorities, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals alike.

References

1. American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author.
2. Drauglis, J., & Jones, M. (2019). The impact of resource allocation on nursing staff development. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(4), 669-675. doi:10.1111/jonm.12719
3. Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man06
4. Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it matters. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man01
5. Weiss, S., et al. (2020). Staff burnout and patient outcomes: The role of nurse staffing levels. Healthcare Management Review, 45(3), 230-239. doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000249
6. Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Ethical, Moral, and Legal Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
7. Laureate Education (Producer). (2009b). Working with Individuals [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
8. Society for Ethical Practice in Healthcare. (2017). Ethical frameworks for resource allocation. Journal of Health Ethics, 34(2), 78-85.
9. Sullivan, D., & McGuire, M. (2019). Implementing policy change to improve nursing staff retention. Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(5), 239-245.
10. World Health Organization. (2021). Ethical considerations in health workforce management: Policy guidelines. Geneva: WHO.