Competing Needs Arise Within Any Organization As Empl 238252

Competing Needs Arise Within Any Organization As Employees Seek To Mee

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, 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.

Paper For Above instruction

In the complex environment of healthcare, managing competing needs requires careful assessment, strategic policy implementation, and ethical consideration. Recognizing the various forces that influence healthcare delivery—such as workforce capacity, resource allocation, and patient safety—is crucial for effective leadership. This paper explores two significant competing needs arising within healthcare organizations, examines existing policies impacting these needs, critiques their ethical implications, and proposes policy modifications designed to promote balance and ethical integrity.

Competing Needs Impacting Healthcare: Workforce Well-being vs. Patient Safety

The first prominent conflict in healthcare organizations pertains to workforce well-being and patient safety. Healthcare professionals often face increased workloads, mandatory overtime, and staffing shortages, which threaten their physical and mental health (Shanafelt et al., 2019). These stressors can lead to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and higher turnover rates, ultimately compromising patient care quality. Conversely, ensuring patient safety may necessitate resource-intensive staffing models and workload limitations, potentially straining organizational resources. Achieving the balance between supporting healthcare staff and ensuring high-quality patient care remains a persistent challenge.

The second competing need involves resource allocation—particularly financial resources—and equitable access to high-quality care. Budget constraints frequently lead to reductions in staffing, technology upgrades, or employee benefits (Nembhard et al., 2018). While organizations aim to optimize resource use, such strategies may inadvertently diminish care quality or employee morale if not judiciously managed. Addressing these competing interests requires policies sensitive to both fiscal responsibility and the ethical obligation to provide safe, effective care.

Organizational Policy Influencing Healthcare Needs

A relevant organizational policy is the staffing ratio regulation, designed to limit the number of patients assigned to each nurse, thereby reducing workload and mitigating burnout (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2020). This policy aims to uphold patient safety and promote staff well-being by ensuring manageable workloads. However, its implementation varies across institutions and may be affected by staffing shortages and budget limitations, impacting its ethical effectiveness.

Another policy involves ongoing employee education and training benefits, which foster professional development and enhance care quality. Nonetheless, reductions in educational benefits threaten organizational capacity to keep staff updated on best practices, indirectly impacting patient outcomes.

Ethical Evaluation of the Staffing Ratio Policy

The staffing ratio policy has strong ethical foundations, supporting principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence by promoting patient safety and reducing harm associated with overwork. However, it raises ethical concerns related to resource allocation, especially when staffing ratios are mandated without adequate funding. Underfunded staffing policies may lead to compromised care, revealing a challenge in aligning organizational budgets with ethical standards. Additionally, rigid staffing ratios may limit flexibility in the face of fluctuating patient volumes, potentially challenging organizational ethics of justice and fairness.

Strengths and Challenges in Promoting Ethics

The strengths of the staffing ratio policy include a clear framework for safeguarding patient safety and employee health, aligning with ethical principles. Its challenges lie in practical implementation due to resource constraints and varying hospital contexts, which may lead to non-compliance or superficial adherence (Aiken et al., 2018). Moreover, strict adherence without flexibility can cause staff shortages or overtime, potentially undermining ethical commitments to fairness and quality care.

Policy Recommendations for Balancing Needs and Ethical Considerations

To better balance competing needs, a flexible staffing policy that integrates real-time patient acuity data and staff input is recommended (Doran et al., 2020). This dynamic approach allows for adjustments based on actual care demands, thus supporting both patient safety and staff well-being. Additionally, investing in organizational strategies to increase funding for staffing, such as advocating for policy changes at the governmental level or reallocating organizational resources, can mitigate budget-related constraints.

Furthermore, expanding educational benefits can empower staff professionally while indirectly enhancing care quality. Implementing a comprehensive ethical framework that guides staffing decisions can ensure transparency and accountability, promoting trust among staff and patients alike.

Supporting Evidence for Policy Changes

Research indicates that adaptable staffing models improve nurse satisfaction and patient outcomes (Doran et al., 2020). Also, organizations that prioritize staff development through educational investments demonstrate higher retention rates and better compliance with safety standards (Chen et al., 2019). These evidence-based practices support the proposed policy modifications, aligning organizational goals with the ethical imperatives of justice, beneficence, and respect for persons.

Conclusion

Addressing the complex interplay of competing needs within healthcare organizations requires targeted policy adaptations grounded in ethical principles. Balancing workforce sustainability, resource constraints, and patient safety involves innovative, flexible approaches supported by empirical evidence. Ethical healthcare leadership must focus on policies that promote fairness and safety for both staff and patients while mitigating resource limitations through strategic investment and inclusive decision-making.

References

• Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Bruyneel, L., et al. (2018). Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: A retrospective observational study. The Lancet, 392(10133), 1885–1895.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2020). Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Safety. AHRQ Pub No. 20-EHC011.
• Chen, L., McHugh, M. D., & Kutney-Lee, A. (2019). Impact of educational strategies on nurse retention and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(9), 430–436.
• Doran, D., Gagnon, M., McGillis Hall, L., et al. (2020). Developing dynamic staffing models: A systems approach to nurse resource management. Nursing Outlook, 68(4), 442–453.
• Nembhard, I. M., Amalberti, R., & Lier, D. (2018). Resource allocation and ethical decision-making in healthcare. Journal of Medical Ethics, 44(4), 261–265.
• Shanafelt, T., Ripp, J., & Trockel, M. (2019). Understanding and addressing burnout among healthcare professionals. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 94(11), 2187–2198.