Response to the professor question below. 150words. 2 intext citation and 2 references
Hi Nana, workforce is a common issue mentioned by nurses throughout the United States. There is a need for more nurses but one of the issues that I rarely hear about is that there is a high turnover of new nurse graduates that are filling the gap. Is this something you have seen in your work environment and has your organization put anything in place to retain staff?
Looking forward to your response, Dr. D
Response to Amanda discussion( below) by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts described. 150words. 2 intext citation and 2 references
Policy Development and Its Impact on Healthcare Workers’ Mental Health
When developing policy, healthcare organizations should always consider the competing needs of the workforce, resources, and patients. There is only so much to go around.
The workforce is the staff; these are the people who will deliver care to the patients. The mental health and job satisfaction of these individuals directly affect patient outcomes. Therefore, policies aimed at reducing burnout, improving workplace conditions, and improving mental health support for staff are critical to maintaining an effective workforce. By implementing policies that consider the mental health of their staff, healthcare organizations can create a healthier work environment, leading to better patient outcomes.
Allocation of resources must also be considered when developing policies. Healthcare organizations have limited staff, funds, and material/ goods/ equipment. Allocating resources is challenging, and any policy put into place must balance the need for necessary equipment and maintenance with adequate staffing. Healthcare policies should balance these competing needs, ensuring the operation can run well while supporting the workforce’s well-being (Olsen et al., 2019).
Before implementing any policy, the organization should chiefly consider how the policy will affect the patient. Patient outcomes is what it all comes down to. Policies must meet the workforce’s needs without compromising patient care or resource allocation. However, policies that support the mental health of the workforce inadvertently improve patient outcomes because the healthcare staff is more capable of doing their job effectively if they are mentally and physically healthy (Dillon et al., 2020).
Another competing need affecting the mental health of healthcare workers is greater productivity versus the need for ample rest and mental health support for the workforce. This specific need significantly impacts policy development and the mental health of healthcare workers. With limited funds, healthcare organizations may be unable to implement comprehensive mental health programs for their workforce. However, the demand for greater productivity leads to chronic stress, mental and physical exhaustion, and exponentiates burnout. Stressed and burnt-out healthcare workers are more likely to make medical errors, leave healthcare jobs for other jobs, decrease productivity, decrease the quality of patient care, and ultimately lead to depression and suicide of the healthcare worker (Jones et al., 2021). Therefore, implementing policies that address the mental health of the workforce, such as policies mandating rest days or counseling, can ultimately improve patient outcomes. By implementing policies that support mental health and reduce burnout, organizations can reduce medical errors, decrease turnover, increase productivity, increase the quality of patient care, and reduce the rates of depression and suicide in the workforce.
