Creating Change Through Advocacy Name: Problem In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues.
Creating Change Through Advocacy
Name:
| Problem
In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues. |
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| One of the challenges that is currently facing the US healthcare system is nurse shortage. Research has shown a positive link between adequate nurse-to-patient ratios with positive health outcomes (Haegdorens et al., 2019). However, there are currently no federal mandates that require healthcare organizations to institute a recommended nurse-to-patient ratio.
This leaves the matter squarely at the hands of the healthcare facilities where most of them use their budget to dictate the number of nurses to be employed instead of the number of patients being served and the required ratios to deliver effective care. Nurse shortage at the facility level is an issue that translates to poor outcomes for the patient and the nurse. Some consequences include delivery of low-quality care, increased cases of malpractice, increased wait times, which leads to higher mortality rates, especially for patients requiring emergency care, increased cases of nurse burnout, and low job and patient satisfaction (Lasater et al., 2021). |
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| Idea for Addressing Solution
In no more than 250 words, outline your idea for addressing the issue and explain why legislation is the best course for advocacy. |
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| To help deal with the issue of nurse shortage in healthcare settings, there should be a federal mandate that requires all hospitals to implement a recommended ratio that will ensure patients receive safe and quality care. The recommended nurse-to-patient ratio for general hospitals is put at 1:5 and 1:4 for teaching hospitals (Sharma & Rani, 2020). These ratios vary depending on the settings and the patient needs, for example, in ICU settings, having a lower nurse-to-patient ratio is recommended.
Legislation is the best route for action to ensure that the recommended ratios are implemented across the board and not left at the discretion of the facility. Legislation will guarantee that patients receive the required quality of care, which will ultimately translate to different positive outcomes including lower cost of care and reduced disparities, especially in underserved communities. |