Recommendation of Policy or Practice Changes to Balance the Competing Needs

A stricter policy regarding safety equipment, a safe working environment, and patient safety is required regarding implementing personal rights. Organizations are ethically obligated to strictly adhere to the code of individual rights and make sure that nobody’s right is disrespected, even when working during a disease crisis or outbreak. Implementation of the most up-to-date personal rights in response to being involved in the healthcare sector is one of the competing needs. As a result, policies addressing individual rights and a safe working environment must be implemented. Healthcare facilities are legally required to protect the rights of the nursing staff and patients to follow all applicable laws and regulations and provide enough equipment. Specifically, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) demands employers follow OSHA’s or a state’s OSHA-enacted state plan’s health and safety standards and rules (Michaels & Barab, 2020). Furthermore, in the Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), employers are obligated to have a workplace free of identified hazards that are likely to cause severe physical injury or death to their employees, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Ardebili, M. E., Naserbakht, M., Bernstein, C., Alazmani-Noodeh, F., Hakimi, H., & Ranjbar, H. (2021). Healthcare providers experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. American journal of infection control, 49(5), 547-554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.10.001