Florence Nightingale, considered by many to be the founder of the nursing profession focused on the environment as a key factor in human health and healing. Today (according to Agwunobi) illnesses related to pollution have been estimated to cost about $250 billion annually and responsible for 50,000 to 100,000 deaths per year in the United States alone (cited in Gustavson, 2010, p. 7). The Joint Commission (TJC)(2008) published a five-part document that focuses on major topics our healthcare system must improve upon if we are to continue to provide the high quality of care we are accustomed to in this country. The document addresses economics, technology, environment, staffing, and patient centered care. In the following sections I will be examining the growing problem of waste in our hospitals, how dangerous it is to our health, our wallets and steps we can take to improve it.
Assessment and Diagnosis
The government has realized that in order to keep individuals healthy, and that adverse health affects are prevented by avoiding exposure to hazardous materials, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has included environmental health and quality as one of its largest and most complex focus areas for Healthy People 2010 and 2020 campaigns as stated by (Agwunobi) cited by Gustavson (2010). By decreasing the amount of waste it produces, a facility is able to directly decrease the impact it has not only on the local water and air supply but also the amount of exposure it subjects to the surrounding population. The healthcare industry contributes more than 2.4 million tons of waste each year and is the second largest consumer of energy next to food processing companies (Harris, Pisa, Talioaga & Vezeau, 2009). ...
... middle of paper ...
...ironment and economics. Institute of Medicine: National Academy Press.
Lee, B. -K., Ellenecker, M.J. & Moure-Eraso, R. (2008). Analyses of the recycling potential of medical plastic wastes. Waste Management, 22, 461-470.
Mancini, M.E. (2007). Healthcare organizations. In P.S. Yoder-Wise (Ed). Leading and Managing in Nursing (4th Ed., pp 415-525). Philadelphia: Mosby.
Mejia, E. M. & Sattler, B. (2009). Starting a health care system green team. AORN Journal, 90 (1), 33-40.
Topf, M. (2007). Psychological explanations and interventions for indifference to greening hospitals. Health Care Management Review, 30(1), 2-8
The Joint Commission (2008). Healthcare at the Crossroads: Guiding Principles for the Development of the Hospital of the Future. Retrieved from http://jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/1C9A7079-7A29-4.658-B80D-AyDF8771309B.0/Hospital_Future.pdf
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care Management (4th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders Elsevier.
Roussel, L., & Swansburg, R.C. (2009). Management and leadership for nurse administrators. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Lorber, M., Treven, S., & Mumel, D. (2016). The Examination of Factors Relating to the Leadership Style of Nursing Leaders in Hospitals. Our Economy (Nase Gospodarstvo), 62(1), 27-36. doi:10.1515/ngoe-2016-0003
As of April 1, 2010, many changes in the health care structure is changing. Many of these changes are reorganizing the responsibilities of who makes the decisions on how services are commissioned, the way money is spent and issuing more involvement from local authorities and opening up comp...
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2012). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application. (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Sullivan, E. J., & Decker, P. J. (2009). Effective leadership and management in nursing (7th ed.).
Spinks, N., & Moore, C. (2007). Nursing Leadership. The Changing Workforce, Workplace and Nature of Work: Implications for Health Human Resource Management, 20(3), 26-41.
...elly, P., & Crawford, H. (2013). Nursing leadership & management. In Nursing leadership & management(2nd ed., pp. 168-177). Canada: Nelson Education.
Azaare, J., & Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership in nursing management. British Journal of Nursing, 20(11), 672-680. Retrieved from EBSCO host
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing (5th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.
Nurses are uniquely qualified to fill a demand for change through leadership. Unlike business minded individuals whose primary outcome concern is monetary, a nurses’ primary concern is organic: a living, breathing, tangible being. In a leadership role, a nurse might consider an organization as if it were a grouping of patients, or perhaps an individual patient, each limb with its own characteristics and distinct concerns. They can effectively categorize and prioritize important personal and professional matters and are therefore ideally positioned to lead change efforts. Perhaps most importantly, effective nurse leaders can provide clarity to the common goal and empower others to see their self-interests served by a better common good (Yancer, 2012).
What comes to mind when you think of at the average United States hospital room? White walls, squeaky green but easy to clean linoleum flooring, frightening medical equipment, a tiny television, and one small chair for visitors are often some of the items that come to mind. Patients are placed in an environment with an institutional feel and little emphasis on aesthetics and are expected to heal, recover and rehabilitate as quickly as possible. The measure of success for healthcare organizations had a primary
These characteristics of a nurse manager show how their leadership plays a role in their position in the nursing field. Without this position in the nursing structure, it would be very difficult to produce positive results in providing optimal patient ca...
Hospitals, long term care facilities, and mental health all serve as healthcare arenas serving the population in various ways. The hospital provides the most critical type of care, for the seriously ill. Hospitals originally served the poor and ill, but over time with the progression of technology and medical service specialties, they have grown to become healthcare meccas with many outlets. Over the past 30 years the degree of rigor of clinical practice and the scope of scientific knowledge has escalated greatly, and the hospital has become a center of high standards, scientific applications, and advanced technological capability (Williams & Torrens, 2008). The increasing shift of services to an ambulatory care arena facilitated by technological advancement itself has left the hospital with an evermore complex base of patient care, higher acuity, and higher costs (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Markets have changed, pricing pressures have increased, and consumer and payer expectations have evolved for hospitals, changes are constant in the medical arena, and hospitals are no exception.
Hospitals play an important role in the health care system (Hospitals, n.d.). They are health care institutions that have an organized medical and other professional staff, and inpatient facilities, and deliver medical, nursing and related services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Hospitals offer a varying range of acute, convalescent and terminal care using diagnostic and curative services in response to acute and chronic conditions arising from diseases as well as injuries and genetic anomalies. In doing so they generate essential information for research, education and management. Traditionally oriented on individual care, hospitals are increasingly forging closer links with other parts of the health sector and communities in an effort