Ameliorating Hospital Working Conditions

1650 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Organizational stress management

It is found that most “nurses love their work and hate their jobs” (Berliner and Ginzberg 2742). Due to the current quality of the nurses’ environments, this is of no surprise. The major factor hindering the quality of hospitals is the level of stress in the workforce. While it is inevitable to eliminate stressors in all medical centers, how stress is perceived is a controllable factor. The idea of stress being controlled emphasizes the need for CISM programs in all health facilities of America to cope with the critical incidents and stress that occur on a daily basis. CISM, as defined by Tracy, is a “comprehensive, multi-component program based upon counseling principals and peer support processes designed to assist emergency health professionals’ when dealing effectively with the stressful components of their work” (28). The program is thought to be the most effective type of counseling in hospitals for critical incidents and stress, due to its extensive step-by-step guideline.

CISM is expected to increase nursing staff, patient satisfaction, and overall create more efficient health care facilities by mitigating negative stress reactions in hospital workers. The program will provide a safer and healthier environment for both the nurses and patients in the medical centers. In a study, it was found that hospitals with more positive work environments for their nurses have higher patient satisfaction (Greenslade and Jimmieson 1189). The higher patient satisfaction is most likely due to nurse’s more emotionally prepared to care for their patients in a thriving environment. CISM programs provide that healthier environment and better working conditions in the hospital.

CISM was created by Jeffrey Mitchell initially to reduce the ...

... middle of paper ...

... (2003). Crisis Intervention and CISM: A Research Summary. Ellicott City,

Maryland, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Retrieved from

http://cism.cap.gov/files/articles/CISM%20Research%20Summary.pdf

Parsley, Lee Ann, Conditions and strategies Affecting Interagency Collaboration in the

Development of Critical Incident Stress Management Programs. Diss. U. of Ohio, 2003.

UMI, 3093687. Print.

Sieben, Laura. Staff Debriefing after a Critical Incident in the Emergency Department. Diss.

College of Scholastica, 2009, UMI, 14738626. Print.

Tracy, Scott. How Cumulative Stress Affected the Lived Experience of Emergency Medical

Service Workers after a Horrific Natural Disaster: Implications for Professional

Counselors. Diss. Duquesne University, 2007. UMI, 3292249. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Nursing: The Issue Of Incivility In Nursing

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    Employee psychological health is something that should be taken into consideration when a person can improve the outcome of new graduate nurses and seasoned nurses alike; this is something that I know I will continue to strive for creating healthy working environments for staff and myself. Using many of the techniques that have been researched and continue to keep abreast of the most current research will aid in achieving the most positive outcome for staff and patients. I know that while I have not been subjected to this situation personally, it is something that can happen to anyone and with the use of stress relieving interventions on a daily basis will hopefully be able to defuse a potential situation before it arises. While it is not always easy to embrace my character flaws, I feel that if I continually strive to incorporate a positive environment for myself and staff that positive results will ensue from

    Read More

  • Nursing Errors and The Stakes

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rking in the hospitals all across the nation, and employing confident employees to those positions will make a large impact on how well people are treated in medical facilities. Every nurse should follow procedure and focus on the job at hand—healing people.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Link: Nursing Shortages and Patient Care Quality

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    In most aspects of life the saying “less is always more” may ring true; however when it comes to providing quality care to patients, less only creates problems which can lead to a decrease in patient’s quality of life as well as nurse’s satisfaction with their jobs. The massive shortage of nurses throughout the United States has gotten attention from some of the most prestigious schools, news media and political leaders. Nurses are being burnt out from their jobs, they are being overworked and overlooked. New nurses are not being properly trained, and old nurses are on their way to retirement. All the while the rate of patient admissions is on the rise. Nurses are reporting lower satisfaction in their job positions and hospital retention rates are at an all-time low, conversely this is affecting all patients’ quality of care. As stated in the article Addressing The Nurse Shortage To Improve The Quality Of Patient Care “According to an Institute of Medicine report, Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals providing direct patient care in hospitals, and the quality of care for hospital patients is strongly linked to the performance of nursing staff”.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of an Incident in a Clinical Setting

    1679 Words  | 4 Pages

    Critical incidents are snapshots of something that happens to a patient, their family or nurse. It may be something positive, or it could be a situation where someone has suffered in some way (Rich & Parker 2001). Reflection and analysis of critical incidents is widely regarded as a valuable learning tool for nurses. The practice requires us to explore our actions and feelings and examine evidence-based literature, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice (Bailey 1995). It also affords us the opportunity of changing our way of thinking or practicing, for when we reflect on an incident we can learn valuable lessons from what did and did not work. In this way we develop self-awareness and skills in critical thinking and problem solving (Rich & Parker 2001). Critical incidents ???

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact Of Nurse Staffing In Nursing

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, a new study finds that increased staffing of RNs does not significantly decrease a hospital 's profit, even though it boosts the hospital 's operating costs. A 1-percent increase in RN full-time equivalents increased operating expenses by about 0.25 percent but resulted in no statistically significant effect on profit margins. In contrast, higher levels of non-nurse staffing caused higher operating expenses as well as lower profits. (2014, Healthcare 411) To improve patient satisfaction the staffing of nurses must be improved. When short staffed these patients are the ones suffering from the lack of care that should be provided. Patient care is the ultimate goal in nursing and when the units are short staffed patient care is affected tremendously, in a negative way. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations proposed bolstering the nursing educational infrastructure through team training in nursing education, enhancing support of nursing orientation, in-service and continuing education in hospitals, and creating nursing career ladders based on educational level and experience. (2014, Healthcare 411) The Joint Commission also supports adopting the characteristics of "magnet hospitals," such as setting staffing levels based on nurse competency and skill mix

    Read More

  • Nurse Burnout Essay

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some of the strategies that can help prevent the high burnout rate among nurses include social and psychological support as well as empowerment. The ability of an organization to retain nurses primarily depends on the creation of an environment conductive to professional autonomy (Hatmaker, 2014, p. 227). Organizations should create an open environment where nurses have an avenue for mutual support. Examples of a program that may result in mutual support among nurses include sharing of workload among team members. Additionally, organizations should create time for social interaction among nursing teams. This can be done through social events such as annual retreats. Social events help to address the issue of burnout by building trust and strong bond between nurses (Portnoy, 2011). The other strategy for dealing with the issue of nurse burnout is supervisor support. Healthcare facilities should encourage meetings between the nurses and supervisors to talk about issues affecting their work. Apart from receiving support from their colleagues and supervisors, nurses need to be empowered. One way of empowering them is by providing them with better salaries and remuneration. The other way is by availing to them opportunities for advancing their education, such as by refunding the tuition fee. They should also be provided with an opportunity to climb the profession ladder such as through promotions. Nurses also need psychological empowerment which

    Read More

  • Article Analysis: The Nursing Shortage

    1692 Words  | 4 Pages

    To attain this goal, nurses must work in collaboration with other members of the health care team. To improve efficiency, the health care environment must foster the development of collaborative relations among health care professionals. Trust, open communication, commitment, and shared goals must be present to support collaborative relations and effective teamwork. Health care organizations continue to place a greater demand on health care professionals while often working with limited resources. In a recent study focused on determining if there was a current or impending shortage of nurses in care settings throughout the United States, 81% of the 178 hospitals sampled indicated they have or are an... ...

    Read More

  • HCAHPS/Press Ganey's Impact On Nursing Essay

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to an article in Health Services Research, safety is one of the main reasons that HCAHPS/Press Ganey surveys patients after their hospital stays (Isaac, Zaslavsky, Cleary & Landon, 2010). This positive aspect brought about by HCAHPS/Press Ganey surveys is the re-focus of patient safety, something that should be a top priority and nursing responsibility of all patient care. A direct example of this focus is that if a patient experiences a serious safety event or is harmed by a medical error, his or her overall experience will be negatively impacted. (Isaac et.al., 2010). Cohen (2015) predicts that if the focus of healthcare shifts to the delivery of safe, compassionate, high-quality care, the patient experience and satisfaction with their overall care is likely to rise. There is also evidence that increased patient satisfaction is important for improving patient adherence. How patients perceive the receptiveness of the unit’s hospital staff likely reflects the hospital 's safety culture thus promoting adherence to treatment guidelines (Isaac, Zaslavsky, Cleary & Landon, 2010). Patients are more likely to continue suggested healthy habits and be compliant with their medication if they are satisfied with their healthcare practitioners. Spence & Fida (2015) correlated in their article the relationship between a nurse 's job satisfaction, job retention, and perceived

    Read More

  • Orem's Theory In Emergency Management In The Emergency Room

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    The nursing theories that are currently in place in the emergency room to promote professional growth and development are vital; however, there are other nursing theories that could be implemented to help improve professional growth and development. A theory that should be implemented to more effectively promote professional growth and development is Orem’s theory of self-care deficit. Orem’s theory is considered a “realistic reflection on nursing practice” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p. 146). If the nurse is not taking care of him or herself, “stress [can] accumulate [and the] nurse can … become angry, exhausted, depressed, and sleepless” (Ruff & Hoffman, 2016, p. 8). By the nurse having these feelings he or she is not able to take care of him

    Read More

  • The Problem of Nursing Burn-Out

    2208 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.

    Read More

  • Essay On Nursing Shortage

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    Patient’s safety will be compromised because increase of patient to nurse ratio will lead to mistakes in delivering quality care. In 2007, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conducted a metanalysis and found that “shortage of registered nurses, in combination with increased workload, poses a potential threat to the quality of care… increases in registered nurse staffing was associated with a reduction in hospital-related mortality and failure to rescue as well as reduced length of stay.” Intense workload, stress, and dissatisfaction in one’s profession can lead to health problems. Researchers found that maintaining and improving a healthy work environment will facilitate safety, quality healthcare and promote a desirable professional avenue.

    Read More

  • Compassion Fatigue And Caregiver Burnout

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Su, H. R. (1993). The study of job stressors and stress response of clinical nurses. Nursing Research, 1(1), 83-93.

    Read More

  • Essay On Nurse Staffing

    1880 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nurse staffing is a complex issue. There are many factors which need to be considered when staffing a nursing unit. Evidence shows an association between Registered Nurses (RNs) having decreased workloads and better patient outcomes, including a decrease in patient mortality (Aiken et al., 2011; Needleman et al, 2011; How Lin, 2013; Patrician et al., 2011; Wiltse-Nicely, Sloane, Aiken, 2013). A small percentage of patients expire during their hospitalization as evidence suggests that a portion of these deaths can be attributed to RN staffing levels (Shekelle, 2013). As the reimbursement system for hospitals today emphasizes quality outcomes, this has an increase in the importance of the nurse’s role in patient care (Frith, Anderson, Tseng, & Fong, 2012). The quality of care is effected when there are higher RN-to-patient ratios. Mortality rates can be decreased by 50% or more when there is a lower RN-to-patient ratio. The morale of nursing staff and the hospital’s reputation are effected when there is a large nurse turnover and poor patient outcomes (Martin, 2015; Knudson, 2013). Having adequate nurse staffing levels saves lives (Martin, 2015). The purpose

    Read More

  • Concept Analysis Of Nurse Burnout

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nurses Joe and Sarah have been working in a medical surgical unit that has been experiencing a nursing shortage, which has led to an increase in the workload. Sarah has been feeling the physical effects of the stress and feels there is a lack of management support, while Joe experiences some feelings of being overwhelmed, but tries to use it as learning experiences. Joe has developed positive methods of coping, while Sarah is quickly heading towards burnout. Implications and Conclusions The information provided in the literature has great implications for practice in many units, including the writers. It is with great hopes that the research published can be presented to the committees on the unit in hopes that some of the workloads can be decreased to help with staffing and retention rates.

    Read More

  • The Ethical Issues Of Staffing Shortage In Nursing

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nurses want to give complete and quality care, but are unable to, due to the constant needs of their workload and inadequate staffing. They have to prioritize their patients needs based on the most critical treatments first. Then whatever time is left, they fill in what treatments they can. Some reasons that nursing treatments are missed include: too few staff, time required for the nursing intervention, poor use of existing staff resources and ineffective delegation.” (Kalisch, 2006) Many nurses become emotionally stressed and unsatisfied with their jobs. (Halm et al., 2005; Kalisch,

    Read More

More about Ameliorating Hospital Working Conditions

Open Document