Policies And Procedures Analysis
opinion Essay
957 words
You hear all about policies and procedures in the workplace, but why do we need them? We need these policies and procedures for the focal reason that without them nothing could be achieved. Organizations would plunge into chaos if these two items were non-existent and daily operations would quickly come to a screeching halt. Policies and procedures are a reflection of how an organization operates its daily business. They illuminate what an organization wants to do, why it wants it done, and how to best execute their plan (Sarkissian, n.d.). Policies and procedures must be in place not only for organizations to meet their needs, but to ensure they are in compliance with the laws and regulations customary for their perspective business practice. Failing to create and or follow the established organizational guidelines will result in negative outcomes to several programs not only within the business and with the respected laws violated.
The Differences Between Policies and Procedures
When determining the difference between a policy and procedure in a health care setting there is an importance we must understand. Policies are viewed as the official method an office conducts its professional business (Medical office procedures, n.d.). An example of this would be a billing policy that states that every balance greater than 90 days old will automatically be sent to collections.
Procedures in contrast are viewed differently. For this case, it is not directly related to actual medical procedures in relation to office visits or strep throat swabs which are known as services performed specifically for a patient on a certain date. Procedures are more along the lines of how each and every strep swab is run each and every time for each patient ...
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...l, having policies and procedures in the workplace are always a good idea.
Conclusion
Policies are the guidelines we use to regulate organizational affairs. They manage the conduct of people and actions of a given system. It helps clarify the stance of a organization on an important topic and explain how the organization plans to conduct business. Whereas policies are an organization's course of action, and procedures delineate the routine methods of tackling objectives (Sarkissian, n,d.). Procedures outline the necessary steps in sequence that are to be used in order to attain policies. While both are different, they are essential to any health care facility in ensure operational needs are met and compliances to laws are established and followed. For those organizations who fail to implement and follow policies and procedures, financial penalties will be enforced.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that policies and procedures are a reflection of how an organization operates its daily business. failure to create and/or follow established organizational guidelines will result in negative outcomes.
- Opines that health care organizations are immune to financial penalties after a violation of the health insurance portability and accountability act (hippa).
- Opines that policies and procedures need to be drafted by a legal counsel after accomplishing risk analysis.
- Opines that policies and procedures should be updated as a method of storage, access or use of ephi.
- Explains that policies are the guidelines we use to regulate organizational affairs, while procedures outline the routine methods of tackling objectives.
- Explains the difference between a policy and procedure in the health care setting. policies are viewed as the official method an office conducts its professional business.
- Opines that written policies and procedures are an effective way for facilities to practice productive and safe business practices.
- Recommends annual reviews to ensure current policies and procedures are being followed and reflect how phi is acquired, used, stored, and disclosed. failure to follow these steps under the health information technology for economic and clinical health (hitech) act would be the difference between a $100 fine and $50 fine.
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- OSHA Complianceexplanatory essay...and healthy place to work and being treated. At times these organizations may seem like a nuisance, but as a patient and an employee in the healthcare field I feel safer knowing that such organization exist, given that I have worked both in the private and public sector, there have been things that should not have happened. The key on ensuring policies are followed is awareness, communication, and continuous education. By having procedures in place for all departments this will help elevate and ensure no infractions are given by OSHA and JCAHO in the Healthcare facility.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the paper will show how the facility will continue to stay abreast of the occupational safety & health administration (osha) standards.
- Explains that the hospital has an osha team that addresses related issues thtroughout the facility. the team consists of several participants that range from the director, janet detuch of occupational health, rn manager, infections control manager.
- Explains that the manager is responsible for coordinating with the ohsa team and setting up training and meetings.
- Explains that the hospital stays abreast of osha by visiting the website and subscribe to the newsletter that has great information.
- Opines that organizations like ohsa and jcaho are needed to help protect patients and employees by providing a safe and healthy place to work and being treated.
612 wordsRead More - Explain The Role Of Legislation In Health And Social Careexplanatory essayUNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF POLICY, LEGISLATION, REGULATION, CODES OF PRACTICE AND STANDARDS ON ORGANISATION POLICY AND PRACTICE.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the equality act 2010 strengthens the law to tackle discrimination and inequality in both the workplace and the provision of goods and services.
- Explains that the act is to maintain good care of individuals in the care settings. it includes domiciliary, residential, nursing homes, fostering and family care.
- Explains that the act deals with the way information about service users should be disclosed. only those who need to know should give the information that concerns services users.
- Explains that the act protects individual rights to be treated with dignity and respect, ensure individuals have rights on their side, and can take legal action against any person or organisation.
- Explains that the regulation requires organisations to assess the risks posed by hazardous substances such as body fluids, sharp objects, and properly labelled and stored away from children and adults who suffer from dementia.
- Explains that the cqc is an independent regulator of health and social care and protects the rights of people detained under the mental health act, 1983.
- Explains that legislation is the process of making or enacting laws that applies to a nation, state or country. in the united kingdom, legislations are made by passing of bills through parliament.
- Explains that the implementation of policies, legislation, regulations, and codes of practice that are relevant to own workplace in health and safety is very important.
658 wordsRead More - Effective Communication in the Emergency Department: Implications on Patient Safety Cultureanalytical essayVardaman, J. M., Cornell, P., Gondo, M. B., Amis, J. M., Townsend-Gervis, M., & Thetford, C. (2012). Beyond communication: The role of standardized protocols in a changing health care environment. Health Care Management Review, 37(1), 88-97.
In this essay, the author
- Explains communication is an essential and constant exchange of information between the patient and health professional with full understanding occurring on both camps. communication breakdown is one, if not the leading cause, of medical errors.
- Explains that the emergency department (ed) is a high-risk area for communication breakdown due to factors such as crowding and time constraints.
- Explains that a patient safety culture is encouraged when the healthcare setting seeks to ensure and maintain safe environments for its patients.
- Proposes to discuss how communication, integrated with teamwork and coordination, can positively and negatively affect the patient safety culture.
- Analyzes how a patient suffering from panic attacks and admitted for psychiatric evaluation went through more than five physicians and eight nurses during his stay at the ed before being transferred to the critical care unit (ccu) for non-q-wave myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure.
- Explains that owen and colleagues reported in a qualitative research finding that healthcare professionals in the ed experienced difficulties in relaying an overall picture of the patient’s condition.
- Explains that poor communication and not following procedure/protocol may be associated with rushing and having too much to do in the ed.
- Explains that handoffs are critical situations where communication breakdown is due to essential information being relayed partially, completely omitted or misinterpreted.
- Explains the use of a patient checklist to streamline handoff, such as ensuring that vital communication is relayed the same way every time, promoting teamwork, sharpening decision-making skills, and improving intra- and inter-disciplinary communication
- Explains that standardisation, introduction or redesign of equipment along with staff education were perceived as common themes in preventing communication breakdown. ideal mediations are without their faults.
- Argues that implementing communication tools such as use of sbar can greatly benefit both the patient and health professional.
- Argues that standardisation is not as simple as it seems. implementation of sbar may be met with resistance or be viewed as ineffective by the rest of the health care team.
- Opines that introduction and simplification or redesign of equipment can also have pitfalls. while some believe that technology can improve handoffs, others maintain that it can hamper effective communication due to rigidity and greater time consumption.
- Argues that the hidden costs and low reliability in long-term changes far outweigh the benefits of continuous education.
- Illustrates the benefits of effective communication, such as awareness of verbal and nonverbal behaviour and positive talk, to decrease patient's fear and anxiety in the ed.
- Concludes that effective communication has significant applications in the ed. one has to be able to exchange and understand correct and accurate information even under pressure, as in high-risk hospital settings.
- Recommends further and larger-scale research replication not only in acute settings, but also in chronic or long-term care, increased awareness campaigns and training for all healthcare professionals.
- Explains arford, p. h., larizgoitia, i, prasopa-plaizier, and jha, a. k. (2009). global priorities for patient safety research.
- Explains beckmann, gillies, berenholtz, wu, a. w., & pronovost, p. incidents relating to the intra-hospital transfer of critically ill patients: an analysis of the reports submitted.
- Explains clarke, lerner, & marella, the role for leaders of health care organizations in patient safety.
- Explains deering, johnston, and colacchio's multidisciplinary teamwork and communication training.
- Cites fanara, b, manzon, c, barbot, o, desmettre, t, and capellier, g. for recommendations for intra-hospital transport of critically ill patients.
- Explains gray, bush, and whiteley's study on secondary transport of critically ill and injured adults.
- Summarizes the institute for healthcare improvement's transforming care at the bedside how-to guide: optimizing communication and teamwork.
- Explains klee, latta, davis-kirsch, and pecchia using continuous process improvement methodology to standardize nursing handoff communication. journal of pediatric nursing, 27(2), 168-173.
- Explains that to err is human: building a safer health system.
- Explains that ong, biomed e, and coiera, (2011), a systematic review of failures in handoff communication during intrahospital transfers.
- Cites owen, c., hemmings, l. & brown, t. in lost in translation: maximizing handover effectiveness between paramedics and receiving staff in the emergency department
- States patterson, e. s., and wears, r. l. (2010). patient handoffs: standardized and reliable measurement tools remain elusive.
- Describes the findings of the national study on the frequency, types, causes and consequences of voluntarily reported emergency department medication errors.
- Evaluates the effect of bar-code technology on the safety of medication administration.
- Explains pronovost, goeschel, olsen, pham, miller, berenholtz, s. m., and clancy, c.
- Explains that pytel, fielden, meyer, and albert, n. (2009), nurse-patient/visitor communication in the emergency department.
- Explains why patient summaries in electronic health records do not provide the cognitive support necessary for nurses’ handoffs on medical and surgical units: insights from interviews and observations.
- Explains staggers, n, clark, l, blaz, j. w., & kapsandoy, s. nurses’ information management and use of electronic tools during acute care handoffs.
- Explains that the joint commission's roadmap for hospitals focuses on communication, cultural competency, and patient- and family-centered care.
- Explains vardaman, cornell, gondo, amis, townsend-gervis, and thetford, c. beyond communication: the role of standardized protocols in a changing health care environment.
2101 wordsRead More - The difference between legislation, policy, procedures and guidelines are, legislation is an act of parliament. This is a document that has a legal requirement to follow it, either in work, social or personal situations. A couple of examples of a Legalisation would be. Health and Safety at work act 1974 and Data protection Act 1998. These both have to be followed as they are a legal requirement which could potentially lead to a safeguarding issue or even prosecution. Usually all Legislations have ‘ACT’ on the end. Policy is a document which is usually kept in your work place office which holds the important information but a shorter version of a Legislation, and what you could relate to in a work place when you need a basis for standards and training. A Procedure is usually paperwork which gives you step by step guidance on what to do in certain situations. A single policy may be supported by a number of producers for example; Safeguarding may have a number of different procedures to follow in a particular situation.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the difference between legislation, policy, procedures, and guidelines. legislation is an act of parliament and has a legal requirement to follow.
- Explains that the health and safety at work act 1974 is a very important legislation when working in healthcare as it is here to keep everyone involved as safe as possible.
- Explains that the nhs struggles getting enough nurses due to funding, and can't afford to lose staff because of not following legislations and procedures.
- Explains that the equality act 2010 is a very important piece of legislation for both staff and service users, no matter what health service they are in.
- Opines that the key requirements for this legislation would be to follow each rule correctly as these are a few main legislations which holds health care together.
- Explains that since the nhs was founded in 1948, there have been many different changes within, some good and some not so good.
- Opines that having good skills as a nurse comes with experience and enthusiasm for your job.
- Opines that knowledge in health care jobs is important, as it can support the skills you apply within your job.
- Explains that skills and knowledge have a lot in common as they both are requirements which are important within health care professions.
- Explains that reflective practise is important for working in a health care profession recognising what's worked and what hasn't. gibbs 1988 is an example of reflective practice.
1433 wordsRead More - Policy and Procedure of Obtaining Blood Culturesexplanatory essayAt my current organization, Salem Hospital, the nursing policies and procedures are no longer in written form. They are all accessed on the computer via the hospital’s personal intranet. The hospital’s intranet contains a search engine where you type the policy or procedure that is being searched for and the results appear on the screen. This makes it relatively easy to search of policies or procedures such as obtaining blood cultures via ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that policies and procedures are guidelines that are instituted and followed by organizational staff to perform skills or interventions safely and proficiently.
- Explains the nursing policy and procedure this author chose to further research was obtaining blood cultures from central catheters. peripheral blood culture sampling is preferred due to less contamination and has a higher bacteria specificity rate.
- Explains that salem hospital's nursing policies and procedures are no longer in written form and are accessed on the computer via its intranet.
- Explains the steps according to salem hospital’s policy and procedure for obtaining blood cultures from a central line.
- Explains the reasons why registered nurses (rns) may not follow written policies and procedures.
- Explains that evidence-based practice helps nurses provide high-quality patient care based on research and knowledge rather than because "this is the way we have always done it."
- Explains the proper response when observing unsafe nursing practice that deviates from organizational policy and procedure is to address the concern with the nurse in question.
- Cites beyea, s. c., and slattery, m. (2006). evidence-based practice in nursing- a guide to successful implementation.
- Cites schallom, shomo, and gross for keeping the lines open with evidence-based practice and advanced technologies. probation and recidivism among disciplined nurses in six states.
1761 wordsRead More - Policy Goals and Objectivesopinion essayAll boards of nursing should be part of the APRN compact and adopt the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, to ensure consistency in accreditation, education, and certification. This would allow all APRNs to be licensed to the same standard, and allow for cross-state practice.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that all nursing boards should adopt the consensus model for aprn regulation to ensure consistency in accreditation, education, and certification.
- Explains that three policy options have been identified: option 1 explores the ‘do nothing’ approach and option 2 explore incremental implementation of the following changes.
- Explains that there is no uniformity across states in what advanced practice nursing education, licensing, and credentialing requirement encompasses. the consensus model for aprn regulation and lace structure would increase transparency and communication among all four regulatory components.
- Opines that standardized education and certification requirements for aprn licensure would eliminate this uncertainty and concern.
- Argues that licensure is permission granted by an agency or state to an individual to practice a profession and prevents others from practicing illegally.
- Opines that the third and final option promotes the establishment of a national board of nursing to direct state boards in uniformity.
- Opines that all nursing stakeholders should come together and show interest in the standardization and ensure all these policies work.
- Explains that the u.s. has a centralized government but each state has its own constitution and state government that cares for their people within federal laws. sixty state boards of nursing currently work together through the ncsbn.
- Explains that the ncsbn only has authorized regulatory bodies for nursing as members. fees that nurses pay to their state boards of nursing must be used to generate funds to pay this annual fee.
- Describes the criteria for evaluation for policy option 1. patient safety and public perception of aprn.
- Opines that standardized licensure would ensure that clinical competency, mastery of skills, and advanced practice knowledge of aprns are sufficient to decrease the risk of harm at this complex level of care.
- Argues that aprns will not be able to move from state to state or practice in a distance-care situation.
- Opines that standardized national aprn preparation will not promote equal scope of practice, as it will be defined and regulated by the nurse practice act in each state.
- Analyzes option 2: incremental change. nurse practice acts determined by state legislature regulate nursing and provide licenses. public safety is addressed by certification programs and examination questions.
- Argues that despite efforts to standardize licensure and mobilize aprns, institutions may still choose to demand credentialing and privileging within their facility to add an additional layer of safety.
- Explains that aprns are restricted from moving easily from state to state due to legal barriers and inconsistencies in role definition and scope of practice, resulting in decreased access to care for patients.
- Asks whether the aprn compact would allow for improved access to health care for patients, or if it would only simplify a move of an individual from one state to another.
- Explains that the american academy of colleges of nursing (aacn) has set forth standards to promote equal scope of practice for aprns.
- Opines that if standards aren't set high enough or there's no accountability for holding aprns to the standards set, reputation could be impacted and conflict could arise between states.
- Argues that a national board of nursing could centralize nursing information, specific to each nurse. a central database would contain information about educational, criminal, and licensing background.
- Opines that many states still have different nurse practice acts, such as florida and alabama, where the rest of the country grants nps that authority, even if it is under the supervision of a physician.
- Opines that centralized information would be invaluable in a time of emergency, when an aprn would need to move to another state to aid in disasters. emergency preparedness is part of the country's national identity.
- Opines that centralized licensure or a national board of nursing would facilitate the movement of aprns. the military already does this to an extent.
- Opines that a national board of nursing would set educational requirements for advanced degrees and provide consistency for advance practice nationwide.
2942 wordsRead More - policyanalytical essayReformed US Drone Policy The implementation of Obama’s Drone policy has sullied the reputation of the United States. The Obama administration created a War policy that is dependent upon power in some instances and peace in others. The Obama Drone policy allocates for killings without concrete evidence, violation of human rights, and a disregard for International Law. These weaknesses will demolish our nation unless we, as a nation that is built on freedom and equality for all, our practice what we claim to stand for.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that obama's drone policy has sullied the reputation of the united states. it allocates for killings without concrete evidence, violation of human rights, and a disregard for international law.
- Explains that the obama administration provides legal justification for drone strikes using international and domestic law.
- Argues that president obama's drone strike policy redefines and expands the concept of "imminent" beyond the original intention of the law.
- Argues that the obama administration's stance on the loose interpretation of "imminent threat" reveals that it possesses a global war theory.
- Argues that president obama's drone policy fails to consider better compliance and alignment with international rights human law.
- Argues that president obama's drone policy relies on accurate information on where the combatant lives and permission to override a country’s sovereignty. the second guideline requires fact-specific information regarding the whereabouts of certain individuals.
- Argues that incorporating more ground troops would be beneficial if there needs to be accurate and factual information regarding the locations of those considered enemies of the us.
- Explains that war-like decisions must often be made quickly and certain obligations may be overlooked. the united states should comply with international law and ask to enter a country’s sovereignty.
- Opines that president obama's drone policy guideline proves to be the most difficult. the obama administration claims that american attacks coincide with just war principles.
- Explains that president obama has a clause within his drone policy that states that there is no distinction made between male civilian and combatants in war zones.
- Analyzes the awlaki case where a sixteen-year-old american citizen was killed by drone in yemen. the fact that he was an american reveals that the obama drone policy deems it necessary to kill american citizens suspected of engaging in terrorist activities.
- Opines that the united states needs to uphold the human rights of all individuals, including its own citizens. the clause that allows president obama to kill males unaware of their civilian/combatant status violates international law.
- Argues that the lack of transparency in the us drone policy and government leads to vague results surrounding us attacks on others.
- Explains that the executive branch requires a committee to review the cases that president obama and the military present before and after killings.
1807 wordsRead More - Case Analysis : ' Emtala Violations 'opinion essayThe Hospitals medical staff including on call- physician and their designees should be made aware of Hospital bylaws or policies and procedures.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that a revision of the current policy regarding certain aspects needs to be done. detar can prevent emtala violations from re-occurring
- Argues that dr. burditt's argument was that he was technically not ‘under contract’ with detar hospital, even though the opposite is true. on-call physicians must be made aware that they are representing the hospital.
- Opines that the hospitals medical staff including on call- physician and their designees should be aware of hospital bylaws or policies and procedures.
- Opines that the policy must define the responsibility of the on-call physician to respond, examine, and treat patients with emergency medical conditions.
- Opines that these policies and procedures should define the obligation for on-call physicians to be available for the follow-up care of a patient through the incident that created the emergency medical condition.
- Recommends that both on-call and hospital physicians are subject to appropriate discipline actions for failure to comply with emtala policies and procedures.
- Recommends re-training of ed staff about emtala violations and potential consequences if they are not aware of current policies and procedures.
- Suggests conducting a survey to determine the current level of emtala awareness by the ed staff.
- Recommends providing education and training to all ed personnel periodically but most importantly update whenever there is a change in emtala regulations or when policies and procedures are revised and when significant non-compliance is identified.
- Recommends ensuring attendance to educational and training sessions is mandatory and failure to attend subject to disciplinary measures.
- Opines that training should be documented to help insulate the hospital from the actions of a rogue employee who violates its policies after being properly trained.
- Opines that new ed staff including on-call doctors should receive training upon orientation and not less than annually thereafter.
- Recommends that training and educational sessions should be interactive to encourage feedback and discussion among participants. an interactive setting can provide valuable insight as to current issues or difficulties facing physicians and staff in connection with emtala compliance.
- Recommends that ed staff members are subject to appropriate discipline for failure to comply with emtala policies and procedures.
- Explains the importance of making sure hospitalists know the process and their obligations regarding both sides (sending and receiving transfers).
- Opines that de tar hospital should ensure that emtala compliance is monitored regularly through internal auditing of emergency department records.
- Recommends that detar hospital develop policies and procedures that will eradicate deficient practices promptly and put in place sustainable solutions to prevent a reoccurrence.
- Opines that dr. burditt and detar hospital violated the act because he failed to deliberate and weighed the medical risks and medical benefits of the transfer before executing the certification.
1005 wordsRead More - Within this facility, Nurse Managers and Nurse Executives are responsible for the development and implementation of policies and would need to support and advocate for the facility-wide change to bedside reporting. By developing a protocol and defining the procedure for bedside reporting, Nurse Managers and Nurse Executives will create the policies that nurses follow within the facility, and also set up a process for quality assurance and compliance of the new policy within the regulations of the Joint Commission.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that transferring patient information from one shift to the next is critical for continuity of patient care. handoff can be done verbally in the unit, verbal at the bedside, electronic reporting, handwritten noted, audiotape, or even by memory.
- Explains the current nursing practice for hand off of patient information at shift change is via an audiotaped report.
- Argues that a more effective patient-centered reporting process would enhance patient safety and allow the patient to provide input to their nurse.
- Explains that nurse managers and nurse executives are responsible for the development and implementation of policies and would need to support and advocate for a facility-wide change to bedside reporting.
- Opines that it is important that physicians be supportive of any major policy or procedural change. they explain how bedside report fosters effective communication, helps providers make decisions about the patient’s treatment, and even prevents costing errors and delays in patient care.
- Explains that audio taped reports are too restrictive and do not allow for questions or clarifications, and may not provide all of the critical information needed for the oncoming nurse to provide quality patient care.
- Opines that nurses are the most critical players in the handoff of patient information, and that bedside reporting helps the incoming nurse prioritize patient care.
1205 wordsRead More - The Policy Development Processexplanatory essay“Political context includes aspects such as the distribution of power, the range of organizations involved and their interests, and the formal and informal rules that govern the interactions among different players. Political context shapes the way in which policy processes work” (Nash, R., Hudson, A., and Luttrell, C., 2006). It is important to understand the political context in which a social policy issue is embedded. When I think of context, I think of action. An advocate that is trying to influence policy would be concerned about political contexts because it would determine the likelihood, suitability, and capabilities of his/her behavior (action) and conduct while seeking to institute change. By understanding the political context in which a social policy issue is embedded, one’s strategy and approach can be outlined to understand the manner in which changes can be made. Progress can be slow without understanding the political context. An advocate may understand what needs to be changed but may not understand why the change did not occur. The advocate may also be able to institute change in social policy issues if the advocate has a great understanding of the political context. The advocate must be able to align himself/herself with those that can be recruited to change the context of a policy. The advocate can also determine the severity of instituting the change and the probability of getting the change. “The appropriate level of action and type of advocacy strategy will depend on the political, social and economic situation prevailing at a given point in time” (Rietbergen,-McCracken, J., n.d.).
In this essay, the author
- Explains the importance of understanding the political context in which a social policy issue is embedded.
- Opines that it is important to include and identify stakeholders in the policy development process. this allows for new ideas, suggestions, and different perspectives that can come from the group.
- Explains the price tag or policy (the cost of policy options and how resources are allocated).
- Opines that social security and medicare are of interest to them in regard to the elderly in our country.
- Explains that there has been much political debate about social security. senator pat murray introduced a bill called the "social security and marriage equality (same) act of 2014.
- Opines that the affordable care act (aca) expanded medicare benefits, resulting in more savings for seniors.
- Cites hardee, feranil, boezwinkle, j., clark, b. policy working paper series no. 11.
- Explains that programs that result from implementing policies and their performance in achieving policy goals and objectives may come from grants, the united nations democracy fund, fellowships, state and federal government funding, and contributions from private sectors.
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