Question

During your practicum, determine what clinical problem or issue the organization is facing. Discuss two implications for nursing.

Answer 1

Clinical problems or issues the organisation is facing are

1. Healthcare-associated infections
2. Antibiotic resistance
3. Personal protective equipment protocol.
4. Hand hygiene.
5. Health IT issues
6. Medication errors.
7. Workforce safety.
8. Transitions of care.
9. Diagnostic errors
10. Patient engagement.

common clinical problem associated with nursing are

Workplace hazards.

Nurses face a number of workplace hazards each day while just doing their jobs. These hazards include exposure to bloodborne pathogens, injuries, hand washing-related dermatitis and cold and flu germs.OSHA estimates 5.6 million out of roughly 12.2 million workers in the healthcare industry and related occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.And rates of workplace injury are higher in healthcare than other industries. Nurses experience more than 35,000 injuries involving the back, hands, shoulders and feet each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many things influence the likelihood of injury, including age of the nurse and environment.Aside from acute injury, nurses are also likely to suffer harm to their hands. A recent study from the University of Manchester revealed healthcare workers following hand hygiene protocols are 4.5 times more likely to suffer moderate to severe skin damage. In the same study, researchers found healthcare workers made up roughly 25 percent of reported cases of irritant contact dermatitis.Protecting nurses goes beyond their hands. As cold and flu season nears, hospitals and health systems can prepare to protect their workforce, including extra measures for those who do not receive the vaccinations for personal or religious reasons. One option is having the nurses wear an antiviral face mask, which has been show to kill or inactivate 99.99 percent of laboratory-tested flu viruses.

Long working hours.

Nurses are often required to work long shifts. But in a number of cases, nurses must work back-to-back or extended shifts, risking fatigue that could result in medical mistakes.A 2012 study published in Health Affairs found that the longer the shifts for hospital nurses, the higher the levels of burnout and patient dissatisfaction. Survey data from the study showed that more than 80 percent of the nurses in four states were satisfied with scheduling practices at their hospital. However, as the proportion of hospital nurses working shifts of more than 13 hours increased, patients' dissatisfaction with care increased. Furthermore, nurses working shifts of 10 hours or longer were up to 2.5 times more likely than nurses working shorter shifts to experience burnout, job dissatisfaction and intent to leave the job.