Question

1. Describe what malpractice is and the 4 elements required to determine whether negligence has occurred. What positive actions could you do as a supervisor to help prevent negligence?

2. Describe one personnel-related regulation. How does this regulation protect employee rights?

3. What is strategic planning? Why is the organizational mission and vision important in strategic planning?

Answer 1

1. Malpractice:

Malpractice is any omission of accepted standards or norms of care by a healthcare professional during the treatment of a patient and that causes a harm or injury to the patient. The negligence can occur as a result of errors in diagnosis like misdiagnosis, ineffective or inappropriate treatment and aftercare or health management. Malpractice is often known as “ professional Negligence”.

Elements of Negligence:

Negligence occurs when a person fails to provide care to avoid injury to other persons or he did something a reasonably careful person must not do under the similar circumstances.

• The duty of care: The defendant was owing a legal duty to care for the plaintiff.
• Breach of duty: The standards of is breached
• Causal connection: The injury or harm caused to the plaintiff was due to the lack of care from the defendant.
• Actual loss or harm or damages: An injury or harm was caused due to negligence.

Actions to prevent Malpractice:

• Develop effective patient-caregiver relationships
• Understand and stick to the responsibilities
• Establish good rapport
• Effective communication
• Consistency of care
• Informed Consent
• Efficient and accurate documentation
• Updated knowledge of care standards
• Follow policy and procedure

2. The healthcare personnel policy provides standardization in a job and ensures employee satisfaction. .They are intended primarily to assure that every employee is considered equitably regardless of their race, creed, colour or sexual orientation.

The operational policies and personnel policies are different aspects. The personnel policies are also governed by union rules or other contractual agreements.

Examples of personnel Policies:

• Work Schedule
• Working hours
• Lunch break
• Holidays
• Vacation
• Sick Time
• Personal Leave
• Leave of Absence

Working hours:

Judicial selection of working hours by an organization determines its success. Employees will be comfortable and the employee contribution towards success will be enhanced with the effective working hours. The overburden will reduce the employee productivity. The flexible and constructive selection of working hours can be a backbone of success.

3. Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy or direction, and it contributes to making decisions on allocating its resources to attain its goal or strategy. Strategic planning guides the implementation of the strategy.

Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining methods or actions to achieve the goals, and utilizing the resources effectively to execute the actions.

Strategic planning is analytical in nature and consists of processes of formulation and implementation. It also helps to coordinate both.

The process of strategic planning begins with defining an organization’s vision and mission. The strategic planning enrooted on vision and mission will enable the management and employees to align the determinants of their actions and decisions in a clear direction. The methods of achieving the goals must be in line with vision and mission. Measurable goals also help to evaluate the progress.