Question

Please write 1 paragraph for each question (total 3 paragraphs) and each paragraph shall be no less than 4 sentences and no more than 10 sentences. Points will be deducted for answers with fewer than 4 sentences or extra long posting (0.5 points per each answer). Give only the essential information. Writing long, run-on sentences will be considered as multiple sentences.

• Answer ALL PARTS of each question to earn full point.
• Support your response with the appropriate citation from your textbook.

Discussion Topic:

1. What is the purpose of performance appraisals?
2. How would you measure a nurse’s productivity?
3. Discuss the multiple forms that violence can take within the workplace. Why is violence prevalent in a health care environment?

Answer 1

1. Performnce appraisal for nurses quantifies the quality of nursing care been provided. It seves as benchmark to the identify the competencies, eligibility for promotion/demotion and effectiveness of inservice education. Evaluating the performance followed by communicating the results improves the communication between the Nurse manger and his/her subordinates. Performance appraisal provides the staff feedback about their on the job performance and need for additional training. It evaluates,how far the predetermined goals in relation to patient care quality is achieved.It also helps in further goal setting including training and counselling sessions, keeping in mind, the deficiencies identified.

2. To measure the productivity of a nurse working in a particular departement, first the achievement of departmental goals needs to be checked.Departmental goals or target working hours can be identified using the following formula: Target hours = quantity of work x budgeted hours per patient per day (for a predetermined timeframe,say 2 weeks/14days). Budgeted patient hours is a budget based staffing pattern that determines staff working in day and night shift irrespective of patient census. Quantity of work is the total midnight patient census in that 2 weeks. Then compare the identified target hours with total productive working hours during the same period. That is target hours x Productive hours worked.In this formula the hours worked includes the direct patient care hours, shift duty hours excluding break for meals, additional working hours due to unforseen emergencies. Productive working hours per day can also be calculated using the above formula.Divide the total number of hours worked per day(in 24 hrs) by total number of patients as per the midnight census.

3. Nurses and other HCWs face violence from patients,patient's family members,employers or from a co-worker,among which the one from patient and their family, contributes to the majority. Mainly there are two types of violence that occur in a health care setting, verbal including bullying and harassement and  physical abuse including battery, assault,stalking and gunshots(rare). One major cause of violence is the stressful environment created by illness and hospitalization that leads to emoltional volatility among the patient and their relatives. Ineffective communication regarding the prognosis of a patient's condition,misunderstanding and lack of knowledge also can contribute to violence following an unfavourable outcome. Another cause of assault can be the side effects of drugs like anesthetic agents,that leads to confusion and transient psychological issues. Burnout, lack of cooperation and team work craetes a stressful, unhappy workplace that can create violence among employees.