Question

Social issue/problem and historical background of the health care organization policy OR Hospital policy. 200 words.

Answer 1

Major challenges face today’s health care system for which health professionals have to be prepared. The research study reveals there are estimates of the number of Americans dying each year as a result of medical errors are as high as 98,000—more than those who die from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS (Institute of Medicine, 2000). The American public is dissatisfied with chronic care; 72 percent of those surveyed believe it is difficult for people living with chronic conditions to obtain the necessary care from their health care providers (Harris Interactive and ARiA Marketing, 2000). Health professionals are also concerned: 57 percent of U.S. physicians surveyed said their ability to provide quality care has been reduced in the last 5 years, and 41 percent stated that they are discouraged from reporting or not encouraged to report medical errors (Blendon et al., 2001); 76 percent of nurses surveyed indicated that unsafe working conditions interfere with their ability to deliver quality care (American Nurses Association/NursingWorld.Org, 2001). A survey of over 800 physicians found that 35 percent of them reported errors in their own or a family member’s care

The committee that authored the Quality Chasm report (Institute of Medicine, 2001), speakers at the summit, health experts, employers, and health professionals and students have all identified reasons for this disconnect between an ideal system and what actually exists. These reasons include (1) poor design of systems and processes, (2) the system’s inability to respond to changing patient demographics and related requirements, (3) a failure to assimilate the rapidly growing and increasingly complex science and technology base, (4) slow adoption of information technology innovations needed to provide care, (5) little accommodation of patients’ diverse demands and needs, and (6) personnel shortages and poor working conditions

A recent survey underscored issues faced by the chronically ill, with about three of every four respondents reporting difficulty in obtaining medical care. Specifically, 72 percent had experienced difficulty in obtaining care from a primary care physician, 79 percent from a medical specialist, and 74 percent from providers of drug therapy (Partnership for Solutions, 2002b). This same survey indicated that, as a result of the lack of coordination, the chronically ill were receiving spotty or contradictory information and facing avoidable complications. At the summit, Mary Naylor described a typical real-life example of the lack of coordination for the chronically ill: