In recent times, adoption of continuous quality improvement has become essential especially in issues concerning health promotion. In this case, health organization has taken the initiative to adopt the system which helps in refinement and regular reflection to enhance better outcomes and processes to enhance quality healthcare services (Davis et al, 2014).
There are substantial benefits of integrating continuous quality-improvements and its operations in healthcare. Continuous quality improvements are important as it ensures improved communication with external and internal resources in an organization such as the community and funders. Implementation of continuous quality improvements enhances proactive processes that solve and recognizes major problems thus ensuring the care systems are predictable and reliable in nature (Davis et al, 2014).
Such measures would ensure errors are addressed, and quality is fully observed. Continuous quality-improvements are also vital as its implementation leads to more efficient clinical and managerial processes.
Continuous quality-improvements also ensures reduced costs especially those associated with poor outcomes, process failures, and errors. Through continuous quality improvements, there is the higher satisfaction of patients and others receiving healthcare services since customer satisfaction is one of its primary components (Davis et al, 2014). Other than the public health area, the continuous quality improvements are adopted and used in the social services sector. In such scenarios, firms use the tool to ensure positive outcomes are received in the business environment.
An example is when it is implemented so as to ensure continuous access to sources of funds and improving services for customers. The continuous quality-improvements are also implemented in the information technology field mostly during planning and management of information systems thus ensuring valuable information is acquired to inform the right strategies for development (Davis et al, 2014).
Reference
Davis, M. V., Mahanna, E., Joly, B., Zelek, M., Riley, W., Verma, P., & Solomon Fisher, J. (2014). Creating Quality Improvement Culture in Public Health Agencies. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(1), e98-e104. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301413
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016), chlamydia is one of the common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium that damages women reproductive system. While the signs are mild, severe complications can lead to irreversible issues such as infertility. In addition, e Chlamydia may cause discharge from the male sexual organs.
Chlamydia effects
Figure 1: Chlamydia Effects
Risk factors
Some of the factors that increases the risks of contracting chlamydia are; people below 24 years; engaging in unprotected sex; various sexual partners; and previous history of STIs.
Prevention
The effective approach of preventing transmission is abstaining from sexual behaviour or being involved in a monogamous relationship with uninfected partner. Male condoms if used correctly and consistently can significantly minimize the risks of transmitting chlamydia (CDC, 2016). Moreover, it is recommended for all active sexually female below 24 years to undertake annual screening for chlamydia. Older female with risk factors for this disease are required to undergo annual screening.
Pregnant women must also undergo screening. Screening is considered the best prevention approach since a number of reproductive complications associated with chlamydia are common among women and its symptomatic. Additionally, genital signs such as discharge, a rash, sores or burning sensation during urination is an indication to seek medical advice.
In the event that an individual has been treated for this disease or other types of STIs, he or she must notify their sex partner to be treated by a health care specialist. This is important, particularly, when it comes to minimizing the risk severe complications while reducing the chances of being re-infected. Such a person and his or her sexual partner must abstain from sex till they finish treatment.
chlamydia prevention
Figure 2: Chlamydia Prevention
Prevention
The surest way to prevent chlamydia infection is to abstain from sexual activities. Short of that, you can:
Use condoms. Use a male latex condom or a female polyurethane condom during each sexual contact. Condoms used properly during every sexual encounter reduce but don’t eliminate the risk of infection.
Limit your number of sex partners. Having multiple sex partners puts you at a high risk of contracting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.
Get regular screenings. If you’re sexually active, particularly if you have multiple partners, talk with your doctor about how often you should be screened for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.
Avoid douching. Douching decreases the number of good bacteria in the vagina, which can increase the risk of infection.
Two-thirds of new chlamydial infections occur among youth aged 15-24 years.3It is estimated that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 years are infected.
More than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide (1, 2).
Each year, there are an estimated 376 million new infections with 1 of 4 STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis (1, 2).
More than 500 million people are estimated to have genital infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) (3).
More than 290 million women have a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (4).
The majority of STIs have no symptoms or only mild symptoms that may not be recognized as an STI.
STIs such as HSV type 2 and syphilis can increase the risk of HIV acquisition.
988 000 pregnant women were infected with syphilis in 2016, resulting in over 350 000 adverse birth outcomes including 200 000 stillbirths and newborn deaths (5).
In some cases, STIs can have serious reproductive health consequences beyond the immediate impact of the infection itself (e.g., infertility or mother-to-child transmission)
The Gonococcal Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Programme has shown high rates of quinolone resistance, increasing azithromycin resistance and emerging resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Drug resistance, especially for gonorrhoea, is a major threat to reducing the impact of STIs worldwide.
Disability is a physical or mental condition that restricts a person’s ability to move, sense or undertake activities. Disabilities can arise following an impairment of an individual’s body structure for instance loss of memory or loss of a limb in an accident. Moreover, disability can be associated with birth defects which end up affect a person in later stages of life a good example is Down’s syndrome which develops as a result of chromosome abnormalities (Huether & McCance, 2016). .
Conversely, chronic illness refers to a disease that lasts for 3 or more months and cannot be prevented by vaccines nor cured by medication. These conditions can either be acquired or inherited. An example of a chronic illness that is inherited is diabetes type I whereas hypertension is a chronic illness that may develop as a result of one having sedentary lifestyle.
They cannot be used interchangeably. This is because disability is not an illness but a body condition that impairs the body activities, and which can be as a result of sickness or a person is born with. On the other hand, chronic illness refers to a disease which attacks a person at any stage in life although a person can be born with it.
The legal implications are; the right to access of information on how to manage their disabilities and the right to resources to help them manage their disability. The legal implications are; the right to access to resources to help them manage the chronic illness as well as the right to access information on how to manage the chronic illnesses.
The actions to be implemented by RN are; providing special requirements like special education needs they should also provide comprehensive treatment plan as well as monitor the progress of individuals with chronic illness.
Chronic disease is disease that persists over a long period of time. Chronic disease can hinder independence and the health of people with disabilities, as it may create additional activity limitations. People with chronic disease often think that they are free from the disease when they have no symptoms. Having no symptoms, however, does not necessarily mean that chronic disease has disappeared.
In their line of duty, perioperative nurses are bound to the duty of patient confidentiality and ethics. However, in executing their responsibilities, perioperative nurses find themselves in dilemma situations with regards to ethical issues and patient confidentiality concerns accompanying the sharing of patient’s health information (Ulrich et al., 2010). According to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010), ensuring confidentiality of the health information of a patient is at the core of nurses establishing and maintaining trusting relationships with patients, patient’s families, and other health professionals.
With no assurance regarding the confidentiality of their health information, patients could be hesitant to provide sensitive yet important information regarding their health status/condition that can help in provision of high quality care (Price, 2015). However, perioperative nurses are faced with dilemma in situations where they consider appropriate to share a patient’s confidential health information to his or her family member(s) or caregiver for purposes of ensuring the patient continue to receive quality and safe health care.
The ethical implication of this action is the violation of ethics duty by the nurse as well as the potential loss of trust in the nurse and other health professionals in the institution by the patient or family should it be discovered that such confidential information was shared.
Additionally, in situations where the health condition of the patient deteriorates, health professionals find themselves in a dilemma state with regards to protecting the patient’s privacy whilst addressing the carers’ concerns about the patient’s condition (Price, 2015). For instance, patients that have undergone brain surgery are often mentally and physically unstable because of the nature of the surgery and as such are not in a position to interact with family as well as make important decisions concerning their health information, which could be confidential.
At the same time, the patient’s family members might request to know about the health condition of the patient, being unaware and unfamiliar of the hospital procedure and policies and health care code of ethics regarding the application of confidentiality in their context (Ulrich et al., 2010). In this situation, disclosing the patient’s confidential health information to the family members can be a complex task.
Thus, the nurse must obtain the patient’s permission about the information that can be shared, to who and under what circumstances to minimise possible misunderstanding with family member(s) as well as evade possible legal implications accompanying such (Olson & Stokes, 2016).
According to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010), patients have an inherent right to autonomy, which allows for their informed consent or the withheld of this consent. The law of informed consent holds that patients have the right to withhold personal information unless it is required by law to provide such information; or make decisions concerning their own treatment (Taylor, 2014).
Thus, perioperative nurses have ethical and legal obligation to respect and protect patient’s right to autonomy by allowing the patients to make their own treatment decisions or not to provide certain personal information deemed confidential. However, nurses may find themselves in a dilemma in situations where protecting and respecting patient’s right to autonomy could result in harm to the patient (Olson & Stokes, 2016).
For instance, in situations such as multiple series of surgery or uneventful incidents, letting the patient make his/ her own treatment decisions or withhold important information to health care practitioners could result in self-harm or harm others altogether.
In such scenarios, the nurse or health professional might be compelled to violate the duty of confidentiality through such means as disclosing important information concerning the patient to the family or deciding on the suitable heath care for the patient through the help of family and other health professionals without patient’s consent. This could result in an ethical break that can have legal implications on the nurse or health professional involved (Simek, 2016).
References
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010). Nursing and national competency standards for Registered nurse. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au
Olson, L., L., & Stokes, F. (2016). The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements: Resource for Nursing Regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(2), 9-20
Price, B. (2015). Respecting patient confidentiality. Nursing Standard, 29(22), 50-57.
Simek, J. (2014). Specifics of nursing ethics. Kontakt, 18(2), 64-68
Taylor, H. (2014) Promoting a patient’s right to autonomy: implications for primary healthcare practitioners. Part 1. Primary Health Care, 24(2), 36-41
Ulrich, C., M., Taylor, C., Soeken, K., O’Donnell, P., Farrar, A., Danis, M. & Grady, C. (2010). Everyday Ethics: Ethical Issues and Stress in Nursing Practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(11). doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05425.x
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Social attraction between people is very important. Aspects of social attraction such as love, understanding and care are difficult to explicate because they often go against many norms in life. It is crucial to ensure that these aspects are maintained along a certain line and many people keep it that way. For instance, love is governed by respect, trust and mutual understanding. Care is a precept of responsibility and authority while understanding stems from knowledge and wisdom (Anders, et.al, 2016).
Attraction between people has one key aspect to it; beauty. What anyone would find attractive is often the aspect of life that they feel is appealing to them. Beauty and attraction may have a lot in common but they are not common to all (Anders, de Jong, Beck, Haynes& Ethofer, 2016). This is why it is important to analyze social factors that generate stereotypes about beauty and attraction.
Beauty is defined as the experience of pleasure or satisfaction based on perception. That is why beauty can only be seen and not felt (Anders, et.al, 2016). What people see as beautiful is often a creation of their social setting. For instance, people who hardly encounter persons of a different race may deem them to be more beautiful or less beautiful depending on their socialization (Weidenfeld& Leask, 2013). In many social setups, beauty is displayed by models on newspapers, article magazines and websites.
It is a form of influence that ends up making the person to feel that what they see as beautiful is not as beautiful or appealing as they suppose. Beauty is thus a form of influence that is borne out of what the society considers to be appealing or not. Beauty is however the greatest contributor to perceptions about attraction (Launay& Dunbar, 2015). Where there is attraction, beauty is often a factor that is critical and central to the theme.
Beauty is a concept that makes up most of the arguments and concepts about attraction. Attraction is vital to any relationship between people because it obscures the feeling of human weakness and inequity. Man is known to be imperfect and very unsymmetrical in many ways. Beauty however is the concept of perfection without prejudice and need to approve other concepts within the person observed.
Beauty makes it possible for people to overlook human inequities that are ever existent and often profoundly the cause for the use of derogative words on people (Sprecher, Treger, Fisher, Hilaire & Grzybowski, 2015). What is not attractive is often despised and chastised. It is vital to remember that perception is simply an illusion that may not be similarly felt by another person (Anders, et.al, 2016). More often than not, the feeling that one is able to achieve a particular attraction or not is all about what they perceive to appeal to them. This is what beauty is all about.
The concept of beauty or appeal in attraction is very complicated because attraction between people can be out of many reasons as well. However, the urge to go beyond the necessary to please the other person is borne out of a need for appreciation or the desire to do right. This can be considered as beauty of purpose or the innocence of decision and motivation. Beauty is about purity and sanctity. There is often a significant appeal from society to get things done but hardly a similar motivation in attraction.
As explained by Talamas, Mavor& Perrett (2016) Attraction is about the traits that make one seem to have a beautiful character and to some extent, beautiful build and look. It applies to both persons of the male and those of the female gender (Talamas, Mavor& Perrett, 2016). Other traits that accompany beauty include; hard work, diligence and determination. They often seem to be of an enlightenment that sparks influence among people. Although affluence is more influential than these traits, it follows that one would find another person with such traits likely to be attractive.
However much there may be aspects that one looks for in an attractive partner beside their physical appeal, the appeal of the self is the most important (McGinley, et.al, 2015). Attraction is about having a similar feeling towards a person at all times without altering the feel of the person based on the circumstance. Beauty is thus best explained by the features one possesses. These features make it possible for the person to ultimately influence a feeling of desire in another person.
It is about the makeup women put on or the expensive suits men wear. It is about making the other person like what one already likes (Ioerger, Henry, Chen, Cigularov& Tomazic, 2015). Attraction can thus be predetermined and premeditated. It is a factor that can easily be manipulated in people’s minds and an issue that is hardly the cause for divisive argument.
According to Englis, Solomon, & Ashmore, (2014), various cultures perceive beauty differently. This is because beauty often defines how attractive one is and since there is a difference between values from one culture to another, there is also a difference in factors making up beauty. However, as per Vacker & Key (2013), despite the variations in perception across various cultures, beauty remains to be one of the most influential factors in establishing attraction between people.
The current generation of the 21st century regards beauty as an outward appearance of an individual that is desired. Therefore, they support the definition that beauty refers to what can be seen by the eye to be appealing. However, before the current perception and definition of beauty, various cultures had unique features which if present in an individual, he or she is regarded as being attractive (Englis, Solomon & Ashmore, 2014.
The character of a person was a big determinant in whether the person is seen as beautiful or not. This is because there were people who could be attractive, win other people’s hearts, and influence others by just interacting with them. In such a case, beauty becomes defined by the intrinsic features that a person possess and not their outward appearances. Societies which belief in both intrinsic and extrinsic beauty believe that the existing inequality in appearance between people should not be a major cause for regarding someone as not being beautiful.
There are various stereotypes that are related to attraction. As explained by Vacker & Key (2013), most people tend to think that people naturally get attracted to those individuals whom they have certain common features with. This stereotyping concept involves both men and female, and in this example, the proponents of this belief argue that the existing high number of integration, interaction, marriage, and business establishments between people of the same ethnicity proves that people get attracted to others whom they share certain common features. Perceptions that people with same characteristics or origin easily see each other as beautiful is also based on culture.
In this regard, it is easier for a person to recognize\e another person as being beautiful if both of them share a common culture or origin. Another stereotyping about beauty is that it is more pronounced in women as compared to men (Englis, Solomon & Ashmore, 2014). Therefore, it is easier for men to regard women as being beautiful as compared to seeing other men as a beautiful. As a result, it is expected that attraction will flourish easily between men and women as compared to between men and men. (Vacker and Key, 2013).
There has been a misconception about love and beauty especially when it comes to how these two feelings ate expressed by people. As explained by Diessner, et.al (2012), most people find it difficult to distinguish love from beauty. This is because both of the two feelings give one the desire to be or like another person so much. However, it should be noted that love and beauty are different in the sense that love develops between individuals irrespective of whether they are beautiful or not.
In other words, one does not need to be beautiful or to possess certain features for them to be loved by another individual. Moreover, love takes a long time to appear, and in most cases, it comes involuntarily and gives little consideration to both outward and inward appearance of a person. On the other hand, attraction is mostly felt as a result of existing beauty between the attracting individuals. Moreover, it considers features that are present in an individual and may end if a person changes in certain ways. Also, attraction can be felt only after a short time whereas love mostly lasts forever (Vacker & Key, 2013).
There are various theories of beauty. However, Denis Dutton’s and Andrew Park provocative theory offers the best insight into the current beauty trends surrounding attraction (Diessner, et.al, 2012). They do believe that beauty is specific to an individual. However, it is also a part of human nature that has very deep evolutionary origins.
Other existing theories such as the typical beauty theory of Ruskin and the vital beauty theory try to explain the essential characteristics of an individual that constitute their beauty status. Therefore, they help propagate the notion that a person can improve his or her beauty through effort
There are two major forms of beauty that are inexistent at the moment. These are; augmented beauty and natural beauty. Whereas naturally beauty is acquired naturally and one may possess it from the time they are born, augmented beauty is acquired artificially (Diessner, et.al, 2012). To acquire augmented beauty, a person uses various artificial beauty products and solutions to enhance their appearance by becoming more beautiful than they were previously.
Even though both these two types of beauty makes one attractive, there are various concerns about the longevity of augmented beauty. It is argued that it may cause attraction just for a short period and in the long term, the attraction may cease to exist as some of the beauty features will fail to reciprocate themselves positively. On the other hand, natural beauty is always desired as it creates the true picture of an individual on others thereby aiding in establishing trust.
The importance of being beautiful has caused some individuals to become beautiful. This is because, without beauty, a person may not be attractive to others. As a result, they may end up feeling dejected and living a lonely life. Since human beings are social species, it is wise to put in effort to enhance beauty so as to live a comfortable and soothing life with many admirers as compared to living unfulfilling life as a result of low beauty levels.
Therefore, as Englis, Solomon and Ashmore (2014) argues, it is more sensible to put in effort so as to improve a person’s beauty as compared to leaving it the way it is and undergoing a tough social life (as Englis, Solomon and Ashmore, 2014).
Many people consider the feeling of attraction to be related to the symmetrical shape of the person, shape or thing. Many people are attracted to beauty and not value. There is thus the general feeling that most human beings will often proverbially ‘read a book by its cover.’ This is a concern among persons who mask their attractive qualities by not being very outgoing and expressive about their characters.
It is thus important to ensure that one is always able to express their ‘inner beauty’ where the outer beauty does not appeal to many people in order for the rest of society to find them attractive (McGinley, Zhang,Mattila& O’Neill, 2015). This is critical in the world where perception is often the main reason for attention on certain details. This means that beauty is a form of influence that is borne out of what the society considers to be appealing or no.
Even though this is contextual, it has led to development of various techniques of acquiring beauty through artificial techniques. These means have often been sought by individuals who feel that they are not appealing in terms of beauty.
References
Anders, S., de Jong, R., Beck, C., Haynes, J., & Ethofer, T. (2016). A neural link between affective understanding and interpersonal attraction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(16), E2248-E2257. doi:10.1073/pnas.1516191113
Diessner, R., Solom, R. C., Frost, N. K., Parsons, L., & Davidson, J. (2012). Engagement with beauty: Appreciating natural, artistic, and moral beauty. The Journal of Psychology, 142(3), 303-29. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213828232?accountid=45049.
Englis, B. G., Solomon, M. R., & Ashmore, R. D. (2014). Beauty before the eyes of beholders: The cultural encoding of beauty types in magazine advertising and music television. Journal of Advertising, 23(2), 49. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236550542?accountid=45049
Ioerger, M., Henry, K. L., Chen, P. Y., Cigularov, K. P., & Tomazic, R. G. (2015). Beyond Same-Sex Attraction: Gender-Variant-Based Victimization Is Associated with Suicidal Behavior and Substance Use for Other-Sex Attracted Adolescents. Plos ONE, 10(6), 1-16. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129976
Launay, J., & Dunbar, R. M. (2015). Playing with Strangers: Which Shared Traits Attract Us Most to New People? Plos ONE, 10(6), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129688
McGinley, S., Zhang, L., Mattila, A., & O’Neill, J. (2015). Attraction to Hospitality Companies: How Processing Fluency Moderates Value Fit. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 14(1), 25-44. doi:10.1080/15332845.2014.904171
Mitteness, C. R., DeJordy, R., Ahuja, M. K., & Sudek, R. (2016). Extending the Role of Similarity Attraction in Friendship and Advice Networks in Angel Groups. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 40(3), 627-655. doi:10.1111/etap.12135
Sprecher, S., Treger, S., Fisher, A., Hilaire, N., & Grzybowski, M. (2015). Associations Between Self-Expansion and Actual and Perceived (Dis) Similarity and Their Joint Effects on Attraction in Initial Interactions. Self & Identity, 14(4), 369-389. doi:10.1080/15298868.2014.1003592
Talamas, S. N., Mavor, K. I., & Perrett, D. I. (2016). Blinded by Beauty: Attractiveness Bias and Accurate Perceptions of Academic Performance. Plos ONE, 11(2), 1-18. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148284
Vacker, B., & Key, W. R. (2013). Beauty and the beholder: The pursuit of beauty through commodities. Psychology & Marketing (1986-1998), 10(6), 471. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230393591?accountid=45049
Weidenfeld, A., & Leask, A. (2013). Exploring the relationship between visitor attractions and events: definitions and management factors. Current Issues In Tourism, 16(6), 552-569. doi:10.1080/13683500.2012.702736
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Human Resources and Staffing Crisis at Blumberg’s Nursing Home
Ethics goes a long way in ensuring the organization achieves good public relations and good image as a means of acquiring public confidence. In the case of Blumberg Nursing Home, the actions of three employees were detrimental to its reputation and government regulations, requiring a change of tact by the administration in approaching future crises. It is requisite to formulate an effective way of replacing the erring staff, while setting policies and incorporating residents and staff views in the future running of the nursing home.
Staffing needs
There is an immediate need for a Director of Nursing, dietician, and a receptionist at Blumberg Nursing Home. A DON is important since she manages nursing activities, controls patient care, makes nursing policies and institutes short-term and long-term future nursing plans that ensure that the hospital meets stringent government standards (Bisk, 2016).
The DON also does financial and nursing budget needs, involves the hospital management in nursing care, evaluates nursing activities to ensure it is patient-centered, meets regularly with other members of the executive, and communicates with them regarding the nursing department. The hospital dietician also does several important tasks in the hospital such as teaching patients about nutrition, addressing patients’ healthcare needs, partially gets involved as a multidisciplinary team, and coordinates dietary changes among the patient.
Additionally, the medical receptionist is important for coordinating patient arrival and plan for care, gives patients information concerning their problems, organizes clerical and administrative activities and keeps inventory of office and medical equipments (Hicks, 2016). The receptionist also answers phone calls, registers new patients’ and coordinates their next treatment plan by notifying other members of the medical team.
Therefore, the DON, dietitian and the receptionist all are important for the general welfare of the hospital. However, due to the large administrative responsibility of the DON, the hospital should fill this position first. The nursing care is a very important part of hospital activities and requires a leader to coordinate all its activities effectively, including hiring a receptionist and dietitian, important in nursing care.
In addition, the receptionist should come second to aid the nursing staff in coordinating the activities of receiving patients and informing them of their treatment requirements. Since the receptionist helps in keeping office records and inventory of all the required equipments for administrative work in the hospital, it is imperative to have this staff member (Hicks, 2016). On the other hand, the hospital can outsource a temporary self-employed dietitian to coordinate dietary needs of the patients. Most dieticians have their own clinics and can always schedule hospital visits, as the plan of acquiring a permanent dietician is underway.
Policies for addressing unethical behaviorsin the workplace
Unethical behaviors in the work place can be detrimental to the overall running of the organization and can really hurt the organizations reputation. Each employee in the organization acts as an agent of the company, and whatever they do may be beneficial of disadvantageous to other employees. To avert future crisis and staff misdemeanor, a good policy ought to be in place. The first step is to have a robust human resource manager, either internal or hired externally, to provide trainings, procedures, and policies for tackling ethical issues (Goldfield, 2015).
Having a robust human resource manager is requisite for effective reporting of unethical behavior, and for company to have and maintain proper policies. The task of the HR manager shall involve communicating to employees the organization’s expectations and making clear to them how their bad demeanors can affect the entire organization.
An effective way of combating unethical behavior is creation of codes of ethics. The codes of ethics aids in communicating the organization’s values, and establishing means of creating boundaries for what is appropriate (Goldfield, 2015). These codes of ethics are simple and succinct, contained in the mission statement, value statement, and employee handbooks. The codes of ethics for Blumberg hospital shall have a protocol where employees can report unethical behaviors to the human resource manager or a senior manager far removed from the role.
This aids in bringing seriousness to the issue and creating trust in employees (Goldfield, 2015). A dedicated anonymous hotline is also useful in reporting such cases. Additionally, the protocol shall ensure no victimization to any employee who reports such cases. The policy shall also entail empowering the employees through training, yearly bonuses and public acknowledgement, in order to ensure the code becomes effective (Goldfield, 2015). The hospital shall have to review the code on a yearly basis y having the employees read and sign over a form, to encourage adherence to the standards.
The organization can have punishment procedures for unethical employees who may not adhere to ethical standards. These may include demotions, suspension, denying leaves, or firing them, but as a last resort whenever warnings and summons do not work (Mack, 2016). The organization can also fight ethical misdemeanors through protection of whistleblowers, rewarding ethical employees, and having a dedicated panel or person who shall offer unbiased approach to enforcing ethical standards in the organization.
Leadership roles
The aftermath of an unethical crisis within a business offers an opportunity for the administrator of the organization to exercise decisions that aid in boosting staff morale and that of the residents. According to Lisa Quast (2011), the administrator of an organization ought to lead by example. By incorporating good ethics in one’s behaviors makes the employees avoid unethical situations at work.
The administrator can constantly echo the need to act ethically within the organization, by encouraging employees to follow the codes of ethics every time. Quast (2011) adds that reinforcing ethical behavior and punishing unethical behaviors aids in warning employees, and coercing them towards adhering to code of ethics.
The administrator can further show good leadership skills by listening to the unethical employees’ explanation of their action. Having good listening skills helps in getting valuable feedback from the erring employee. This can also provide an opportunity to remind and enforce codes of ethics to an employee who may err because of being overconfident (Quast, 2011). The administrator can also bring back confidence among his juniors by showing calmness and confidence that makes other employees increase in morale.
The confidence shows that the decision taken was appropriate and the administrator is in charge. The administrator can also use his character and competence as part of good leadership skills to encourage the employees and inspire them (Trevino & Brown, 2004). Instead of punishing erroneous employees, the administrator can re-inspire confidence in them by reminding them of their value to the organization, and its expectation of them. The unethical employees have new challenges to spur their recovery and show support to them.
The administrator of Blumberg hospital can show management skills by exercising his authority effectively. The administrator can demonstrate his integrity by ensuring adherence to the codes of ethics by all employees (Quast, 2011). A high integrity leadership communicates straightforwardness to the employees. The administration should be consistent in rewarding ethical employees and punishing the unethical ones, but at the same time taking time to encourage employees adhere to codes of conduct (Kurucz & Wheeler, 2013).
However, despite the need to warn and lead unethical employees into recovery, it is imperative that the employees understand the severity of their actions. In the case of Blumberg hospital, a drunk DON, who also happens to be a senior member of the executive, sends a wrong leadership message to the entire nursing fraternity. This communicates to the other nurses that they too can behave unethically without undergoing any punishment. A drunken receptionist can give wrong information to patients and may talk inappropriately to the hospital clientele.
According to Goldfield (2015), it is imperative to inculcate good communication framework within the organization to ensure employees grow satisfactory with the management decision. The administrator can do this by often calling for meetings to highlight to the employees the recent happenings, the reasons for taking such decisions, and the expectation of the management to the employees in assisting to averting a future crisis.
This helps to communicate the urgency, and the dire need of the employees to maintain high work standards and ethics for the benefit of the organization. Additionally, Trevino and Brown (2004) suggests that the administration can train and encourage the lower leadership levels who interact with the employees on a higher levels, to show high levels of integrity and support for other employees. By maintaining a culture of professionalism and high work standards, the hospital can avoid future crises occurring from employees acting unethically.
How to use the Quality Indicator Survey
The Quality Indicator Survey is a computer-generated survey meant for assessment of long-term care to ensure nursing homes licensed by the Medicare and Medicaid meet the federal guidelines (Lin & Kramer, 2013). The survey entails two processes meant to assess certain regulations within nursing homes to ensure they follow the federal laid standards. Factors such as deficiencies, current complaints, and adherence to standards can undergo review to assess the suitability of a nursing home to its intended purpose.
The surveyors does this, while at the same time ensuring the federal set guidelines are followed to the later. The first stage of the survey involves interviewing residents, reviewing clinical records and observing the residents (Lin & Kramer, 2013). The data gathered goes into a computer system, which analyses it using special software and gives a feedback. The second stage of the survey entails using investigative tools to do an in-depth analysis and systematic review of the causes of certain discrepancies and the completion of essential and non-essential tasks.
According to Lin and Kramer (2013), the QIS can help a hospital to gather information concerning the perception of the residents towards it and their expectations in terms of the type and quality of services offered. Therefore, the administration of the Blumberg hospital can use the QIS survey to learn of the perception, requirements and recommendations that the residents deems imperative for the efficient running of the institution.
The actions of the DON, the dietitian and the receptionist might be an opportunity for the hospital administration, to check whether the breaching of the hospital codes of conduct has been persistent, and whether some of the employees have offered poor services. The employee staff can take the survey to echo to the administration their recommendations and desired mode of treatment in case of future crises. It is vital to ensure training of the codes of ethics to the employees during its implementation.
Conclusion
The Blumberg nursing home staff crisis is solvable by hiring a new Director of Nursing as a more urgent plan, so that the DON can assist in hiring the best receptionist and dietitian who are instrumental in the activities of the nursing care. The hospital administrator requires good leadership and management skills such as listening, integrity, and understanding the employees. Good procedures should exist to ensure unethical behaviors undergo punishment, while at the same time rewarding those acting well. The Quality Indicator survey is useful for the hospital administrator to assess and implement changes that shall ensure future adherence to the hospital’s codes of ethics.
Goldfield, B. (2015). A Proactive Approach to Addressing Unethical Behavior in the Workplace. (Updated 20 January 2015). Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241924. (Accessed 5 December 2016).
Kurucz, E. C., Colbert, B. A., & Wheeler, D. (2013). Reconstructing value: Leadership skills for a sustainable world. University of Toronto Press.
Lin, M. K., & Kramer, A. M. (2013). The quality indicator survey: background, implementation, and widespread change. Journal of aging & social policy, 25(1), 10-29.
Treviño, L. K., & Brown, M. E. (2005). The role of leaders in influencing unethical behavior in the workplace. Managing organizational deviance, 69-87.
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Physicians may be confronted with an ethical dilemma where they must decide whether or not provide treatment for themselves, family members, or others close to them(CPSO, 2016). Whereas it may be the physician’s best intentions to provide treatment in this context, there is a growing body of literature indicating that personal or close relationships have the potential of compromising the emotional and clinical objectivity of the physician. This paper examines the process of using ethical principles in decision-making and meeting the Nursing Practice Core Ethics Competencies.
The first step in approaching ethical decision-making is to state the ethical dilemma. It is important for the physician to identify the components of the situation presenting a potential ethical dilemma. In the case scenario, Mrs. ABC’s mother should have first identified the ethical dilemma presented by her undertaking to treat Mrs. ABC. The physician should be able to identify the issue objectively without the influence of subjective perceptions, values or attitudes specific to the issue.
Upon identification of the ethical dilemma, the physician needs to connect ethical theory to the dilemma in practice. Beauchamp and Childress’s ethical theory is often regarded as one of the basic foundations for discussions of this nature. This theory is grounded in four major principles: justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, and autonomy. Justice involves appropriate, equitable, and fair treatment of patients.
Beneficence supports the use of positive steps for benefitting others, which involves the balancing of benefit, risk and costs. Non-maleficence encompasses the intent not to inflict harm. Lastly, autonomy is a principle which requires a professional or client to have the capacity to self-determination in his/her engagement in decision-making (Nagy, 2015).
Exploring an ethical dilemma requires a physician to examine the issue and see the manner in which each of the principles relate to it. In some cases, this examination alone clarifies the issue enough that the resolution of the dilemma becomes obvious to the physician (Forester-Miller & Davis, 1995).
DNP Essentials Pertinent To Health Care Leadership and Inter-Professional Collaboration
Introduction
The push for one to acquire a doctoral level before practicing nursing is a matter of contention. Some people argue that there are simply inadequate reasons amounting to forced matriculation of the present and future nurse practitioners to attain a doctoral-grade. On the contrary, some health care experts consider DNP as an essential tool in developing an efficient system of administering health care services (Chism, 2013).
The introduction of DNP Essentials (AACN, 2006) recommended several measures geared towards developing clinically skilled and competent educators with the ability to administer skills and evidence-based practice knowledge using innovative methods. In this reflective essay, I will focus on the learning practices, which are designed to meet the DNP Essentials (AACN, 2006) pertinent to healthcare leadership and inter-professional collaboration.
Reflection on DNP Essentials for enhancing Health Care Leadership and Interprofessional Collaborations DNP essentials associated with enhancing inter-professional collaboration and health care leadership include,
Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking
Essential VI- Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes (DeCapua, 2016).
Essential II consists of a description of procedures of organizational and system leadership, which subsequently affects healthcare service delivery and the outcomes of patients’ care. According to AACN, (2012) preparation facilitates DNP graduates with the necessary expertise in evaluating organizational structure, identification of system challenges and enhancing organization-wide changes in discharging their service. Under this essential, the graduate is prepared to take leadership roles at different levels. This involves advancement from informal leadership at a clinical stage to formal leadership at an executive level (Chism, 2013).
On the other hand, Essential VI helps the graduates to understand the significance of inter-professional collaboration in the health care environment. Since nurses collaborate with other health practitioners in carrying out their duties, Essential VI focuses on enhancing the collaboration by equipping the graduates with leadership skills necessary to enhance cohesion amongst themselves and other team members. In some cases, graduates assume the roles of consultants.
In an attempt to evaluate the relevance of DNP essentials, the following are reflection examples demonstrating how we can relate our active learning to achieving competencies of DNP essentials. The main courses in this study provide an understanding of practice management principles, strategies of productivity assessment and quality care. For instance, the ability to evaluate current procedures and practice policies is facilitated by the development and implementation of an algorithm, which describes the protocols in health care personnel management.
This is in consistency with the procedures provided by the US Public Health Services (2013). According to Thompson and Alexandroy (2013), DNP courses promote one’s ability in strategies of improving quality both at the organizational and policy stages. Some of the main courses that enhance proficiency in quality improvement include, Application of Best Practises, where assignments are protocol and accompanied by a citation of levels of evidence. Another course is in healthy policy and politics, which involves assignments on healthy policy analysis and field project in an organization. Attending conferences are also significant in attaining the requirements of an independent study.
Similarly, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) must adjust to collaborate with other health care practitioners to assess the impact of nursing on the health of the individuals and populations. For instance, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (2012) states that the restructuring of the current health system in America promotes collaboration among different teams to provide a comprehensive, cost-effective and risk-free health care for persons with chronic conditions.
Similarly, attending the UAB DNP conferences creates a wider awareness on inter-professional collaboration. In addition, Thompson and Alexandroy, (2013) states that there exists a working gratitude amongst physicians, assistants and the nursing practitioners within her work environment.
Complex health situations are resolved by sharing abilities, skills, and knowledge among team members. This was facilitated Population Health in Advanced Practice course accompanied by a project assignment in Community of Interest. In addition, Interdisciplinary Leadership and Role Development for Practice is another course promotes leadership and inter-personal According to DeCapua (2016), students at the University of South Florida were provided with a direct care cognate option for ARNPs in direct clinical care or indirect cognate care for education and leadership. For a person who has practiced teaching, it easier to take indirect cognate care in nursing education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, DNP Essentials are significant implementing effective health care policy. In accordance with the Essential II and VI of the DNP Essentials, health care leadership and inter-professional collaboration can be achieved by developing courses, which will promote a better understanding of management practice principles, productivity evaluation techniques and quality health care delivery (DeCapu, 2016).
According to Thompson and Alexandrov (2013), DNP courses develop one’s ability in developing strategies for improving quality care both at the organizational and policy stages. Essential II involves a description of procedures of organizational and system leadership, which affects healthcare service delivery and the outcomes of patient care. On the other hand, Essential VI equips graduates with knowledge on the significance of inter-professional collaboration in the health care environment (Chism, 2013).
Being the CEO of the organization named Drugs and Co., I find myself competent enough to lead the organization diligently. There are many traits of the leader which need to be inculcated in one’s personality so that one can hold this position confidently. The leadership quality is based on various types of leadership theories. These theories depict the importance of behavior, nature and demeanor which play significant role in shaping the overall personality of a leader. The point of argument is that as far as my personality is concerned, I feel that my leadership abilities are the combination of charisma, democratic spirit and motivational leadership.
My organization demands that I provide sufficient moral and physical support to the employees so that they may feel comfortable at the workplace. In order to ensure that the employees feel relaxed, I would employ the use of motivational leadership at the first place. For this purpose, I would arrange regular informal meetings to get the point of view of the employees.
This type of leadership is called the participatory type of leadership. It is the useful technique which helps the employees to find the way and solution regarding the problem at hand. It also keeps the employees involved in the organization so that they intend to own the organization. This would enable me to get any idea about their feelings, apprehensions and issues. The reason is that, the organization which I own is based on the very tough routine and it requires the rigorous research and exploration.
The laboratory technicians are the experts who need peaceful environment to find out the chemical formulas of new drugs. These drugs are then required to be transferred to the medical stores. In order to enable the employees to make the good quality drugs I would invite their expertise (Müller, Geraldi & Turner, 2012). In addition to that, I would also make the use of my physical charisma and the authoritative decision making. I have the great quality of eloquence with the help of which I can motivate them to take risky decisions.
I conducted the interview of the CEO of an international company who has an experience of working for two years in that organization. While answering the question related to the most challenging issue he faced during his leadership tenure, he said that the most difficult task was to carry out the conflict resolution among the employees. There are many instances in which the compromise seems not to be reached among the team due to the difference of opinion.
He told that he used to manage this situation by taking the individual opinion of the contesting parties. After getting the views, he used to decide the case in the light of the best possible options. After giving the final verdict, the CEO used to arrange the joint meeting of the employees to tell them about his decision.
While replying to the question regarding the best possible solution to the problem of leadership, the CEO said that it is best to observe patience and tolerance in the conflicting situation. Instead of getting into the head on collision with the employees and harassing them, it is rational that the employees are asked to calm down and leave the place. They must be given the relaxed environment to ponder over the situation more critically. It is the possibility that they would realize their mistake and become able to take rational decision.
He also told that in majority of the cases, this strategy worked for him. However, as an alternative he used to use his authoritative approach in those cases in which the employees exhibited the egoistic behavior. In those situation, it was necessary to bring their steadfastness under control. Had he not employed this tactics, the situation would have gone out of controls.
The analysis of this interview shows that there is not a single leadership type or skill which can be employed in the practical life. The best approach is to use multiple types of leaderships to tackle the employees. The reason is that the employees vary from one another as far as their nature and temperament is concerned. Moreover, the leaders are required to make a rational decision about the type of leadership.
Had I been involved in the similar situation, I would have also gone for the same strategy of using the combination of different types of leadership. The reason is that the position of a leader is very dynamic and he needs to be very receptive to this fact (Zhu, Kraut & Kittur, 2012). In addition to that, I would have tried to keep my emotions under control so that my weaknesses were not evident in front of the employees.
I would have also gone for the option of getting the grip on the rules and regulations of the organization. This would help me in making the decisions according to the rules of law. As a result, there would be the rare chances of any objections raised on my credibility. I would also try to win the confidence of the employees through my friendly behavior with them. Risk taking strategy should also be used to keep the employees attentive and ready to take new initiatives (Miner, 2015).
I would also use my charisma and eloquence so that the employees may focus the attention on my views. This type of leadership is called charismatic leadership. It is the sort of leadership which helps a lot in those situations in which no other strategy works and the employees are not ready to work unanimously. Sometimes, the conflict needs to be mediated through the presence of some compromising personalities who may lead the team through their holistic approach.
In order to ensure that, I would keep a committee of some of the competent people who can accompany me during the conduction of the meetings (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2013). The decision making needs to be very much tactical to avoid the unfair situations.
Keeping in view the critical analysis and summary of the interview, it is concluded that the leadership modalities need to be employed through the deliberation. The competent leaders are those who keep the team bound together in the hour of both distress and happiness. They are the people with exemplary capabilities and have high level of self-esteem.
As far as their role in the organization is concerned, it is pertinent to mention that the leaders are not required to stay stubborn and rigid. Instead of that, the leaders need to be very much tolerant and accommodating so that they can control the situation and turn the tide of events. Keeping in view all these comments, I find myself to be in a better position to lead the team in a better way.
Miner, J. B. (2015). Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge.
Müller, R., Geraldi, J., & Turner, J. R. (2012). Relationships between leadership and success in different types of project complexities. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 59(1), 77-90.
Zhu, H., Kraut, R., & Kittur, A. (2012, February). Effectiveness of shared leadership in online communities. In Proceedings of the ACM 2012 conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (pp. 407-416). ACM.
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