NURS 6053 Discussion Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Sample Answer for NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES Included After Question
If you were to ask 10 people what they believe to be the most significant issue facing healthcare today, you might get 10 different answers. Escalating costs? Regulation? Technology disruption?
These and many other topics are worthy of discussion. Not surprisingly, much has been said in the research, within the profession, and in the news about these topics. Whether they are issues of finance, quality, workload, or outcomes, there is no shortage of changes to be addressed.
In this Discussion, you examine a national healthcare issue and consider how that issue may impact your work setting. You also analyze how your organization has responded to this issue.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and select one current national healthcare issue/stressor to focus on.
- Reflect on the current national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and think about how this issue/stressor may be addressed in your work setting.
By Day 3 of Week 1
Post a description of the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for analysis, and explain how the healthcare issue/stressor may impact your work setting. Then, describe how your health system work setting has responded to the healthcare issue/stressor, including a description of what changes may have been implemented. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 1
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who chose a different national healthcare issue/stressor than you selected. Explain how their chosen national healthcare issue/stressor may also impact your work setting and what (if anything) is being done to address the national healthcare issue/stressor.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
National Healthcare Issue
The national healthcare issue that I chose to analyze is the nursing shortage. This impacts my work setting in a myriad of ways. According to Buerhaus (2021), there are two types of nursing shortages, background and national. When forces temporarily alter the supply or demand of nurses, a background nursing shortage develops. An example is when nurses go on maternity leave. These types of shortages usually resolve and are not permanent (Buerhaus, 2021). Conversely, national nursing shortages last longer, are more severe, involve many hospitals and affect quality, safety and costs, as well as access to care (Buerhaus, 2021). Between 50,000-150,00 unfilled RN positions have occurred within the past 60 years (Buerhaus, 2021). According to Park & Yu (2019), the nursing shortage is a worldwide trend and policy changes to secure and
supply quality nurses are continually being attempted.
Addressing Changes
My healthcare system work setting has responded to the nursing shortage in several ways. Wages have increased across the board for nurses to include sign on bonuses and bonuses for picking up critical unfilled shifts. Other incentives, such as unlimited paid time off (PTO), health and dental insurance, and $400 a month towards student loans. These benefits are very attractive to nurses who are employed by my recovery treatment center. Change in the workplace can be either first-order or second-order change. First-order change is within an existing structure and is reversible. Conversely, second-order change is transformational in that it requires new ways of doing and perceiving things as well as learning and is irreversible (Broome & Marshall, 2021).
References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E.S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Buerhaus, P. I. (2021). Current nursing shortages could have long-lasting consequences: Time to change our present course. Nursing Economics, 39(5), 247-250.
Park, H., & Yu, S. (2019). Effective policies for eliminating nursing workforce shortages: A systematic review. Health Policy and Technology, 8(3), 296–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2019.08.003
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A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
As we begin to explore our topic for Module 1/Week 1 “Reviewing Health Care Trends” take a moment to reflect on trends you’ve noticed that affect the work environments of care in which we provide patient care.
By Day 3 of Week 1: initial posting:
Post a description of the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for analysis, and explain how the healthcare issue/stressor may impact your work setting. Then, describe how your health system work setting has responded to the healthcare issue/stressor, including a description of what changes may have been implemented. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 1: peer responses postings (at least 2 responses on 2 different days)
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who chose a different national healthcare issue/stressor than you selected. Explain how their chosen national healthcare issue/stressor may also impact your work setting and what (if anything) is being done to address the national healthcare issue/stressor.
Discussions: Tips for Success:
For maximum point consideration, plan to include the following in your weekly Discussion responses:
Initial post: include at least 3 scholarly sources of evidence, cited within the body of your discussion & at the end of your posting. These are due by WEDNESDAY of each week.
Response posts: include at least 2 scholarly sources of evidence, cited within the body of your discussion responses & at the end of your posting. These are due by SATURDAY of each week.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the text-box for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
Looking forward to a great week in the Discussions during Week 1! As always, let me know if you have questions at anytime.
A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
COVD-19 pandemic currently has greatly impact Healthcare. According to the COVID-19 In December 2019, a pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China and has rapidly spread around the world since then.
Stressor to focus on
According to the COVID-19 surges have stressed hospital systems and negatively affected health care and public health infrastructures and national critical functions. Resource limitations, such as available hospital space, staffing, and supplies led some facilities to adopt crisis standards of care, the most extreme operating condition for hospitals, in which the focus of medical decision-making shifted from achieving the best outcomes for individual patients to addressing the immediate care needs of larger groups of patients. When hospitals deviated from conventional standards of care, many preventive and elective procedures were suspended, leading to the progression of serious conditions among some persons who would have benefitted from earlier diagnosis and intervention.
The conditions of hospital strain during July 2020–July 2021, which included the presence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, predicted that intensive care unit bed use at 75% capacity is associated with an estimated additional 12,000 excess deaths 2 weeks later. As hospitals exceed 100% ICU bed capacity, 80,000 excess deaths would be expected 2 weeks later.
According to Vahedian-Azimi, et al., (2017) stress has anegative impact on both nurses and patient outcomes; with a greater impact to those working in critical care areas. Hospitals reported a range of strategies to address their challenges and identified areas in which further government support could help as they continue responding to the pandemic. Broadly, the areas of government support included enhancing knowledge and guidance on the prevention and treatment COVID-19, including safe means to discharge patients with COVID-19; helping to fill gaps in hospital staffing, especially for nurses and certain specialists; continuing financial relief, especially to increase care to rural and underserved communities; and, encouraging widespread vaccinations to reduce the circulation of the virus.
Beyond the immediate needs in responding to COVID-19, the pulse survey documents hospitals’ perspectives about longer-term opportunities for improvement to address challenges that existed before, and were exacerbated by, the pandemic. These include reducing disparities in access to health care and in health outcomes; building and maintaining a more robust health care workforce; and strengthening the resiliency of our health care system to respond to pandemics and other public health emergencies and disasters.
Reducing Stress on Healthcare
According to the ANA The balance of safety and efficacy and the perception of personal risk versus overall benefit are at the core of acceptability of immunization practices. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks. ANA strongly recommends that registered nurses be vaccinated against COVID-19. All health care personnel (HCP), including registered nurses (RNs), should be vaccinated according to current recommendations for immunization of HCP by the CDC and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). ANA also believes that it is imperative for everyone to receive immunizations for vaccine-preventable diseases as vaccines are critical to infectious disease control and prevention. Moreover, nurses have a professional and ethical obligation to model the same health care standards they prescribe to their patients. There is now significant clinical evidence on the safety and effectiveness with approved COVID-19 vaccines being administered under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization process.
Annals of Internal Medicine stated We need to be more aggressive about respiratory hygiene and placing restrictions on patients, visitors, and health care workers with even mild symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. Potential policies to consider include the following: 1) screening all visitors for any respiratory symptoms that may be related to a virus, including fever, myalgias, pharyngitis, rhinorrhea, and cough, and excluding them from visiting until they are better; 2) restricting health care workers from working if they have any upper respiratory tract symptoms, even in the absence of fever; and 3) screening all patients, testing for all respiratory viruses (including SARS-CoV-2) in those with positive screening results regardless of illness severity, and using precautions (single rooms, contact precautions, droplet precautions, and eye protection) for patients with respiratory syndromes for the duration of their symptoms regardless of viral test results. A collateral benefit is that if a patient is subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19, staff who used these precautions will be considered minimally exposed and will be able to continue working.
Conclusion
Laureate education (2015) states, that one thing that individuals and leaders can do to be prepared for healthcare challenges of the future is to develop cultural competency, gain skills to view multiple perspectives, and develop greater understanding the survival side of any healthcare organization. Having Beyond the immediate needs in responding to COVID-19, the pulse survey documents hospitals’ perspectives about longer-term opportunities for improvement to address challenges that existed before, and were exacerbated by, the pandemic. These include reducing disparities in access to health care and in health outcomes; building and maintaining a more robust health care workforce; and strengthening the resiliency of our health care system to respond to pandemics and other public health emergencies and disasters.
References
ANA Board of Directors September 2020 www.NursingWorld.org/COVID19Vaccines/
Annals of Internal Medicine https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-0751
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Daily updates of totals by week and state. Retrieved June 2, 2020 from, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm
Vahedian-Azimi, A., Hajiesmaeili, M., Kangasniemi, M., Fornes-Vives, J., Hunsucker, R. L., Rahimibashar, F., … Miller, A. C. (2017). Effects of Stress on Critical Care Nurses: A National Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, 34(4), 311–322. doi: 10.1177/0885066617696853
A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Great post Ayeshia. Coronavirus COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. It was first discovered in China and within 4month spread worldwide with over 3.5million confirmed cases as of May,2020. COVID 19 is an infectious disease that is transmitted through droplet of saliva or nasal discharge from person -to-person contact. (WHO,2021). The Virus can remain dormant in a host carrier for up to 14days, making a contagious for weeks without showing symptoms. This created a situation where mass quarantine was implemented to stop the spread of the virus. COVID-19 affects individuals of all ages and those with preexisting conditions like respiratory, heart disease and diabetes. Covid 19 as a current national healthcare affected most healthcare with unsafe level of nurse staffing. It has impacted my work setting whereby nurses are having huge workloads to contend with because of the increasing volume of patients who are seeking health care services leading to shortage of nurses and the increasing volume of patient’s ratio to nurses which in turn lead to burnout among nurses and high staffing turnover (Scibilia et al, 2022). In my workplace, staffing shortage negatively impacts the quality of nursing outcomes and jeopardizes patients’ safety. A nurse suffering from burnout is likely to cause medication errors, which puts the life of patients at great risk.
Such nurses are also likely to be less productive. Staffing shortage forces nurses to work for longer periods. This means that they will not have adequate time to think about new ideas and integrate evidence into their practice. The nurses, therefore, become less creative (Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2022). Within the health care organization where I work, we have numerous solutions to the shortage of nurse staffing. First, the organization set aside funds to employ and train more staff to help bridge the shortage of nurses. The organization gives a very attractive salary package/ incentives to nurses. This has helped to promote retention. They hire more nurses through contracts with nursing agencies, travel nurses and this has helped to immediately replace those who are retiring or leaving for other assignments. The organization created flexible scheduling of nurses, which has enabled most of us to juggle our busy schedules. This reduces stress and the emotional demands associated with the profession.
References
Ravens-Sieberer, U., Kaman, A., Erhart, M., Devine, J., Schlack, R., & Otto, C. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(6), 879–889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01726-5
Scibilia, S. J., Gendreau, S. K., Towbin, R. T., & Happ, M. B. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 on Patient-Provider Communication in Critical Care: Case Reports. Critical Care Nurse, 45(4), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2022405
A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
I enjoyed the information that you posted. I agree that COVID has caused much strain on the hospitals. There should be things in place that help with the stress COVID has caused, especially regarding staffing. Some background information, I currently work weekend options at the hospital. The weekend people are only allowed three call-ins before they lose the weekend incentive. I believe this causes nurses who work those shifts less likely to call off when they have respiratory symptoms. They may not be able to, or they may be saving their call-ins for something else. People do not constantly get tested for COVID and do not always have the “classic symptoms.” I believe that is why I got COVID this week.
That said, as long as you test through employee health, the quarantine does not count against you. Nurses who test positive through employee health get seven days of quarantine. As long as they no longer have a fever without medication and do not have any fatigue after those seven days are allowed to come back to work. We isolate our patients longer than we isolate our nurses.
Your post is detailed and well-articulated. It is true that the emergence of the Corona Virus negatively affected many health care organizations. Facilities faced patient surges, challenges with staff shortages, and a lack of sufficient resources and infrastructure to cater to the crisis. The staff members were exposed to the COVID-19 virus due to hospitals’ lack of personal protective equipment, and the pandemic adversely affected their mental health. Muller et al. (2020) Conducted a study and discovered that healthcare workers were at significant risk of facing adverse mental health complications for caring for patients diagnosed with the Corona Virus. Korkmaz et al. (2020) conducted a research study, revealing that medical practitioners had high chances of developing mental health complications such as lack of sleep and anxiety, among others.
My organization was also majorly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we are still recovering from our challenges. The facility faced the challenge of staff shortage, and the available staff experienced burnout, exhaustion, and their mental well-being was also affected. The staff shortages affected the facility’s ability to dispense care to other patients. Additionally, the health care organization experienced financial challenges due to the increased expenses related to responding to the public health crisis. However, the organization’s management team outlined strategies to salvage the situation and plan for the future. A recruitment strategy was introduced, and there was a significant salary increase. The two fundamental strategies help the organization recruit more health workers, and the salary increment help retains healthy employees.
References
Korkmaz, S., Kazgan, A., Çekiç, S., Tartar, A. S., Balcı, H. N., & Atmaca, M. (2020). The anxiety levels, quality of sleep and life, and problem-solving skills in healthcare workers employed in COVID-19 services. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 80, 131–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.073
Muller, A. E., Hafstad, E. V., Himmels, J. P. W., Smedslund, G., Flottorp, S., Stensland, S. Ø., Stroobants, S., Van de Velde, S., & Vist, G. E. (2020). The mental health impact of the covid-19 pandemic on healthcare workers, and interventions to help them: A rapid systematic review. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113441
A Sample Answer 6 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
The resiliency of providers working in primary care is a significant issue facing healthcare, with provider burnout to the lack of new providers entering the workforce. With new Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial insurance, primary care providers are shifting from quantity to quality in healthcare-based payment. The new quality metrics are causing stress on an already overwhelming patient load in primary care and contributing to provider burnout. (Adler et al., 2018) Working as an RN Clinical Supervisor in primary care, the workforce’s resiliency has decreased as providers strive to meet quality performance but also see and treat acute illness during a pandemic. In the last year, four providers have either left to treat only acute patients in Urgent Care Centers, or others have moved to specialty care as Advance Practice Nurses (APNs). The strain and resilience of the impacts of retention with shortages in nurses in primary care and lack of certified medical assistants (CMAs). (Marshall & Broome, 2021, p. 69) Along with restraints placed on APNs practicing with their autonomy instead of regulations of an overseeing physician. In North Carolina, Nurse Practitioners can only practice under contract with a Medical Doctor. These cause provider resiliency and workforce shortages and impact recruitment and the workforce. (Marshall & Broome, 2021)
Leaders within my organization are using tools to mitigate provider burnout by teaching how to effectively use the electronic health record EHR to improve the quality of care and document the interventions being used. A CMA academy has been designed within the organization to increase the workforce within primary care and to train CMAs to start provider notes and to practice to the top of their certifications. At the same time, nurses are allowed to practice at the top of their license. Incentives are in place for Bachelor prepared nurses to return to school with tuition reimbursement incentives to further education to allow them to broaden their practice. Growing the ranks of advanced practice nurses and allowing them to practice side by side as partners with providers can enable the implications to help the physicians in the process and relieve strain and burnout. (Auerbach et al., 2018) This year within our organization, an extra forty hours of paid time off was given to help reduce burnout. Free counseling is offered to employees experiencing any strain, stress, or behavioral health issues.
Quality of care improves when resiliency in the workforce improves, productivity improves, effectiveness and safety, and patient
outcomes.
References
Adler, R. N., Hamdan, S., Scanlon, C., & Altman, W. (2018). Quality measures: How to get them right. Family Practice Management, 25(4), 23–28.
Auerbach, D. I., Staiger, D. O., & Buerhaus, P. I. (2018). Growing ranks of advanced practice clinicians — implications for the physician workforce. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(25), 2358–2360. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp1801869
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company LLC.
A Sample Answer 7 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
There are many different issues facing healthcare today. These issues often lead to the adjustment in the healthcare processes as well as the approaches that need to be undertaken to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery and efficient outcomes. Technology disruption is one of the main healthcare issues that is experienced by most healthcare institutions. With the increase in the use of different technologies, more healthcare institutions often face challenges associated with the complexities brought about by the computerized systems (Ford et al., 2017). Technological disruption is changing different aspects of future healthcare from the diagnosis processes to how patients are treated. The advanced technologies such as the artificial intelligence, 3D printing, Internet of Things are no longer sci-fi fantasy. In other words, these technological innovations are going to enter healthcare industry sooner. As a result, they will bring a lot of disruptions in the normal operational processes.
Technological disruption is more likely to impact different healthcare settings. In my case, technological disruption may enhance the diagnosis and treatment processes. In most cases, there are always problems encountered by both patients and healthcare professionals in the management of different patients (Herrmann et al., 2018). For instance, medication error is one of the main issue that can be solved by the technological innovations. Further, technological disruption is more likely to render many healthcare professionals jobless. For example, with the incorporation of the artificial intelligence in the healthcare system, most of the healthcare activities will be undertaken by the computerized programs in a more accurate fashion. Technological innovation/disruption may enhance quality delivery and facilitate patient’s safety in different healthcare processes.
My organization has responded to the issue of technological innovation through the reorganization of the work environment as well as working approaches to ensure the realization of quality outcomes. Further, in my healthcare institution, there are training processes to ensure that healthcare professionals understand different aspect of this healthcare issue and how to enhance the implementation processes.
References
Ford, G., Compton, M., Millett, G., & Tzortzis, A. (2017). The role of digital disruption in healthcare service innovation. In Service business model innovation in healthcare and hospital management (pp. 57-70). Springer, Cham. https://doi/10.1007/978-3-319-46412-1_4
Herrmann, M., Boehme, P., Mondritzki, T., Ehlers, J. P., Kavadias, S., & Truebel, H. (2018). Digital transformation and disruption of the health care sector: internet-based observational study. Journal of medical internet research, 20(3), e104. https//doi/org/2018/3/e104/
A Sample Answer 8 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
The perennial nursing shortage is a national healthcare issue of concern. Statistics at national and international levels show that the shortage of healthcare worker (HCWs) is profound and affects effective and quality service delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that the nursing shortage could hit 12.9 million by 2035 (Marc et al., 2018). Nursing shortage creates unsafe working environment and increases fatigue, high turnover rates, and make nurses susceptible to medication administration errors. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation as the demand for healthcare services has increased, leading to more strain and burden on nurses, especially those working in critical care settings and others with elderly patient populations with chronic and terminal conditions.
Nursing shortage has impacted my work setting negatively as we enhance efforts to provide care to a patient diversity coming to the facility. Low staff retention, reduced levels of patient’s satisfaction, and a rise in hospital acquired infections are some of the negative effects of nursing shortage in our facility. When patient workload exceeds the available shift nurses, patients experience low levels of satisfaction. Unsafe staffing ratios contribute to burnout and high turnover rates (Alenezi et al., 2018). Further, increased length of stay happens due to higher nurse-to-patient ratios lead to more complications and a rise of hospital acquired infections.
Many healthcare settings are struggling in responding to nursing shortage because of the few options available (Marshall & Broome, 2017). Our facility is now leveraging technologies like telehealth to enhance access and quality for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension who require constant monitoring. While studies show that nursing supply may exceed demand in the near future, using technologies and innovative models like increased training and flexibility can help organizations mitigate the adverse effects of nursing shortage.
References
Alenezi, A. M., Aboshaiqah, A., & Baker, O. (2018). Work‐related stress among nursing staff
working in government hospitals and primary health care centers. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 24(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12676
Marc, M., Bartosiewicz, A., Burzynska, J., Chmiel, Z., & Januszewicz, P. (2018). A
nursing shortage – a prospect of global and local policies. International Nursing Review, 66(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12473.
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. E. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer
A Sample Answer 8 For the Assignment: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Title: NURS 6053 Discussion – Week 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES
Global healthcare systems are facing unprecedented times and uncertain future based on the current situation of Covid-19 pandemic. This has prompted quick adoption of technology in healthcare systems from booking of appointments to billing. Therefore, I believe one of the major current healthcare issues is on technology disruption. Much questions have been raised on the big data usage, incorporation of telehealth, synchronization of the national health data systems and on the confidentiality and security of the patient’s health records as cases of cybersecurity have soared with increased adoption of information technology in healthcare (Sittig et al., 2018).
Big data in healthcare systems refers to the accumulation of large sets of digital information about the patients’ biodata, medical history, clinical interventions, current and past medical concerns of the patients. This data is accumulated overtime rather than that which is received in small amounts and not stored for future references (Thew, 2016). This prompts the healthcare nurse informatics to employ the use of data analytics and data mining tools so that they can extract meaningful patterns, study the correlation and develop predictions (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018). Use big data has proved to be essential in healthcare management especially when analyzed and used to inform critical decision-making points and even guide future evidence-based change projects (Byrd et al, 2018). This information is used by managers and administrators to identify patterns and areas of strength and weakness within the system and help plan in resource allocation.
However, big data faces one of the greatest security challenges especially on the confidentiality of the patient’s information. Cases of cyber insecurity have been rising since most healthcare facilities and organizations adopted use of technology to manage the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The patient’s confidential data may be easily accessed if the systems security checks are not well enforced. In some of the online platforms like Amazon, for online shopping, the systems put in adequate security checks and user authentication and verification steps. The breech of patient’s confidential medical information could have adverse effects on the healthcare facility or organization hence incur a lot of expenses in terms of compensation and in the end the reputation of the organization will also be severely damaged.
Therefore, it is imperative for healthcare organizations and systems that procure any digital platform for managing healthcare records to invest heavily on ensuring the system is safe and secure from cyber security threats and phishing on patient’s data (Bibhuranjan, 2019). Moreover, there is need to improve the software technology to develop systems that are less susceptible to hacking. It is also essential to ensure that patients are well educated on ways of safely using the digital platforms and there should be readily accessible customer care agent to help patient’s carry out proper verification and maintain safety of their data.
Increased usage of digital platforms and information technology poses another safety threat to the patients as they are likely to seek for medical advice from online blogs and unverified media sources that could be misleading to the patients. This information collected on such blogs has no scientifically proven or evidence-based data to support the claims or the medical advice offered. Moreover, the information could be provided by individuals who have no professional training in the areas that they are providing the medical information. There has been rapid increase in blogs from unregistered dietician and fitness coaches whose methods are not scientifically viable to rely on as professional medical procedures. Many patients have fallen prey to such misleading information that even sometimes discourages the use of conventional medication and clinical intervention measures (Young, 2016).
In conclusion, it is imperative for the federal and state government to come up with strict measures, laws and policies that govern the use of information technology in healthcare. The guidelines should be clear and the regulations must be standardized to enhance security of the patients’ data and also safeguard them from unverified and unethical practices and information availed to them on social media platforms. Any digital platforms or media engaging in medical or clinical information must have passed the licensure criteria that would be guided by strict conformity to the ethical issues in healthcare and meets the set standards.
References
Bibhuranjan. (2019). Big data analytics – How beneficial is it for healthcare? Technofaq. https://technofaq.org/posts/2019/05/big-data-analytics-how-beneficial-is-it-for-healthcare/#:~:text=%20Big%20Data%20Analytics-%20Benefits%20in%20the%20Healthcare,is%20very%20important%20for%20any%20organization…%20More
Byrd, T.A., Kung, L., & Wang, Y. (2018). Big data analytics: Understanding its capabilities and potential benefits for healthcare organizations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 126(1), 3-13. doi:10. 1016/j.techfore.2015.12.019
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sittig, D. F., Wright, A., Coiera, E., Magrabi, F., Ratwani, R., Bates, D. W., & Singh, H. (2018). Current challenges in health information technology–related patient safety. Health Informatics Journal, 26(1), 146045821881489. https://doi.org/10.1177/1460458218814893
Thew, J. (2016). Big data means big potential, changes for nurse execs. HealthLeaders. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/nursing/big-data-means-big-potential-challenges-nurse-execs
Young, A. (2016). The pros and cons of big data in the healthcare industry. HealthCareZone. https://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2016/11/18/427248-pros-cons-big-data-the-healthcare-industry.htm
Grading Rubric Guidelines
| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. |
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| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Application of Course Knowledge –
Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
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| Performance Category | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Interactive Dialogue
Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) |
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Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. |
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| Minus 1 Point | Minus 2 Point | Minus 3 Point | Minus 4 Point | Minus 5 Point | |
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition |
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| Total Participation Requirements
per discussion thread |
The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. | The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days | |||
| Early Participation Requirement
per discussion thread |
The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. | The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT. |