This article covers a sample solution about Critical Decision Making for Providers.
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Sample Question – Critical Decision Making for Providers
View the scenario called “Critical Decision Making for Providers” found in the Allied Health Community media (http://lc.gcumedia.com/hlt307v/allied-health-community/allied-health-community-v1.1.html). In a 750-1,200 word paper, describe the scenario involving Mike, the lab technician, and answer the following questions:
- What were the consequences of a failure to report?
- What impact did his decision have on patient safety, on the risk for litigation, on the organization’s quality metrics, and on the workload of other hospital departments?
- As Mike’s manager, what will you do to address the issue with him and ensure other staff members do not repeat the same mistakes?
A minimum of three academic references from credible sources are required for this assignment. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines.
Sample Answer – Critical Decision Making for Providers
The healthcare system is becoming increasingly complicated, resulting to an increase in responsibilities of various healthcare professionals including nurses and other specialists. As a result, healthcare professionals are required to develop critical decision making skills to enable them question various clinical related processes and come up with rational decisions. In conventional healthcare setting, the healthcare practitioners are normally required to follow up routines and comply with directions from supervisors, managers and departmental heads among others without question (Lunney, 2009). Current medical practice requires decision making and problem solving, and clinicians and other practitioners should apply critical thinking to evaluate all actions and procedures objectively to make sound judgments. This paper explores decision making in critical situations in healthcare settings, by exploring a case scenario involving Mike, a lab technician in a healthcare facility.
Mike, the lab technician in the healthcare facility is apparently running late to report to his work station, due to an accident that occurred on his way. Just on arrival in the workplace, he encountered a spill on floor in one of the lobbies within the facility. Having been previously warned by his supervisor that he risked losing his job for his consistent lateness, he was in dilemma on whether to report and address spillage or rush to his supervisor at the workstation. As a sole provider in his households he was in real need of the job to cater for his wife and his newborn. Slowing down to address the spillage would definitely result to him clocking late at his work station and place him at the risk of being fired. He also reasons that addressing the spill is not part of his job description and it would be cleaned anyway.
Failure to report and address the spillage could result to several implications. Spills on floors are important risks factors to falls, which could cause severe injuries and even death to patients and staff at the hospital facility (CDC, 2012). This could result to additional healthcare costs due to increased hospital stay, paying for the damages resulting from the negligent act and reduced productivity in the hospital, in situation where a member of staff in injured after falling. Additionally, it could result to a decline in the confidence and trust in the healthcare facility that the clients have on its ability to take care of their healthcare needs (CDC, 2012). In the case, Mikes’ failure to report the spill made a patient to fall in the lobby. The patient suffered a fractured hip as a result of the fall, resulting to intense pain and subsequent admission in the facility. The patient was disappointed at the hospital’s failure to have adequate safety precautions to prevent such incidents. Additionally, Mike, the lab technician suffered from guilt and was in dilemma on whether to admit to the supervisor on his failure to report the spill when he noticed it earlier in the morning.
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Mike’s failure to report therefore resulted to various consequences, attributable to inability of the organization to provide a safe environment for patients and staff. The spills on the floor compromised the patient’s safety in the hospital, by exposing them to the risk of falling. In this case, one patient fell and suffered a fractured hip. As a consequence, the healthcare facility faced the risk of litigation for damages arising from the injuries sustained by the patient during the fall. Additionally, the injured patient required specialized attention to address the fractured hip. Thus, failure to report increased the workload in the other hospital departments dealing with fractures, including radiological diagnostics, surgical operation and anesthesia departments in addition to departments dealing with caring for patients before and after undergoing surgical operations. Additionally, failure to address the spill exposed the members of staff in the healthcare facility to risk of falls, which cause disabling injuries, impacting their ability to work effectively. This could result to lost working days, a decline in productivity, costly worker compensation claims and low capability of the staff to take care of the needs of patients (CDC, 2012).
To prevent such as issue from occurring gain in the workplace, it is crucial as a manager create a favorable environment that promotes critical thinking among healthcare professionals in the workplace. A favorable environment enables the staff to have adequate time for deep reflection, creates a sense of security that they could learn from mistakes without fear of punishments and encourages every employee in the organization to ask question and consider various perspectives before arriving at a solution for a given problem (Karen & Peggy, 2014). In this case, it is important to establish a culture of open communication, which considers health and safety of patients and other members of staff as a collective and shared responsibility of all people within the organization. Additionally, it is important to provide well written housekeeping programs to all members of staff in the organization. The program should contain details on how to urgently contact the housekeeping department, when and how to apply wet floor signs and appropriate barriers (CDC, 2012).
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC)(2012). Slip, trip, and fall prevention for healthcare workers. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2011-123/pdfs/2011-123.pdf
Karen , L., & Peggy , W.(2014). Developing critical thinking skills in undergraduate nursing students: The potential for strategic management simulations. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 4(9): 155-164.
Lunney, M. (2009). Critical thinking to achieve positive health outcomes. Aimes, IA: Nanda International.
