Safety Concerns and Employee Morale
Charity Connealy HLT 308VGrand Canyon University:9
Introduction
We will be discussing safety concerns and employee morale and how they go together. Safety goes so much farther than practice concerns; being short staffed, abusive patients, can lead to not only clinical safety but can lead to patient safety concerns; clinical errors, overworked staff due to being short staffed. Having a clinical staff that is overworked not only can cause clinical errors but can also lead to employee morale being down and high turnover.
Objectives
1. Safety Concerns in a healthcare setting A. Short staff B. Abusive patients2. Patient Safety A. Clinical errors B. Overworked staff3. Employee Moral A. Appreciation B. Monetary Rewards
Rationale
Some key employee safety concerns can be broken down to short staff and abusive patients. Which opens the doors to increased issues such as clinical errors, patient safety concerns, employee morale decreasing.Patient Safety can and will become a concern with short staffed clinics and facilities because it can lead to clinical errors. Employee Moral will decline due to overworked staff and increased amount of clinical errors puts patients and staff in harm’s way. With decreased employee morale
Supportive Data
Safety Concerns in a healthcare settingShort staffAbusive Patients Patient SafetyClinical ErrorsOverworked StaffEmployee MoralAppreciationMonetary Rewards
Safety Concerns in healthcare settings
SHORT STAFFEDResearch shoed that working nurses short staffed puts patient safety at riskCutting nursing staff leads to heavier workloadsQuality of care decreases when nurses are working understaffedABUSIVE PATIENTSHealthcare has 45% of all nonfatal assaults against workers (Hughes, 2018).In nursing homes and personal care facilities there is 31.1 per 10,000 vs 2.8 per 10,000 in private sector (Hughes, 2018).
Patient Safety
CLINICAL ERRORSMost common nursing errors are patient falls, infections, medication errors, documenting errors, and equipment injuries (Delamont, 2013). Failure to communicate is the usually cause of these errorsOther causes include: clarifying orders, inadequate staffing, overworked nurses due to overtime shifts (Delamont, 2013).
Patient Safety Continued
OVERWORKED STAFFWhen nurses worked understaffed risk of errors increase from 8% to 32% (Knowels, 2018).Risk of patient mortality is increased by 43% (Knowels, 2018).When nurses are working at optimal capacity this risk decreases by 25% (Knowels, 2018).
Employee Moral
APPRECIATIONMoral must be put at a high priority for organizations to have successful and positive patient outcomes (Larson, 2017). Nurses that are “happy” with their workplace experience greater productivity and lower turnover (Larson, 2017).MONETARY REWARDSSign on bonuses to ensure a nurse stays with an organization help to lower turnover rate (Abduljawad & Al-Assaf, 2011).Incentives for better performance have shown positive results in some studies (Abduljawad & Al-Assaf, 2011).
Creating Ideas and Implementation
Creating IdeasPositive ThinkingStructural ProcessesImplementationEducation & Recommendations
Education
Quizzes and TestsMandatory ModulesTraining
Communication
AppreciationUnderstandingRespectFocus
Employee Safety
Morale
AcknowledgmentSay Thank YouAccountability & DisciplineFairnessConfidence
Nursing Workload and Patient Safety
increased demand for nurses inadequate supply of nurses reduced staffing and increased overtimeStaff moral
Address the situation as soon as it happensTell the patient that you do not like the way you are being treatedAsk if you have offended themWalk awayCall security
Appreciation
RewardTell themAcknowledge a job well done
Conclusion
Evaluate strategies before you actDon’t overwork the nursesYou don’t have to tolerate abuseAppreciate the staff you haveThank God that you have a job
Challenges and Opportunities to Safety Concerns
Patient Safety vs Cost of EmployeesShort Staffing and high workloads lead to:InfectionsTurnoversCommitting ErrorsBurnoutDeath
Challenges and Opportunities to Abusive Patients
Healthcare workers report an average of 6 violent incidents in a 18 month period (Vogel, 2016)Verbal, emotional, and physical abuse should not be expected as a nurseCurrent mentality of blaming the Nurse for being abusedInappropriate behaviors need to be addressedPrevention and support need to be integrated for staff
Affects of Low Morale in the Workplace
Annually, 12 – 34% Nursing turnover rate which affects quality of care (Dewanto & Wardhani, 2018)Factors that affect MoraleUnsafe working conditionsHard work going unrecognized and unrewardedFeeling unsafeComplaint of co-workersPatients become unsatisfied with services being providedNursing management are tasked with shortages, complaints, rebuilding teamworkHospitals have disruption in services leading to decreased revenue
Addressing Morale in the Workplace
Prevent and minimalize turnover rate by establishing a healthy work environmentEquip staff to perform their dutiesEncourage teamworkSeek non-punitive measures when errors occur to help staff developPrioritize staff by investing into them early
Significance of Education on Patient Safety
Thorough new employee educationContinued education via in-servicesHands-on classroom educationPrevents workplace injuries such as needle sticksHelp nurses assume leadership abilitiesPractice safe techniques with Evidence-Based Practice guidelines
References
Abduljawad, A., & Al-Assaf, A. F. (2011, May). Incentives for better performance in health care. Retrieved July 13, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3121024/Carayon P, Gurses AP. Nursing Workload and Patient Safety—A Human Factors Engineering Perspective. In: Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008 Apr. Chapter 30. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2657/ Delamont, A. (2013). How to avoid the top seven nursing errors. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 11(2), 8-10. doi:10.1097/01.nme.0000426302.88109.4eDewanto, Aryo and Wardhani, Viera. (2018). Nurse Turnover and Perceived Causes and Consequences: A Preliminary Study at Private Hospitals in Indonesia. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6299511/Education and Training. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/education-training.htmlFidel, A. (2019) Seven Great Ways to Boost Your Teams Morale. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/7-great-ways-to-boost-your-teams-moralehttps://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/3-ways-your-hospital-can-overcome-nursing-shortage
References
Hughes, R. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. S.l.: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).Kavaler, F., and Alexander, R. (2014). Risk Management in Health Care Institutions. Third Edition. Retrieved from https://viewer.gcu.edu/PPQFVXKnowles, M. (2018, May 4). Study: Overworked nurses may be linked to 40% increase in risk of patient death. When nurses’ workload exceed. Retrieved July 13, 2019, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/study-overworked-nurses-may-be-linked-to-40-increase-in-risk-of-patient-death.htmlLarson, J. (2017, February 17). The link between staff morale and patient care, and how predictive analytics can help: Healthcare leaders have put an emphasis on having the right workplace ‘culture’ in recent years, as organizations have made the connection that having the right people in the right places is their most valuable resource. Retrieved July 13, 2019, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/the-link-between-staff-morale-and-patient-care-and-how-predictive-analytics-can-help.html
References
Lee, A., Cheung, Y., Joynt, G., Leung, C., Wong, W and Gomersall, C. (2017). Are High Nurse Workload/Staffing Ratios Associated with Decreased Survival in Critically Ill Patients? A Cohort Study. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413463/Vogel, Lauren. (2016). Abusive Patients: Is it time for Accountability? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4978588/Ways on How to deal with verbally abusive patients. (2017, January 18). Retrieved July 10, 2019, from https://nurseslabs.com/4-ways-deal-verbally-abusive-parients/
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