Nursing Leadership and Change Medicine Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

Nursing Leadership and Change
Author
Institution
Lack of transparency
Introduction
Credible service delivery in our healthcare facilities is being hindered by the lack of transparency. Lack of transparency may come in various ways such as overpriced medicine, the cost of equipment (machines, gloves, syringe, and bandages) and exaggerated medical bills. It has become an issue since more patients and nurses are being affected in one way or another. According to CITATION Edw17 \l 1033 (Winkfield, 2017), the government has spent 1.9 trillion on healthcare delivery which is 16% of the GDP. However, most of this money is lost through corruption. Usually, corrupt officials opt to go for cheap equipment and pocket the rest of the money, an illustration of the lack of transparency. Most of these equipment's purchased in such manner normally malfunction leading to loss of life in unclear circumstances. If no proper investigation is carried out the nurses are the ones who are persecuted for these errors. This paper discusses the problem of lack of transparency and how effectively change can be set in.
A health care facility, if not properly managed, can destroy life instead of saving a life. In order to achieve high delivery services in a healthcare facility, transparency is very essential. This is because most transactions in a health institution are carried out by the procurement and finance. The management should be provided with the receipts of transactions and be keen on the transactions CITATION Bri04 \l 1033 (Brinkerhoff, 2004). This way, it will be able to monitor the quality and amount of resources spent to purchase the equipment. In addition, it is important for the management to know the price tags of most medical equipment and machine for them to detect any case of fraud. Besides quality assurance is very essential in a health care facility. Before a facility is put in place it is supposed to be thoroughly scrutinized. Any mistake either in machines or equipment can be dangerous to both nurses and patients
First of all, the management unit needs to be informed on what conspires after an equipment or a medicine is bought from the market to the hospital. They need to know the current market prices and best products in the market. Secondly, they need to create a clear platform for communication between doctors, nurses, and management. This can be helpful in closing that gap of lack of trust among employees and employers so that any loophole spotted somewhere can be addressed before getting to a level which cannot be remedied. Thirdly, putting up forums for communicating issues with the senior officials is paramount. This can be through meetings probably once in a week. In addition, all employees should be kept posted on equipment bought and their ideas should be accepted. Finally, with such a plan in place, all the transactions taking place in any health care facility are well managed and transparent.
There are several strategies to be put in place to prevent overpricing of medical services. First, there is need to change the mode of payment by patients. Paying through cash patients could be overcharged by cashier which end up in their personal pockets. Secondly, patients need to insured to prevent them from being manipulated. If a patient is insured the insurance company will cover up the medical bills required in the hospital. This mode of payment is procedural and any price quoted must be clearly accounted for before the funds are released. Thirdly, nurses should be motivated. Sometimes their work entails overtime. The number of patients can increase any time making nurses work overtime. In such situations, the nurses should be motivated. Introduction of such programs will improve transparency and encourage effective delivery of services by nurses
The essential elements to be put in place include communication forums, disciplinary committee and financial advisers to the management. Communication forums are platforms where employees speak out their mind and their leaders address it accordingly. The communication forums could be through newsletters, notice boards, and meetings. Issues facing nurses can be addressed here. For instance in a place whereby nurses could be involved in defrauding patients to get an extra income could be addressed and an immediate solution sought. Additionally, a disciplinary community should be put in place to fight any form of corruption within the institution. It should investigate the products purchased where they were purchased and their quality. It will prevent the entry of fake equipment and enhance the high level of transparency. Lastly, the management should hire a team of finance advisors. They main role is to study the market analyze the best price and recommend the purchase of those goods. It is of great significance that the funds of the healthcare facility are accounted for since it has been discovered that pens are the most expensive commodities on doctor’s hands.
In any organization, a chain of command is essential. For nurses grievances to be heard they must be organized as one body. They need a platform for discussion of their grievances. Anytime a low-quality glove is bought, surgical mask and hair cap are bought nurses are the people who are affected. They are exposed to life-threatening diseases if the quality of the facilities bought is not considered. Therefore, to control and prevent this leadership is essential. It is through their leaders that they can be heard as one voice and appropriate actions taken. Nevertheless, with a well-organized leadership structures communication is efficient and appropriate. Any issue present in the facility can be identified, communicated and dealt with appropriately. In most cases, most issues are not aired out because of lack of clear leadership in nurses’ organization. A nurse can be compelled to use a facility of low quality because there is no proper channel of communication or for fear of the management. If there is leadership the issue can be addressed to the leaders and then presented to the management board.
According to CITATION Her15 \l 1033 (Herm-Barabasz, 2015), intra-professional collaboration and communication, is whereby a group of professionals with the same qualification work together for a similar result under different roles in patient care. For example, a group of three nurses taking care of the same patient until he heals. Communication and collaboration are essential for a healthcare to be safe. In order for effective services to be offered in a medical institution, intra-professionals need to work together and...