Application of System Theory

 

Introduction

            The health care system comprises of the energic input and output system which highly depends on the enabling factors to ensure that, the maximum production (output) is achieved. This enabling factors ensures that there is a continuous flow of the necessary inputs to sustain the production and the inputs are in good use and in collaboration with the human resources to yield the best outcome desired by the organization (McEwen & Wills, 2017). It is the work of the organization to realize any challenge that may interfere with the output and do the necessary intervention to correct the problem.

Health care organization unit

            A unit in the health care organization is made up of the inputs which can be described as the characteristics of the care providers, such as the nurses, the recipients of the care and others present in the unit. The care recipients characteristics are for example the demographic data of the patients such as the age, occupation, gender and ethnicity and their health status such as the physiological and psychological state (McEwen & Wills, 2017). It also includes their medical condition, the resources that they have and also the nursing conditions which then require them to be taken care of by the nurses in the area of work.

             Input in the unit can be described in terms of the characteristics of those working in the unit such as the nurses, and this involves profession aspects which describes the experience of the nurse, level of education, their areas of specialization, the licensure and the employment status. It can also include their demographic data such as the age and gender which are a significant factor in the human inputs. The other contributions in the units are the availability of enough materials which are the equipment and supplies in the unit, the budget allocation by the administration and information which are the communications occurring in the unit including the introduction of new technologies to the unit.

            The organizational unit also has the throughput which describes the energies available in the system that can be transformed through reorganization of the inputs. The production subsystem which includes the work of the nurses is usually affected by the nature of the work done by the nurses and the work condition (McEwen & Wills, 2017). The nurses work in the provision of care in the unit, can be done through collaborative interventions or can be done through individual intervention depending on the clinical judgment and the knowledge of the nurse in managing the condition.

            Care delivery in the unit can also be practiced through division and control of the nurses work by the management. Management has the authority to make decisions on the care delivery model to be used for example the primary care model, the size and also the staffing practices of the organization. The care model chosen by the organization gives direction on how the nursing activities will be delivered to the clients and even how it is coordinated in the groups.

             Output in the health care unit is the outcomes that result from the work done by the nurses and the influence of the environment. The performance of the nurses is what is considered as input. The clinical results relating to the nursing care can be categorized into the clinical status outcomes which involve the management of the patient clinical manifestation and prevention of complications that may result due to the condition. There is also the functional outcome which deals with the physical and psychological functioning of the patient and the patient self-care abilities. The care recipient’s views on the nursing care they received while in the unit is also one of the outcomes and is referred to as the valuation outcome.

            The nursing process arises from time to time depending on the need of the patient, and therefore, the nursing services have to be continuous to ensure that that delivery and nursing management of the patients is done without delay (Masters, 2018). To maintain this, the resources which are generated from the nursing care services are used to acquire materials and all other resources needed to allow continuous flow of services to the clients, thus describing the cycle of events that occur in the unit

The problem in the health care unit

            There is a challenge in staffing in the unit which has resulted from an increase in the number of clients seeking services in the unit. This has led to an increase in the work done by the nurses and has also reduced patient flow causing crowding in the unit (McHugh et al., 2016). It is therefore essential to solve this issue to ensure that there are enough workers to offer services to the clients. This is a problem with the input and will affect the output if it is not addressed earlier.

Solution

             The solution to inadequate staffing is the hiring of more stuff. The outcome for the health care unit should be to promote proper delivery of care and also satisfaction to the clients and even to the nurses providing the care, it will also solve the problems that may arise due to inadequate staff such as incidences of adverse events, mortality and poor attendance to the client needs (McHugh et al., 2016). Staff satisfaction and reduction of workload which can be achieved from the hiring of enough staff will also reduce the chances of absenteeism and injuries that may arise from the increased workload.

Recruitment of more nurses and other staff to facilitate the delivery of services to the client to enable the health facility to meet the demand of the service. Division of labor is also necessary to reduce the chance of confusion because everyone knows what they are supposed to do at a particular time. The purpose of the changes is to ensure that delivery of service to the clients is continuous and of high quality. It is also to increase the service capacity which will then boost client satisfaction.

To address the problem, the organization should make sure at all time and at no time that, there will be a shortage of staff delivering care at any unit in the hospital. There should also be increase in the amount allocated in the budget to ensure the increase in demand for services in the unit does not result in a shortage of equipment or supplies (McHugh et al., 2016). It should also ensure that resources required in the units are available at all times when needed, including human support.

Professional standards

Professional standards are necessary to ensure quality delivery of care to the clients. Before the delivery of care to the clients, it is essential to assess the client and use the data to give the diagnosis after doing a proper analysis. Giving proper diagnosis to the client is the most important thing before initiating any treatment.

Furthermore, planning of care in advance and implementation of the care on time is also necessary because it is the right of a client to receive care and treatment without delay. It is also essential to ensure that the client is taken as a priority in the delivery of care ensuring that the codes of conduct and ethics are respected at all time (Masters, 2018). For example maintaining confidentiality and the nursing principle such as the autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. It is also good to collaborate with the relatives in the provision of care and integration of evidence-based practice during the care delivery.

 

How the solution uphold the institutional mission and values

The hiring of more staff to meet the demand of the services will enable the health care unit to have a continuous flow of services and of good quality. It will satisfy both the customers and the staff delivering care. This will act as a motivation to staff, and the clients will develop trust with the institution due to the quality delivery of the services they require. In the long run, the flow of customers will be more, and this will enable the institution to have enough resources to invest in better services and quality improvements in other areas. It will also foster the values of the institution to offer services with respect and fair to all.

Summary

Delivery of care in a health care unit, requires the collaboration of different factors which can range from the inputs, throughputs, output and the circle of events to make it continuous and facilitate good delivery of care. Challenges in the unit might also arise which must be intervened before it causes more harm to the institution. Finally, delivery of care requires the maintenance of high professional standards to promote a good relationship between the clients and ensure effective care delivery.

 

 

                                                                     References

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2017). Theoretical basis for nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Masters, K. (2018). Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

McHugh, M. D., Rochman, M. F., Sloane, D. M., Berg, R. A., Mancini, M. E., Nadkarni, V. M., ... & American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation Investigators. (2016). Better nurse staffing and nurse work environments associated with increased survival of in-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Medical care, 54(1), 74.