Review of Current Healthcare Issues
The health care workforce in the United States is experiencing considerable pressure to perform and produce quality outcomes at a lower cost. Consequently, the country has implemented significant changes geared toward quality improvement. Although recent changes in the reimbursement process may be beneficial for patients by lowering the cost, they are detrimental to nurses leading to a relatively high level of stress and burnout.
Stress and burnout are a severe issue in the modern healthcare system in the United States. The intense nature of work usually places significant demands for health care leaders and the workforce, especially nurses (Marshall & Broome, 2017). Internal (requirements for quality and safety) and expert (regulatory) pressures increase the level of stress among nurses and other care providers.
Burnout and stress affect my work setting because of emotional exhaustion. Presenteeism has become common in the organization, affecting the health and well-being of nurses, and risking the safety of patients (Meyer, Li, Klaristenfeld, & Gold, 2015). For instance, when nurses are exhausted, they increase the risk of medical errors (Jacobs, McGovern, Heinmiller, & Drenkard, 2018). Therefore, leaders have implemented steps to address the issue.
The hospital administration initiated a health and wellness program at the hospital to address stress and burnout among health care providers. Providing such support has improved care outcomes for nurses and patients. It has reduced the number of medical errors, although more change is still necessary.
Stress and burnout remain some of the most critical challenges affecting the modern healthcare system in the United States. Internal and external pressures are at the core of the problem that requires an effective solution. Overall, nurse leaders should implement programs that focus on employees’ health and wellbeing.
