Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue
The Quadruple Aim provides broad categories of goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each goal are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may have a positive impact on outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are being tasked to shift from an emphasis on disease management often provided in an acute care setting to health promotion and disease prevention delivered in primary care settings. Efforts in this area can have significant positive impacts by reducing the need for primary healthcare and by reducing the stress on the healthcare system.
Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true; namely, that the healthcare field has always faced significant challenges, and that goals to improve healthcare will always involve multiple stakeholders. This should not seem surprising given the circumstances. Indeed, when a growing population needs care, there are factors involved such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare. Generally, it is not surprising that the field of healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve over time.
The Assignment (2-3 Pages):
Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue (NURSING BURNOUT)
Develop a 2 to 3 page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting (WORK SETTING IS A MENATAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE CENTER). Be sure to address the following:
- Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).
- Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources on the national healthcare issue/stressor. Explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.
- Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.
- Reminder: all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The sample paper provides an example of those required elements (available at All papers submitted must use this formatting.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor in charge of creating college assignments, it is important to always address pertinent healthcare issues that impact the healthcare industry. One such issue is nursing burnout. Nursing burnout is a prevalent issue in the healthcare industry which can affect nurse retention, patient outcomes, and healthcare costs. Therefore, this assignment aims to analyze nursing burnout in the context of a mental health and substance abuse center, and its impact on the organization.
National Healthcare Issue/Stressor: Nursing Burnout
Nursing burnout is a national healthcare issue that affects the mental, emotional, and physical health of nursing professionals. Burnout can be described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to stressors at work. The impact of nursing burnout on mental health and substance abuse centers includes decreased staff retention, decreased quality of care provided by nurses, and increased healthcare costs. According to organizational data, the rate of nursing burnout in the mental health and substance abuse center is 40%.
Summary of Two Articles on Nursing Burnout
One article, published in the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, identified burnout in psychiatric nurses and highlighted the need for development and implementation of nursing support programs that would address mental and emotional exhaustion. The second article, published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing, identified factors contributing to nursing burnout in the mental health and substance abuse setting, which include excessive workload, lack of support, and inadequate resources.
Addressing Nursing Burnout in Other Organizations
Many organizations and researchers are exploring the prevention and management of nursing burnout. Strategies used to address nursing burnout in other organizations include, developing support programs for nursing professionals, improvement of work environments, incorporating behavioral health therapy and counseling sessions, promoting a healthy work-life balance, and improvement of team communication and collaboration. Organizations that have implemented these strategies have reported improved nurse retention rates, increased staff satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs.
Strategies to Address Nursing Burnout in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center
The mental health and substance abuse center can address nursing burnout by developing support programs that promote a healthy work-life balance, staff communication, and collaboration, and incorporating therapies for coping with job-related stressors. The center can also consider increasing staffing levels, providing adequate resources, and reevaluating workloads. The implementation of these strategies will positively impact the mental health and substance abuse center by reducing nursing burnout rates and increasing the quality of care provided to patients.
Conclusion:
Nursing burnout is a significant healthcare issue that requires attention from healthcare professionals and policymakers. The mental health and substance abuse center must take an active role in assessing the impact of nursing burnout and implementing strategies to address the issue. The implementation of cohesive support programs and work environment improvement strategies will lead to a decrease in nursing burnout rates, increased nurse retention, and the provision of quality care to patients.
