Critical Decision Making for Providers Sample Paper

Decision making forms a critical part of healthcare. Among the many qualities a healthcare provider is required of, decision making is outstanding. In day-to-day practice of nursing and medicine, healthcare providers come across various opportunities that test their ability to independently make decisions. The decisions made can either directly or indirectly impact patient outcomes. According to Leso, Fontana and Lavicoli (2018), the decision to remove or preserve an occupational health hazard in a working environment has impacts on the health of the workers. This is in unity with the case scenario described where Mike is faced with a conundrum of whether to report or ignore a spill on a doorstep, which ultimately causes a patient to fall in the lobby. The purpose of this writing is to discuss the impact of decision making on patient outcomes using the case scenario provided.

Risk Management

Due to idiosyncrasy, human beings have ability to make distinctive decisions. Each decision, however, is associated with specific risks. The first decision is to report the problem while risking clocking in late. Being that he had already been warned by his supervisor about late reporting, he risks being terminated. This would adversely affect his life and family as he is the sole provider for his wife and the newborn baby. The other decision is to ignore the spill and clock in to avoid facing termination. According to Almost et al. (2018), any unsafe acts or unsafe conditions are considered as hazards in a workplace. In this case, the spill causes a patient to fall, an incidence which could otherwise be avoided.

Mike decisions have an impact on both the patient and the procedural policies. First, the decision to report the spill would trigger a rapid response from the housekeeper to safeguard the place, hence preventing injuries. Contrarily, the decision to ignore the problem is associated with injuries to patients and colleagues. Procedural policies refer to how something is done or who is to act. Being that majority of the institutions emphasize on safety of the workplace, and obliges its own employees with the role, Mike would likely face termination should he be found to defy the policies. The legal considerations that exist in occupational health protect employees’ safety and health (Almost et al., 2018). The laws regulate specific aspects of the work environment such as working hours and occupational safety and health. In this case, occupational safety and health laws seem to protect the employee (Mike) more that it impacts the patient who is not a worker of the institution.

Risk Management and Leadership

In a recent discussion with his supervisor, Mike received a warning concerning risk of termination should he proceed with his late clocking in. Being that every institution puts emphasis on the importance of being responsible, it is in order that Mike reports the problem and inform the supervisor of the cause of late clocking in. As a good leader, the supervisor is therefore required to consider Mike’s situation and decide on the outcome. The other option, which included snubbing the problem and clocking in has been shown to have adverse repercussions. As a lab technician and a responsible employee, Mike has already acquired the professional competence required to perform his job. However, he needs constant education and training regarding occupational safety and health. The primary aim of the training is to inform the employee about existence and identification of potential health hazards in a work environment.

Additionally, the manager should inquire about Mike’s cause for constant clocking in. Hersona and Sidharta (2017) denote that employees deal with diverse situations in work and off-work that require the influence of their leaders. For example, Mike has a newborn baby and that might the reason for late reporting to work. Further, as part of ethical competence, an employee is required to make decisions and act on them, and to be responsible to take into account legal, social and economic consequences. If Mike did not report the spill, this would mean that he is not ethically competent and that confers professional incompetence. Additionally, Mike has a sound mind and can perform essential functions. According to most organizational constitutions, an employee is rendered incompetent in performing functions when he/she is medically proven to be a psychiatric patient.

Transcultural

Language barrier is a significant socio-cultural hindrance to effective healthcare delivery. In a bid to mitigate the barrier, healthcare organizations have increasingly adopted the use of translation technologies or personnel (Steinberg et al., 2017). This has led to employment of translators and establishment of translation departments. This would greatly help in providing education to the patient. Patients who understand the discharge instructions may ask questions for further clarification. Alternatively, if the patient answers questions correctly, it proves that she has mastered the discharge instructions. The actions and decisions of the staff members affect patient outcomes as evidenced in Mike’s case scenario. For example, the decision to report the problem could have prevented the history of fall. Failure to report the situation led to the fall and injury of the patient. Finally, non-maleficence is an ethical principle that refers to assurance that no harm should befall the client. In this case, it was breached by ignoring the spill at the doorstep. The decision to ignore the spill led to an adverse experience and admission of a patient.

Conclusion

One of the qualities of healthcare workers is the ability to make decisions independently. The decisions impact patient outcomes either positively or negatively. The decisions make a crucial part in the practice of occupational safety and health as evidenced in the case scenario provided. Mike’s case presents a dilemma where two decisions impact patient’s life is different ways. The choice to report the problem protects the patient. Contrarily, the decision to ignore the problem risks the life of the patient. Of note, the choices made do not only affect the patients but also the decision maker as clearly illustrated in the case scenario.

References

Almost, J., VanDenKerkhof, E., Strahlendorf, P., Caicco Tett, L., Noonan, J., & Hayes, T. et al. (2018). A study of leading indicators for occupational health and safety management systems in healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3103-0
Hersona, S., & Sidharta, I. (2017). Influence of Leadership Function, Motivation and Work Discipline on Employees’ Performance. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen, 15(3), 528-537. http://dx.doi.org/10.21776/ub.jam.2017.015.03.18.
Leso, V., Fontana, L., & Lavicoli, I. (2018). The Occupational Health and Safety Dimension of Industry 4.0. La Medicina Del Lavoro 110 (5), 327-338. https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v110i5.7282.
Steinberg, E., Valenzuela-Araujo, D., Zickafoose, J., Kieffer, E., & DeCamp, L. (2016). The “Battle” of Managing Language Barriers in Health Care. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(14), 1318-1327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922816629760