Health Medical Homework Help

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Peer# 1

Hi everyone!

           Patients are dissatisfied with the wait times in the Emergency Room, and their health is beginning to be affected. With creative problem-solving skills, the wait time can be reduced, and patient satisfaction can be improved. Creativity can be unlocked, and creative ideas and innovations are generated by using creative problem-solving techniques (Hisrich et al., 2017). Using creative problem solving, like the checklist method, is a great way to solve the issue within the emergency room. This method involves developing a new idea through a list of related issues (Hisrich et al., 2017). One can also use reverse brainstorming, or focus on the negative when developing a new idea for addressing the waiting time (Hisrich et al., 2017). To solve the wait time issue within the emergency department, the parameter analysis method could be utilized as well. This method involves identifying the primary issues then examining the relationships between parameters that describe the underlying issue (Hisrich et al., 2017). In this case, the primary issue is the long wait times.

            The first way I would suggest fixing the problem with the wait times is create a process of rapid assessment triage. When a patient enters the emergency room, a nurse will take the patient’s information and vitals, then do a rapid assessment to determine the level of care needed. Because the nurse can determine the level of care, the amount of time the physician spends with the patient decreases, meaning they can see more patients in each duration of time. This solution not only decreases wait times but also increases patient satisfaction.

            Another creative way to decrease patient wait times in the Emergency Room is to implement a pager system, like the ones used in restaurants. Having a pager system gives patients the ability to get up and walk around, get fresh air, or grab a snack while they are waiting. Even if the wait time is longer than usual, the patients will not feel as if they are waiting as long because they can leave the waiting area. When it is time for them to be seen, the pager will buzz and the patient will return. This saves time because the staff does not need to call out the patient’s name and hope that they will hear when they are ready to be seen. This is a relatively inexpensive method to fixing the issue and it gives patients greater freedom than being stuck in the waiting room area.

          A third creative way to solve the issue to the wait time issue in the emergency room is to have patients partake in surveys to identify the issue they believe to be most important. This will allow a different perspective into the brainstorming process that the staff within the emergency department may not be able to see. The staff may only be focused on reducing wait times but having patients fill out surveys may uncover that they do not mind waiting in the waiting room if the chairs were more comfortable or if there were more televisions in the area. This allows a more personalized approach to problem-solving.

Peer# 2

From my knowledge, there are three main reasons for high wait-times in the emergency room:

The first reason is due to the lack of staff. Of the three types of innovation, we learned this week, this is an ordinary innovation, which is basically implementing the process in a “better” way—usually based on the current market (Hisrich et al., 2017). Wait times are increased when there are not enough nurses and physicians to care for the number of patients coming in. Isolating this problem, perhaps staff from other departments who can step in when the patient numbers are high could be a solution.

However, if the number of beds in the ER in relation to the number of patients coming in is high, then patients will have to wait longer for a different reason (not staffing). A solution for this could be developing/building another section of the facility that isn’t called the “emergency room,” but, maybe something similar to receive funding. In example, the emergency room is for higher-risk patients than the critical care room. I would consider this technological innovation, which is an “advancement in the service” (Hisrich et al., 2017, p. 96). It’s a stretch, but I think separating levels of “patient risk” could help to see patients quicker—so, making room for the different levels is valid.

Lastly, a systemic issue I can think of focuses on the funding received for medical facilities (whether privately funded or not). A solution here would have to be called a “breakthrough innovation,” as this would change the entire system of our healthcare. I believe that the government has a national requirement to fund a facility’s emergency room. Like any business, the facility would want to cut costs to improve other aspects of the facility (or even just maintain the facility, if it was struggling, per se). I found an article that discussed changing the “flat requirement” to instead be related to the number of patients seen (Savva & Tezca, 2019). If more patients are seen in the ER, then more funding comes to the facility.

This was a tough prompt for me, I look forward to hearing feedback. Thank you. 

Peer# 3

Hi everyone!

           Kelly Connor has been working for four years at West Library Health Systems, and she is looking for ways to advance in her career (Kovner & McAlearney, 2013). Kelly thought that by being a part of the multihospital health system that she would have the opportunity to grow and learn, but that is not the reality. The question remains, who is responsible for career development: yourself or your company? One study found that 74 percent of workers believe their company or manager is responsible for career development, while 98 percent of managers said that employees must take responsibility (Vangrud, 2017). This staggering difference between who believes what party is responsible for career development is a major reason it fails. You have to take the initiative to grow and develop, but your employer has to support you and help you get there. You are not going to be able to grow if your employer does not have the opportunities available, but your employer will not make those opportunities available if its employees do not show interest.

           In her current position, Kelly is faced with many obstacles. The first constraint that Kelly is faced with is the firefighting of operations and real-time crises that stand in the way of her reading and learning on the job (Kovner & McAlearney, 2013). Kelly also has not received a promotion in three years of service at the health system. In terms of professional development, Kelly is constrained by the education that is offered by the health system, which is either irrelevant to her position or too basic for her skill level. To overcome these constraints, Kelly looks outside her organization to the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Management Association (Kovner & McAlearney, 2013). She was able to find courses that were relevant to her position and skill level, but she would need to gather support from her boss in order to take the courses.

Peer# 4

Most people want opportunities for professional development and advancement. But, unfortunately, a lot of the employees are not very satisfied with their employer’s commitment to their development. As a result, they often leave and find an employer who does care. In the scenario, Kelly Connor is worried that she might not advance or get a promotion in her career.

What constraints does Kelly Connor face in her position? What options does she have for overcoming those constraints?

Kelly Connor has been working in the West Liberty health system for four years. She realized that she wasn’t focusing on advancing her career and felt stuck in this position as an administrator. Her day-to-day work at operations was always her priority, and she rarely gets any free time to attend conferences or meetings. She felt that her employer did nothing for the employee’s professional development. She was experiencing job burnout and was disappointed.

To overcome these issues, Kelly Connor has to take up the educational courses offered by the West Liberty Health System. She needs to talk to her manager and find a way to adjust her duty timing to have free time to attend classes and seminars. She can consider several internal training programs and online courses to help her concentrate on her work and career development. She should always keep in mind that this is about her career and development and should choose what she feels is suitable for her and what makes her feel less dissatisfied at work.

How much of professional development is one’s personal responsibility? How much is the responsibility of the employer?

Continuing professional development (CPD) involves educational activities to enhance knowledge and skills and management, team building, professionalism, interpersonal communication, technology, teaching, and accountability (Filipe et al., 2014). Long-term individual development is always the responsibility of the employee. But once an organization hires them, professional development becomes the responsibility of both the employee and the manager. It must be a collaborative effort because it cannot be done unilaterally ( Quast, 2014). Employees invest in their companies by working longer hours, handling evolving tasks, and assuming increased responsibilities. Thus, employers should understand the value of professional development and incorporate every employee’s professional development in their overall corporate strategy.

Organizations Lacking to offer a career development opportunity might fail to keep the talented employees to themselves, thus failing to succeed in today’s competitive market. Therefore the organization should take the initiative to help their employees to advance in their careers.