Essay Sample on Open System Theory in Nursing

Introduction

Healthcare organizations have the abilities to deliver nursing services based on different theories. One of these theories is the Open System Theory, which was pioneered, Katz and Kahn. Fundamentally, this model perceives healthcare observations as the social systems that can be categorized into various interrelated subsystems. Ideally, the interconnected subsystems, in this case, integrate inputs, throughout, output, systems as the cycles of events as well as the negative feedback. For instance, various departments such as the emergency department, medical-surgical units, and the intensive care units all have their specific outputs, cycles of events and throughout. This paper, therefore, aims at describing a nursing challenge within the emergency department, the problem identification within the department, identify the goals and then formulate a desired organizational outcome.

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Fundamentally, the orthopedic or surgery floor subsystems include various aspects such as the staffing, supplies as well as the financial resources required to ensure that the department operates effectively. The orthopedic or surgery floor functions 24-hours a day and therefore needs sufficient availability of the nursing staff and the auxiliary staff to offer throughout of services. In this case, other inputs include the resources and materials that are needed towards the provision of the nursing interventions and are bought throughout distinct external vendors. The materials, therefore, include gauze, the intravenous fluids, pencils, papers and glucometers among others.

To buy these materials, the hospital must provide the orthopedic floor with an appropriate budget. As such, the orthopedic floor can establish the throughout when the unit makes good use if the inputs provided to generate a good amount of products. The throughput would, therefore, integrate all the nursing services that the healthcare can give patients who need the services. The output in the orthopaedic floor would be considered the number of patients who can make use of their inputs. According to Meyer & O'Brien-Pallas (2010), the service output of the orthopaedic floor leads to the revenue particularly after receiving the payments from the patients who seek medical attention and services. Negative Feedback is used to determine how the subsystem is functioning and keeping on the target. Within the orthopedic floor, therefore, the negative feedback integrates quality performance measures that monitor department throughput, patient throughput and employee satisfaction among others.

The Problem Identified

The problem identified in this case is the nursing shortage within the Emergency Department in a healthcare organization. The nurses form a critical part of healthcare and also constitute the largest section of the health profession. The limited number of nurses within the orthopedic floor represent input. Based on the fact that they work 24 hours a day to ensure that the patients are given their medical and clinical attention, the throughout would, therefore, integrate their roles in this case. However, it appears as a challenge because the number of patients is relatively higher than that of the available nurses. The shortage can further be blamed on the standard cycle of supply and demand within the hospital. Based on the length of the stay for the patient, the output which is the quality of treatment plans and some patients attended to decreases.

Desired Outcomes

The desired outcome of the shortage of nurses would be to increase the number of nurses in the orthopaedic or surgery floor. This would ensure that the patients to nurses ratio is relatively appropriate, thereby reducing the amount of time the nurses use to attend to them. To achieve this outcome, the following goals and objectives will help to achieve it tremendously.

1. Utilization of the onboarding program to ensure that the new nurses feel welcome
2. Incentivize behaviours required from the nurses.
3. Investing in long-term training and professional development
4. Convert current nurses into recruiters and compensate for referrals
5. Provide the altered schedules with the aim of accommodating the personal and professional needs of nurses.

Professional Standards

The professional standards involved in ensuring that nurses can provide quality nursing services and delivery as result of increased number or supply include the adoption of the professional responsibility and accountability, the knowledge-based Practice, the client-Focused provision of services and the ethical practice. As such, various indicators will be used to illustrate each type of professional standard will include the clinical, education, administration and research.

How Proposed Resolution Will Uphold the Organization’s Mission and Values

Every healthcare organization aims at delivering high-quality services to meet the patient's needs and other health requirements. The implementation of the proposed solution will play critical roles in balancing the patient to nurse ratio within the orthopaedic unit thus ensuring that the patients do not only get what they want, but the organization also achieves its mission through effective and efficient healthcare delivery.

References

Graban, M. (2016). Lean hospitals: improving quality, patient safety, and employee engagement. Productivity Press.

Hassmiller, S. B., & Cozine, M. (2006). Addressing the nurse shortage to improve the quality of patient care. Health Affairs, 25(1), 268-274.

Kallberg, A. S., Ehrenberg, A., Florin, J., Ostergren, J., & Goransson, K. E. (2017). Physicians' and nurses' perceptions of patient safety risks in the emergency department. International emergency nursing, 33, 14-19.