The human resources sector constitutes an integral part of any activity aimed at offering a variety of goods and services to people. The advancement of technology and many other related issues can be considered as blessings in disguise. In the field of nursing and healthcare, several factors affect the competence and service delivery and to make it worse, the trend is expected to take place even in the future.
Many factors are likely to affect the field of healthcare either positively or negatively. Remarkably, these factors are referred to as macro-trends and may include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, social media informatics, and demographic transitions emanating from increased globalized traveling (Erwin & Brownson, 2017). These factors have been collectively or singly affecting the healthcare sector in metropolitan Washington, DC. As such, it is the responsibility of any administration to provide quality, affordable and easily accessible medical services to the subjects. In line with this, Washington, DC has to abide by several contemporary policies such as the Patient Protection and Affordable care act. Some of the objectives of such a system are to ensure that as many U.S. citizens as possible have insurance covers to enhance performance in the general healthcare industry, and also to make insurance covers affordable (Feldman et al., 2015).
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The world has experienced tremendous improvement in the use of internet and technology, and this has led to the emergence of social media informatics. It has been observed that the number of people using the internet to communicate with providers of healthcare services, and also in tracking their health records using electronic means via smartphones and computers have increased (Jackson et al.,2016 ). In metropolitan Washington, DC, just as it is with any other part with stable power and internet supply, people have been relying on technology to access medical services depending on their needs.
Demographic transition and increased rate of globalized traveling have also been widespread in the Washington healthcare system. Based on the 2015 census report, Washington’s population recorded a positive deviation as it moved from 6.72 million in 2010 to 7.17 million people (World Population Review, 2019). It is also worth to note that while 49.9% of the population is composed of males, 50.1% is made up of females (World Population Review, 2019). Statistically, as of 2015, the median age in Washington was established to be 37.6 years (World Population Review, 2019). The change in population implies that the healthcare sector may also be affected adversely since it has to be streamlined to suit the demographic trends.
Future Impacts
The macro-trends including the Patient Protection and Affordable care act, social media informatics, and demographic transitions due to increased globalized traveling indicate that if the trends continue, several conditions are likely to be witnessed in future. Specifically, the patterns have a mixed signal as far as the human resources in the healthcare sector is concerned. For instance, while an increase in the population figure points out to the fact that the number of patients may exceed the available healthcare service providers, the use of social media informatics may reduce the figure sharply. The field may, therefore, experience occupational shortages in future. Hence, measures should be taken to ensure that certain conditions which may affect the industry adversely have been controlled.
Since the role of the healthcare sector cannot be underestimated due to its relevance in Washington, alternatives should be employed. Remarkably, the measures should mainly focus on identifying key areas of technical focus, which include increasing the number of competent nurses and also through the provision of valuable information, skills and tools to the nurses to respond to patient needs. Moreover, the curriculum should allow nurses to appreciate the need for incorporating technology in their activities, and by so doing, the occupational gap will be bridged. Huston (2013) indicates that nothing will revolutionize the way nursing is practiced more than contemporary advances in technology.
Also, it is recommended to have healthcare workers employed based on the needs of the Washington population. For instance, an increased number of the community should be taken seriously, and relevant actions considered including the employment of more qualified staff. Subsequently, this will ensure that no stress on resources is experienced, hence, improved service delivery. Some patients may also increase in the future due to demographic changes. As such, the administration should liaise with key sectors in the provision of healthcare services to work collectively to set up a plan that should be used not only in ensuring everyone accesses medical care, but also to expand the facilities. The expansion will provide that the existing facilities can meet the specific needs without any congestion.
Conclusion
The healthcare industry is crucial to human beings. It is also important to note that the sector is very fragile. In Washington, the industry is faced with several forces that compel it to change accordingly. The trends include demographic changes, use of social media informatics, globalized traveling as well as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act. Indeed, these conditions may affect the quality of services delivered in either a negative or positive way. For instance, heavy use of internet can help lower the traffic in healthcare facilities.
References
Erwin, P. C., & Brownson, R. C. (2017). Macro trends and the future of public health practice. Annual review of public health , 38 , 393-412.
Feldman, H. M., Buysse, C. A., Hubner, L. M., Huffman, L. C., & Loe, I. M. (2015). Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and children and youth with special health care needs. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics , 36 (3), 207.
Huston, C. (2013). The Impact of Emerging Technology on Nursing Care: Warp Speed Ahead, Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18 (2). Retrieved from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-18-2013/No2-May-2013/Impact-of-Emerging-Technology.html
Jackson, D. N., Chou, W. Y. S., Coa, K. I., Oh, A., & Hesse, B. (2016). Implications of social media use on health information technology engagement: Data from HINTS 4 cycle 3. Translational behavioral medicine , 6 (4), 566-576.
World Population Review. (2019). Washington Population 2019. Retrieved from: http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/washington-population/
