Nursing is a profession that needs adherence to specific standards in order to effectively provide services. However, in some cases, there are deterrents to the provision of services. These deterrents are known as professional practice issues (PPIs). Nurses and clients alike may be affected by these issues. This paper outlines some of these issues and offers strategies to improve them.
Professional Practice Issues (PPIs)
Professional practice issues are issues that may compromise the care or service offered to a client by putting him/her at risk or affect the ability of nurses to provide the needed care or service as prescribed by set standards, guidelines or regulations (CRNNS, 2017). Workplace hazards and violence are two common professional practice issues that nurses face in their service delivery.
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Workplace Hazards
A nurse’s job exposes one to several hazards. Some of these hazards include exposure to pathogens and work-related injuries. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), out of 12.2 million healthcare workers, 5.6 million at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens (Gooch, 2015). The Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that the number of nurses who experience work-related injuries is about 35,000 (Gooch, 2015).
Incidences of hand washing-related dermatitis are also common in the healthcare industry. A study conducted by the University of Manchester found that healthcare workers suffering from irritant contact dermatitis accounted for about 25 percent (Gooch, 2015). The study also found that healthcare workers were more likely (4.5 times) to suffer from skin damage (moderate to severe) due to hand hygiene protocols.
Workplace Violence
Workplace violence in nursing practice refers to any cases of violent behavior from patients or coworkers. According to the Occupation Health and Safety Network, between 2012 and 2014, the number of workplace violence-related injuries doubled for nurses and nurse assistants (Gooch, 2015). Reported injuries according to OSHA from 1 January 2012 to 30 September 2014 were 10,680 of which 2,034 were workplace violence injuries (Gooch, 2015).
Strategies to Improve Professional Practice Issues
As stated before, professional practice issues (PPIs) have a way of deterring service delivery in the healthcare industry. Therefore, measures must be taken to mitigate their occurrences at the workplace. According to the CRNNS (2017), professional practice issues (PPIs) can be resolved through a six-step framework. The following steps make up the framework:
Identification of the PPI
During the process of identifying the PPI, one must determine if it presents a risk to clients. If it does not, one must determine if it conflicts with any standards, guidelines or regulations. One proceeds to the second step, if it poses a risk to clients and if it conflicts with any standards, guideline or regulations. If it does not conflict with any standard, guideline or regulations, then it is not a PPI. The subsequent steps of this framework include:
Exploration of the issue and definition of how care or service to clients is affected.
Identification of resources.
Taking of action.
Documentation.
Evaluation
During this last step, one must determine if the professional practice issue has been resolved. If the PPI has been resolved, then the process ends.
The following are recommended solutions for each of the PPIs listed in the paper:
Every nurse should undergo training on OSHA guidelines to reduce incidences of workplace hazards. The hospital should also be adequately equipped with resources that can help prevent exposure to hazards in the workplace. Hospitals that do not adhere to such protocols should be held liable for the hazard’s nurses are exposed to and compensate them as needed.
A workplace violence bill should be passed to enhance work safety to reduce incidences of workplace violence. Any suspect found guilty of causing workplace violence should be charged with a felony and punished.
Conclusion
Professional practice issues are an impediment to service delivery. However, it should be noted that there are strategies to ensure they are resolved.
References
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (CRNNS). (2017). “Resolving Professional Practice Issues.” CRRNS . Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://crnns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ResolvingProfessionalPracticeIssuesToolkit.pdf
Gooch, K. (2015, August 13). “5 of the biggest issues nurses face today.” Becker’s Hospital Review . Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/5-of-the-biggest-issues-nurses-face-today.html
