Inadequate finances and staffing shortages consist of competing needs that impact on the development of nursing policies. Lack of finances impedes policy development process as most finances are used in handling healthcare crisis rather than in policy formulation. The prevalent financial distress is characterized by the healthcare system’s inability to fund its budget, policy development being one of the items in the account (Milliken, 2018). Nurse leaders spend most of their time and effort maintaining hospitals' service levels, amid inadequate financial resources; hence no time is left to take part in policy development. Furthermore, nurses' shortage restrains their participation in policy development and implementation. The size of the workforce is small compared to the number of patients needing attention and quality care.
Staffing shortage contributes to the rate of nurses’ burn out and stress. Workers burn out is a severe public health issue which results in high cases of on-duty injuries and low-quality services (Milliken, 2018). With a national shortage of healthcare practitioners, the existing few workers are subjected to high-pressure levels; having to put in extra effort and take on long shifts to cater to all patient needs. Such overworked nurses experience compassion fatigue, emotional distress, a low sensation of work-related personal fulfilment, and depersonalization.
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Policies are generally developed with the sole purpose of responding to identified healthcare needs. Hence, nursing policies and procedures are designed in part to address pertinent healthcare issues such as staffing shortage and financial distresses ( American Nurses Association, 2015) . Nurses' remuneration, working shifts, training, and registration policies address the staffing shortage. On the other hand, health policies concerning Medicare and health insurance address healthcare financial issues (Kelly & Porr, 2018). National financing systems, including hospital-based funding systems, also deal with financial distress in healthcare.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements . Silver Spring, MD: Nursesbooks. org.
Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical Nursing Care Versus Cost Containment: Considerations to Enhance RN Practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 23 (1).
Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: what it is and why it matters. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 23 (1).
