The Issue of Maldistribution of Physicians and Nursing Shortage - Essay Example

It is obvious that easy access to physician services determines the effectiveness of healthcare, and timely delivery of healthcare services is the ultimate goal of any medical care setting. The distribution pattern of physicians determines the structure of where and when healthcare is delivered and the process in which the care is delivered. In addition, as per the notion of WHO, a well-structured distribution of physicians assists patients to get easy access to healthcare services, and hence the outcome of care is rendered (“Improving data quality”).

Discussion 2 As per Donabedian’s model of quality assurance, effective nursing care plays a significant role in ensuring the quality of services provided (Ovretveit). Therefore, the current nursing shortage will adversely affect patient safety and the quality of health care. As Marquis and Huston opine, the shortage of nurses would compel the remaining staff to work overtime shifts, and this situation may negatively affect their worksite interests (411). Such an understaffed working environment will certainly cause workplace stress that in turn may diminish the quality of patient care.

It will also sometimes lead to other issues like clinical errors. Although physicians diagnose diseases and prescribe medicines for patients, the nurses must monitor and respond to the changing health condition of the patients. In addition, the availability of adequate nursing staff is necessary to distribute nurses effectively across different wards according to their skills. Discussion 3 The Donabedian model suggests that technology can have a notable impact on healthcare quality and thereby patient safety.

Cohen and Hanft, say that while analyzing the healthcare history of the US, it is clear that the country’s healthcare system has developed improved medical technologies over time (1-6). Such technological developments had a tremendous impact on the delivery of care in the United States because they assisted the nation to deliver timely and effective care to people in need. The technological developments in the medical sector greatly assisted the healthcare system to deliver emergency services despite the barriers of territory (“Healthcare in America”).

In addition, these developments provided patients with access to the most effective medical treatment available in the world. For instance, last summer, one of my mountaineer friends met with an accident while we had been practicing at Annex Peak Mountain. We called for medical help and within half an hour US medical team’s helicopter with all modern facilities came to save us. Discussion 4 US health care expenditure has notably increased over the last two decades and this effectiveness in healthcare financing has greatly contributed to the nation’s Medicare.

In the opinion of Champlin, healthcare financing assisted the country’s citizens to attain the services of family physicians. As a result, they can access healthcare services whenever it is necessary and without any delay. As Liu and Yue point out, healthcare financing has aided the country to improve its overall Medicare quality to a great extent.