Economic Barriers and Healthcare Pursuits - Essay Example

Economic Barriers and Healthcare PursuitsThe implications of medical errors, specifically Hospital Acquire Infections (HAIs), are diverse and dynamic over time. The effects of HAIs the last few years may or may not hold in the current times. In this regard, addressing HAIs is a pursuit that is primarily based on the current time, factoring in past efforts into the same pursuit. As previously identified, the implications of HAIs can be legal, ethical, or financial among other variables (McFadden, et al. 2006). The plan adopted to address these implications is subject to obstacles, barriers or pitfalls that derail the process or bring it down altogether.

Economic barriersHealthcare financing is undoubtedly an expensive undertaking (Rapp, et al. 2010). Pooling together adequate resources for to actualize the plan developed to combat implications of HAIs is a challenge. Health care is primarily provided for by the state or the government due to the externalities that characterize the health care market. The government undertakes massive projects for the benefit of individuals across all levels, healthcare included. This aspect may pressure the government to direct more funds into healthcare, a scenario that may or may not be realized.

Patient-caregiver adherenceOne of the critical efforts towards addressing HAIs problem and subsequent problems posed by medical errors is the adherence of both patients and caregivers to set healthcare procedures especially in relation to preventative measures that healthcare facilities are supposed to observe. Patient or caregiver ignorance and failure to adhere to the set measures or systems of combating HAIs and medical errors general poses significant stumbling blocks to the effect of the plan.

Legal challengesHealthcare pursuits are sensitive to legal systems. A change in healthcare policy must receive adequate legal attention and support. This is in line with formulating and implementing necessary policies that aid the plan’s practice. Legal obstacles to the plan can be in terms of slow adoption of relevant legal policies to aid the process, or even having the plan legally challenged to rule out its implementation.Future uncertainty The future is hard to predetermine following the uncertainties that characterize future times.

Healthcare complications are also diverse and dynamic over time, meaning that medical interventions keep taking new directions as new complications emerge. The plan can be implemented today, but be rendered useless some into the future in the event that medical errors worse. This would need that every variable that the plan treated be accounted for all over again. To minimize such occurrences, intensive and extensive research has to be done to confirm long-term viability of the plan. The process time and resource consuming, thus probably make the plan an inactive effort.

The obstacles, barriers or pitfalls highlighted above are influenced by a number of factors within and without the health industry. Cultural, social, economic, and political perspectives constitute the primary influencing factors in this regard (McFadden, et al. 2006). Variant debates in the line of each identified perspective influence the underlying obstacle or barriers therein. Each of the above components must be significantly accounted for in the bid to address medical errors problem. They, therefore, constitute the primary factors that influence the above discussed barriers or obstacles.

ReferencesMcFadden, K. et al. (2006). Exploring Strategies for Reducing Hospital Errors. Journal of Healthcare Management, 51(2), 123-35, Discussion 136.Rapp, C. et al. (2010). Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice Implementation: Results of a Qualitative Study. Community Mental Health Journal, 46(2), 112-118.