The Introduction of Technologies in Health Care the Hospital Stay of Inpatients - Research Paper Example

The hospital is a dynamic environment confronted with daily problems and issues. The nature of work demands a lot from the health professional and staff. One problem confronting the hospital is staffing the units after hours or duty after the regular hours of work (Duty managers 2009). The staffing issue particularly concerns the nurses who must provide care for the patients after the rest of the health professionals may not be around. While the risk to patients exists all throughout the day, it must be minimized during the after-hours shift.

In New Zealand, the duty managers are solely obligated to handle this concern (Duty managers 2009). The duty managers need inputs from the District Health Board New Zealand safe staffing unit to manage the problem. The outbreak of the Norovirus during a scout jamboree concerns not only one but several hospitals that require various stakeholders to handle the staffing problem. The duty managers of Christchurch Hospital presented a paper on how the outbreak was managed. Solutions presented include electronic staffing system (by Nurse Specialist Peter Masson) and a hospital night clinical team (by Christchurch Hospital nurse Owen McKenna).

Making the provision of hospital services effective and efficient is also an important consideration for health care providers (Payne 1987). With rising cost in hospital care, “third-party payers and employers” (other parties paying for the patients’ hospital expenses) are pushing for increased efficiency and reduced hospital expenditures.