Hospital Environmentally Friendly Impact on Employee and Patients Healing Process - Article Example

?Running head: Hospital environmentally friendly impact on employee and/ or patients healing process Management is a core aspect in organizations. Effective management leads to favorable or friendly environment that supports quality of services. In a hospital, friendly environment enhances performance of employees and increases patients morale hence increased healing chances. This paper highlights impact of creation of friendly environment in hospital setting to employees and patients healing process. Basically, friendly environment motivates employees to work while patients healing process is also boosted or increased. Therefore, friendly environment in hospitals not only increases employees’ competence but also increases patients’ morale to heal or recover. Introduction In an organization, the most important aspect is management. Management is a process and has to be effective for achievement of the organizational goals and improvement and transformation of operations. It also increases satisfaction of customers or target group. Creation of a friendly working environment is essential especially in a hospital setting. This is only possible through effective management of the affairs of the hospital. Creation of friendly hospital environment has several impacts on the employees and the patients especially their healing process. This paper highlights the impacts of friendly hospital environment of hospital employees and healing process of patients in the respective hospital. Friendly hospital environment has several impacts on employees in the respective hospitals. Friendly environment according to employees is a favorable working environment that supports their career growth and development and increases their job satisfaction. It also increases employee morale at work. Creation of a friendly hospital environment has several impacts, for instance, motivation of employees. Favorable working environment greatly contributes to employees’ motivation. This is because they feel part of the organization and always work towards effective services especially in a hospital setting. Increased motivation among the hospital employees is essential in improving services within the organization. This is because motivated employees’ efforts are greater (Howard, 2011, p 1). This article may greatly assist in motivating employees and increasing efficiency at hospital leading to efficient services. It may also be used by practitioners to motivate each other. On the other hand, increased quality performance by the health or hospital employees will greatly contribute to the healing process of the patients. This is because the employees will be committed to work and attend to employees. This increases chances of the healing of the patients in the hospital. Therefore, the increased services in hospital by the employees’ increases healing chances of patients in the hospital due to good and quality care (Howard, 2011, p 1). This increases practitioners’ awareness on the importance of favorable working environment in the hospital. Secondly, friendly hospital environment allows for development of employees in the hospital. This gives employees chances of furthering their education and expanding their knowledge in health services. Further education also increases competency of employees and handling of patients in hospitals. This gives patients morale in the healing process since they receive the required attention and services from the hospital. This also leads to maintenance of staff within the hospital. This greatly contributes to the up holding of the culture of the respective hospital on how to handle patients. It also helps in inculcating the hospital culture among the staff. This promotes good practices among the employees towards patients. Changing of staff frequently reduces up holding of a hospital culture and reduces competency of handling patients. This is because patients get used to health professionals who attend to them regularly. Maintenance of staff also helps in increasing patients morale in the healing process since employees attending to them are well versed with their health needs. It also leads to effective response to patients demands (Howard, 2011, p 1). It enables practitioners to realize the importance of career development and hence further their education and increase or enhance efficiency. Moreover, hospital friendly environment fosters good leadership practices among the health professionals or employees. Management is not effective without good effective leadership. This is because managers ought to be good leaders to effectively control processes of an organization. Friendly environment provides a favorable condition for effective leadership skills hence introduction of process that improve services in the hospital. In the long-run, this increases patients’ morale and enhance healing process in the hospital. This is because it also leads to creation of good relation between leadership of the hospital, employees and patients. This allows for effective communication between employees and patients hence increasing employees’ knowledge of patients’ demands (Howard, 2011, p 1). Finally, it increases practitioners’ awareness of the importance of leadership in working environment. Strengths and weakness of the article The article discusses the advantages of creating favorable working environment for hospital employees and hence enhancing morale and healing process of patients in a hospital. The article has effectively highlighted several factors and importance of favorable working environment. However, the article has several strengths and weakness. The strengths of the paper include the following; effective discussion of the importance of friendly working hospital environment, and contribution of friendly working environment in quality of services within a hospital. The article has greatly discussed contribution of creation of friendly working environment to both hospital employees and healing process of patients. On the other hand, the article has other weaknesses, for instance, the article does not outline effects of unfriendly working environment to hospital employees and healing process of patients. Therefore, the article is one sided hence not effectively evaluating effects of both friendly and unfriendly working environment creation in hospital. The article has effectively highlighted the topic study to a greater extent. I strongly agree with the information provided by the writer in the article. This is because the author has clearly described the situation hence allowing readers to easily understand the study topic. The content of the article also enhances readers’ knowledge on the study topic. This can allow practitioners to apply the procedures given by the author in their own contexts. Furthermore, the author has clearly stated the facts hence allowing easy understanding by all inclusive of non-health professionals hence suitable for publication in a practitioner publication. However, there are other factors that the article has not effectively addressed, for instance, weaknesses. This has compromised the appropriateness of the article professionally. Conclusion Working conditions require friendly environment for initiation of good practices and enhancement of innovation and incentives. Furthermore, in a hospital it increases healing chances o f patients considering they receive quality services and their demands are met. Therefore, for effective leadership practices, increased quality services and patients morale, hospital environment ought to be friendly. However, friendly environment can only prevail through effective management practices in the hospital. References Howard, J. (2011). A greener hospital is a healthier hospital. Retrieved from: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/docs-talk/2011/03/a-greener-hospital-is-a-healthier-hospital/ Article used in writing the paper A Greener Hospital is a Healthier Hospital March 15, 2011 | By Dr. John Howard, MD A couple of years ago, Canada's major health professional associations joined forces to call for an environmentally responsible health sector. This joint position statement expressed the following vision: We envision the health sector as a leader in integrating environmentally responsible practices into the delivery of health care. We also see it as an advocate in sharing information on best practices and encouraging Canadians and Canadian organizations to limit their environmental footprint. In a green health sector, minimizing negative impact on the environment would be a priority for all organizations and individuals in their day-to-day practices and at all levels of decision-making. Human health and the environment are inextricably linked, so it might seem obvious that the health sector should take an active interest in protecting the environment that sustains human life. Yet the reality is that hospitals produce waste at levels unequalled by most industries. Hospitals are also among the most energy-intensive buildings in many Canadian communities. I work at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), which has an ecological footprint equivalent to 631 square kilometers — an area much larger than the city of London itself. While there is potential damage from this large carbon footprint, there are also opportunities to make big reductions in hospital energy consumption and waste output. As a physician, I make a conscious effort to consider the ecological consequences of my care for patients. Apart from the obvious options of using efficient transportation, turning off lights when not needed, unplugging computers when not in use, avoiding disposable containers, and minimizing paper use, and I try to consider the impact on the environment in my everyday clinical decisions. For example, does a patient really need to come from 100 kilometers away for a follow-up appointment, or can I handle her issues on the phone? Could I do the whole consultation by videoconference? Since environmental degradation is a considerable determinant of health, I try to educate my patients and colleagues about ways to minimize their own carbon emissions and waste output. I have also been impressed by the hospital engineering department's leadership in initiatives to consider environmental impacts in corporate decision-making. The hospital now has a waste-reduction strategy that is a component of every decision made. Beyond reducing waste, this strategy is saving the hospital money. For example, a big push has been "cogeneration", the generation of both heat and electricity at the same time. Once a second unit is in place, the hospital will be nearly independent of the Ontario energy grid and will produce 20,000 fewer tons of greenhouse gases, saving $2 million a year in energy costs. LHSC also has a strong energy awareness program that aims to educate and encourage every employee to reduce consumption at the hospital (and at home). The amount of waste the hospital sends to the landfill has decreased by 14 per cent over the past five years, too — even though we are now providing more health care to the community. Other programs are proving successful as well. LHSC was one of the first hospitals to stop using pesticides in its care of its green space. Grounds management has created four healing gardens to recognize the healing effect of the natural environment on both patients and staff. "Green" hospital products are becoming increasingly available. LHSC has created "green criteria" that are now part of all requests for product proposals. Issues being considered in purchasing are packaging, methods of delivery, and the potential for vendor "take-back" of used products and packaging for recycling. LHSC hosted the first annual Eco-Care conference in 2008, a national event with the aim of reducing the ecological footprint of health care. Delegates from across Canada gathered to discuss how to decrease energy consumption, reduce waste, reuse health-care equipment, and develop environmental stewardship programs for employees. It was an excellent forum in which vendors could showcase environmentally friendly hospital products (e.g., compostable bedpans) and services (e.g., the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products). See www.ecocarecanada.ca for more information. Hospitals exist to benefit our communities, but they also consume and pollute. Not only do we need to provide optimal patient care but we also need to minimize the detrimental effect hospitals have on the environment. Given the considerable size of the health care "industry", small percentage reductions in energy use and waste output will result in large net reductions. At hospitals, like other workplaces and community institutions undertaking environmental initiatives, a few major changes combined with many small changes can have a huge impact. It can be done!! Dr. John Howard, a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the London Health Sciences Centre, is Chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. This article is also being published in the spring 2011 edition of the Canadian Journal of Green Health Care. Read More