Health Care System and System Theory Application - Essay Example

Health Care System and System Theory Application Affiliation Health Care System and System Theory Application Question One: Application of System Theory in Achieving Desired Outcomes The responsibility of managing health care coupled with increased health care demand has been largely informed by developing a clear theoretical platform that seeks to achieve desired goals. Accessibility of health care as well as its affordability and quality are the areas now the most complex interrelationship in health care system. Balancing quality, affordability and having an appropriate health care system are now the hardest issues to achieve and substantially make the health care dynamics. The need for organized national and global healthcare has been encapsulated in the Primary Heath Care (PHC) and Healthy People 2020 blueprints System Theory and Health Care Systems In order to achieve desired health outcomes, there should be a systematic approach that addresses staff competence, health care financing, and emphasis on quality. System theory offers a guide health care towards the desired direction by employing evidenced-based management practices to enhance quality, accessibility an equity as fundamental elements of health care systems. The theory envisions use of a systematic guideline in practice to ensure health care emans such as quality, affordability are met. One of the fundamental concepts of system theory is system thinking. Wiegerinck, Kappen, & Burgers (2010) stated that the application of system theory in the health care system can have an incredible achievement in streamlining operations towards the desired standards. With system thinking, health care quality would greatly improve because the conceptual framework would help in building health care as a system with several subsystems. This theory emphasizes six critical cornerstones that apply well to the health care system. Firstly, it higlightes improving communication among subsystems within a larger system. Certainly, communication is an important asset in health care reforms. Communication allows for nursing, and medical staff strives towards the same direction by employing uniform quality care. Quality health care standard is, therefore, an important feature in the health care system (Bhandari & Snowdon, 2012). Secondly, the social theory, a fundamental component of the system theory, premises teamwork as a success strategy in any task undertaking. Evidently, achieving health care standards that quality-based, cost-effective and appropriate to the community culture requires interdisciplinary collaboration. In contemporary health care system emphasizes on teaming up with the community members in the identification of health care needs, this is emphasized in system theory teamwork. Moreover, the health care system recommends the interdisciplinary approach, meaning incorporation of educationists, public health offices, agriculture and other key players in health. Interdisciplinary requires effective teamwork and nursing being integral players in service delivery automatically becomes key members of the team. System theory encapsulates focusing on the process, staff and establishing a creative approach towards achieving a desired outcome. Similarly, achieving desired outcomes in healthcare system relies on having competent staff that has substantial training in quality healthcare (Bhandari & Snowdon, 2012). Furthermore, the focus on quality care, affordable healthcare financing and provision of support to individual and groups has been envisioned in system theory. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, for instance, emphasizes the prioritization of human needs by investing in the basic needs first as a fundamental pillar in system theory. Maslow theory offers a basis of approaching health care systems. In essence, the health care system follows the priority areas of patient care. Moreover, system theory applies in community-based health care programs that are now becoming a cornerstone of modern health care reforms. Over the last decade, health care experts have converged a policy framework that recognizes families and community as custodians of their care. The emphasis on preventive medicine at a family level has been overwhelming. In line with this approach, system theory incorporates shared decisions, developing skill competency, encouragement of creativity and innovation as integral components in health care (Wiegerinck et al., 2010). Summary The application of system theory in achieving desired health care outcomes includes prioritization of health care needs as envisioned in Maslow Hierachy of needs. Secondly, enhancing quality, equity, accessibility uses a systematic theoretical approach. Creation of cost-sharing, health care training on competence, consumer ucation and community health care education are important issues in health care system that borrow from the theory. Theory emphasizes on having a framework of achieving desired outcomes, health care system has borrowed hugly from this concept. Question Two: Relationship between Bertalanffys Theory and Nursing Practice There is a huge relationship between because of a number of striking similarities in application and concepts. In his theory, Bertalanffy envisions a system of organization that lay emphasis on staff organization and quality of care. The theory borrows immensely from the quality improvement practices in continuous quality in nursing care. Notably, one of the building blocks of the theory is the focus on the process in disciplines. Nursing is one of those disciplines whose success relies heavily on the nursing process with emphasis on each step in the nursing process. Nursing process has five fundamental steps that are importantly related with the Bertalanffys Theory in three main areas. Firstly, the theory emphasizes on having effective team in the implementation of process and task. As a primary function of a nurse, teamwork is a key feature and implementation of patient requires sound team building with a systematic authority. Authority and bureaucracy in the system is another striking relationship of the theory and nursing. While theor offers a systemtic approach with hierachial power realtions, nursing is now offered at nursing managers and team leadership. Authority an interdisplinary bureaucracy defines the entire nursing relation with other professionals within medical practice. (Matthew-Maich 2011). Secondly, the system theory envisions system thinking as the ultimate factor that would bring quality in nursing components. Planning of patient care borrows from the principles of system theory that emphasizes on paying attention to interrelated components within any system with a precise plan of control. In addition, planning is an important communication tool within interpersonal relationship that is largely described by the theory. Furthermore, system theory relates substantially with nursing in the conceptual hierarchical flow of authority. Within system theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs forms the basis of showing how one area is an important than the other. Nursing care plans involves laying down priority patients. Although there could be many areas of needs, system theory and nursing practice agree substantially on approaching a task by setting down the procedure that recognizes areas of higher interest than others (Filson, Hollingsworth, Skolarus, Clemens, & Hollenbeck, 2011). Features of Bertalanffy’s and Nursing Practice Bertalanffy’s system theory encapsulates certain features that relate with nursing practice. Firstly, it envisions prioritization of needs, power and authority politics in organization and using available resources to meet huge challenging needs, these are striking features in theory that augur well in nursing practice. Current features of an effective system are the adoption of information technology in patient care. Electronic documentation, facilitation of staff rotational duties, and creation of autonomy are striking similarities that nursing practice and system theory share. In addition, the emphasis on quality outcome of patient care underpins theoretical emphasis of quality. The best nursing practice today have recognized the importance of establishing knowledge, skills and behavioral competence in the nursing staff. Besides, nurses are now trained on decision-making using creative and critical thinking in clinical decisions (Matthew-Maich, 2011). This is quite similar with theoretical concepts in the system theory; evidently, the theory encourages developing staff that is creative and innovative in handling issues. Moreover, system thinking interlaces concepts of promotion of efficiency and creativity in its focus on ensuring quality output. Certainly, the nursing community would benefit a lot from developing patient care in line with the system theory. Additionally, Bertalanffys theory presents an ideal view of processes. It stresses the importance of seeing the entire system rather than focusing on individual steps. Similarly, nursing practice incorporates an overall nursing care outcome through evaluating each nursing step. It is, therefore, reasonable to suggest that Bertalanffys theory and nursing practice are intertwined (Filson et al., 2011). Summary The theory is an important guideline that can propel nursing practice to the next level. In essence, the theory applies in nursing at three levels. Firstly, it stipulates power and authority, emphases on creativity and innovation in practice and evaluation of outcomes as criteria for improving subsequent performance. These are critical components in practice that are encapsulated in system thinking, a pillar concept in the theory. References Bhandari, G., & Snowdon, A. (2012). Design of a patient-centric, service-oriented health care navigation system for a local health integration network. Behaviour & Information Technology, 31(3), 275–285. doi:10.1080/0144929X.2011.563798. Filson, C. P., Hollingsworth, J. M., Skolarus, T. A., Clemens, J. Q., & Hollenbeck, B. K. (2011). Health care reform in 2010: Transforming the delivery system to improve quality of care. World Journal of Urology, 29, 85–90. doi:10.1007/s00345-010-0609-4 Matthew-Maich, N. (2011). Supporting the implementation and uptake of nursing guidelines: A grounded theory. Canada: McMaster University. Wiegerinck, W. A., Kappen, B., & Burgers, W. (2010). Bayesian Networks for Expert Systems: Theory and Practical Applications. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-11688-9_20 Read More