U. S. Health Care System’s Reactions to Globalization. In a 2150-2450-word paper, discuss at least three international health care trends and how they affect current U. S. health care system activities. Furthermore, indicate whether the trends are national, organizational, or industrial based. Finally, discuss the reactions of the following U. S. health care system members: • Patients • Providers • Payers • Politicians I have chosen following trends: 1. Shortage of healthcare personnel, e. g. nurses and international professional recruitments; 2.
Scientific innovation and technological advancement can be another good trend to select. 3. Growing requirements for national disaster and epidemic diseases help world wide Discuss these trends in terms of access, quality, and cost; national, organizational, and industrial; and patient, payers, providers, and politicians. Provide references in APA format and include headings and subheadings. Thanks for your hard work. I appreciate your contribution of knowledge. Raja I have observed three global trends that are affecting the US healthcare system. These include:- 1.
Shortage of healthcare personnel such as nurses and international professional recruitments – This has been a major problem which has hit the accessibility, quality and cost. For example, in the state of Ohio, the nurse turnover rate in 2002 was about 11. 3 % and the vacancies were about 11. 7 % (OHA, 2007). In 2006, the nurse turnover rate increased to 13. 5 % and the vacancies were about 5. 1 % (OHA, 2007). The vacancy rates were also high for several categories of healthcare professionals including pharmacist, medical technologist, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, etc.
The main deficiency for a shortage of healthcare professionals is the baby boom, the population burst and the increased felt needs of the population of healthcare. If the current level of shortage is carried on, then by the year 2020, Ohio would have a nursing shortage of about 29 % (shortage of 32, 000 nurses) (OHA, 2007). The department of Veteran Affairs also observed a deficit of about 1, 000 physicians and dentists for the last 10 years (it actually employs about 16, 000 dentists and physicians).
The vacancy rate for physicians has been looming around the 11 % mark and for nurses is about the 18 % mark (Spotswood, 2006). To some extent measures adopted by the organizations and the government have helped control the deficiency of healthcare professionals to a reasonable extent (Spotswood, 2006). The measures include increasing the remuneration, making the employment policy favor the employees and providing greater amount of competition between the hospitals (Spotswood, 2006), have to be adopted to improve the situation.
This shortage is not only felt in the US but right throughout the World where the number of healthcare workers that are the employees of a hospital are getting fewer in number (Spotswood, 2006). In some parts of the World, the problems are even more severe. In fact the shortage of healthcare professionals in healthcare organizations can be categorized into two types, one that exists in developed countries due to the better employment options that exist in the market, and the other that exists in developing countries in which poor healthcare facilities exist (Spotswood, 2006).
The WHO has given certain figures to demonstrate the severity of the problem. It has said that the World has about 6. 5 billion people and about 59. 2 million healthcare workers exist (Pittman, 2007). This leaves about one healthcare worker for every 10, 000 people, which is very poor indeed. In the US, the situation is slightly better. About 10 nurses and physicians exist for every 1000 population. According to the WHO, a minimum of 2. 5 healthcare workers including physicians, nurses and midwives (which form the most important portion) is required for maintaining at least minimal healthcare services (Pittman, 2007).
The situation in about 57 countries is very critical at present (Pittman, 2007). Throughout the world, about 2. 4 million physicians, nurses and midwives are required. The present shortage is more severe than the earlier ones. This shortage is a more long-term problem, whereas the earlier ones were just short-term problems that existed due to a discrepancy and time taken to employ healthcare workers. The present shortage is due to a rapid rise in the population throughout the world. The shortage of healthcare professionals is seriously affecting the US healthcare system.
The need for healthcare services is rising in the US and more and more patients are having negative health outcomes. Besides, as the healthcare workers are getting pressurized with more and more number of patients, they are getting more and more dissatisfied with their jobs, and are often emotionally exhausted. Many people feel that one of the means by which the death of patients in the hospitals could be reduced is by having more healthcare professionals to take care of the patients.
A study conducted by Linda et al (2001) demonstrated that a little less than half of the nurses employed in the hospitals were not satisfied with their profession (AACN, 2004). The nurse shortage was very severe in one out of every 7 hospitals, reaching levels up to 20 % (AACN, 2004). Due to the apparent shortage of nurses, hospitals were recruiting relatively new nurses in vital areas. Hence, the rates of failures, complication and fatal outcomes were higher. More than 50 % of the physicians in the US feel most of the errors during medical care arose due to a shortage of nurses.
This was also the reaction from the public (AACN, 2004). Studies have demonstrated that the shortage of healthcare professionals would make the team that would provide care to the patient incomplete, which reduce their efficiency and effectiveness. As the communication in the team was not effective due to a shortage of nurses, their relationships with the higher authorities (including the management) was not so good. The feelings of the difficulty caused due to a shortage of patients at different professionals in the healthcare system may be different.
Executives and the managers should have a greater amount of interdisciplinary knowledge to understand (Buerhaus, 2007). The shortage of healthcare staff in the health system can affect all the levels at which medical care is provided. For example, in Florida a shortage of physicians at the primary healthcare level is affecting all the other levels of healthcare (Sowti, 2006). The patients, both insured and the uninsured, are also affected. The country often has to adopt a policy by which the shortage has to be counteracted in another way. The nation may end up paying more to counteract such a shortage (Sowti, 2006).