The impact of mandatory overtime on the quality of care, family planning strategies for a patient with HIV.

The impact of mandatory overtime on the quality of care

Mandatory overtime in health care is one of the key concerns that is still being deliberated on. With understaffing problems biting a high number of hospitals. Many health institutions have turned to mandatory overtime as the best option to bridge the gap. Nurses are forced to work for up to 40 hours a week. This option affects the quality of health care.

Working overtime causes fatigue, burnouts, and cognitive impairment. This leads to errors during operation. Needle-stick injuries are common when the nurses are exhausted. Leading to an increase in emergency cases and readmissions. Apart from that, nurses who are forced to work overtime, lack job satisfaction and some of them end up quitting.  This is because it denies them time with family and friends.

According to New York City Health and Hospital reports, paying nurses for work done during overtime is expensive. Some nurses end up pocketing more overtime payments than their annual pay. Such expenses burden the patients and the taxpayer. According to the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative, working overtime should be reduced to improve health care provided by health care professionals and improve the health of both the patients and the health practitioners.

Family planning strategies for a patient with HIV/AIDS

According to the World Health Organization close to 42 million people are living with HIV/ AIDS, 50% of them are women.  70% of these women are sexually active. They deserve to be educated on ways to plan their families in terms of childbearing and child spacing. There is a wide range of contraceptives that people use, these include; injections, implants, condoms, and pills.

Given that people living with HIV/AIDS can easily transmit the disease. Family planning methods such as implants, injections, and pills are not advisable particularly for discordant couples. The best family planning methods for people living with HIV/AIDS include; male condoms, female condoms, diaphragm, vimules, and caps.

The correct use of male condoms prevents contact between semen and vaginal fluid. The incorrect use of male condoms can lead to HIV/AIDS transmissions. Female condoms are more effective compared to male condoms. Their vaginal exposure level is 3% compared to male condoms which are at 11%. Female condoms also have a lower possibility of leaking. Diaphragm and vimules are not recommended for discordant couples. This is because a large part of the vaginal wall remains exposed increasing the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS to male partners.

References  

Griffiths, Peter, et al. “Nurses’ shift length and overtime working in 12 European countries: the association with perceived quality of care and patient safety.” Medical care 52.11 (2014): 975.

Garrett, Connie. “The effect of nurse staffing patterns on medical errors and nurse burnout.” AORN journal 87.6 (2008): 1191-1204.

Shade, Starley B., et al. “Cost, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of integrated family planning and HIV services.” Aids 27 (2013): S87-S92.