[Verified Answer]: Deana Jamel is the new clinical nurse…

Deana Jamel is the new clinical nurse supervisor on a 65-bed intermediate care unit for a large community-based hospital in Washington, DC. She notices that there is a wastage of supplies on her unit, quality indicators are low, and staff members are complaining that they are exhausted when they leave their tour of duty. Nurse Jamel evaluates the care delivery system that is in place and notices that because of the large size of the unit, nurses are assigned to clients on both sides of the hall and, at times, on either end. She also notices that many of the tasks that the nurses are busy doing could be completed by a well-trained nurse’s aide. Nurse Jamel wonders what she should do or say and to whom, when she notices a memo from the chief executive officer that the hospital is experiencing financial problems and that measures will be taken in the near future to correct this. At her first meeting on day 1, the unit nurses complain that exhaustion and confusion is their greatest frustration. To begin with, which written document belonging to her facility should Nurse Jamel consult to understand fully why things are in such chaos, and what support may already exist for making changes? Provide rationale for your answer. Nurse Jamel is able to implement some immediate changes on her floor by ensuring that the team once again complied with printed procedures (including staff tasks delegation and equipment lists, which helped eliminate supply waste). As a result, the administration asks her to join a task force for hospital-wide improvements and the design of a new care delivery system. Which existing model should she recommend as best to meet current health care challenges? Why? What are the priorities that must be kept in mind in today’s health care environment?