Many healthcare financial decisions have a direct effect on nursing practice and patient care delivery. What are the ethical implications of these financial decisions? Discuss and explain two specific ways to involve nursing staff in financial planning. Peer 1 Response: Lauren Van Hemelrijck posted        The ethical implications of financial decisions that have a direct effect on nursing practice consist of the reduction in available money that is spent on staffing in order to ensure there are appropriate ratios at all times as well as cutting costs related to specific equipment and or tools needed to perform our jobs. Specific nurse to patient ratios have been implemented in some places however, it is not currently the norm regardless of numerous studies that have been conducted and shown that the higher the ratio the worse a patient's outcome. Although facilities will save a substantial amount of money when they cut down on staff, which is why they often choose to do so, an immoral and unethical act in and of itself, the end result effects the patients in often times very negative ways. If patients are having poor experiences they are either not likely to return because they are afraid the care that they receive will continue to be less than adequate or they will have to return due to complications that could have been prevented had there been an appropriate nurse to patient ratio when they were being cared for. As a study on this very subject has found "there is already a significant amount of empirical evidence showing the relationship between certain individual and organizational characteristics of hospital nursing and patient outcomes. These characteristics include nurses' level of education, patient-to-ratios, percentage of RNs among all nursing staff (skill mix), and the nurse practice environment" (Simonetti, 2019, p. 79).        Often times, more expensive equipment makes our jobs easier because it is more efficient and or effective. If we begin to "cut corners" in these ways it will undoubtedly have a direct impact on how well we are able to perform our jobs in certain situations. This is unethical because equipment could mean the difference between accuracy and efficiency among other things. This then means that it could then make or break a patient's outcome. If safety is compromised it is completely inappropriate to substitute equipment that might be unsafe thus putting the patient at an increased risk for illness or injury. This is not only incredibly unethical, it will have an all around negative impact on the facility's reputation and financial standing in the long run. Nurses should have a say in how money is spent because they are often times the most knowledgeable about all of the above. One article that looks at lifting equipment or lack there of states that "the results indicate that fewer than 12 percent of the responding nurses told us they have a "No Lift Policy". More than 85 perfect of hospitals have some type of.

1. Many healthcare financial decisions have a direct effect on
nursing practice and patient care delivery. What are the ethical
implications of these financial decisions? Discuss and explain
two specific ways to involve nursing staff in financial planning.
Peer 1 Response:
Lauren Van Hemelrijck posted
The ethical implications of financial decisions that have a
direct effect on nursing practice consist of the reduction in
available money that is spent on staffing in order to ensure there
are appropriate ratios at all times as well as cutting costs related
to specific equipment and or tools needed to perform our jobs.
Specific nurse to patient ratios have been implemented in some
places however, it is not currently the norm regardless of
numerous studies that have been conducted and shown that the
higher the ratio the worse a patient's outcome. Although
facilities will save a substantial amount of money when they cut
down on staff, which is why they often choose to do so, an
immoral and unethical act in and of itself, the end result effects
the patients in often times very negative ways. If patients are
having poor experiences they are either not likely to return
because they are afraid the care that they receive will continue
to be less than adequate or they will have to return due to
complications that could have been prevented had there been an
appropriate nurse to patient ratio when they were being cared
for. As a study on this very subject has found "there is already a
significant amount of empirical evidence showing the
relationship between certain individual and organizational
characteristics of hospital nursing and patient outcomes. These
characteristics include nurses' level of education, patient-to-
ratios, percentage of RNs among all nursing staff (skill mix),
and the nurse practice environment" (Simonetti, 2019, p. 79).
Often times, more expensive equipment makes our jobs
easier because it is more efficient and or effective. If we begin

2. to "cut corners" in these ways it will undoubtedly have a direct
impact on how well we are able to perform our jobs in certain
situations. This is unethical because equipment could mean the
difference between accuracy and efficiency among other things.
This then means that it could then make or break a patient's
outcome. If safety is compromised it is completely
inappropriate to substitute equipment that might be unsafe thus
putting the patient at an increased risk for illness or injury. This
is not only incredibly unethical, it will have an all around
negative impact on the facility's reputation and financial
standing in the long run. Nurses should have a say in how
money is spent because they are often times the most
knowledgeable about all of the above. One article that looks at
lifting equipment or lack there of states that "the results
indicate that fewer than 12 percent of the responding nurses told
us they have a "No Lift Policy". More than 85 perfect of
hospitals have some type of lifting device, most of which are
slides for lateral transfers. Alarmingly, 46 perfect of nurses that
responded have been injured lifting or moving a patient in the
workplace" (Nurses, 2011, p. 13). This is extremely
discouraging, especially in this day and age. This issue not only
effects patients but nurses as well.
References
Nurses reveal how patient handling is unsafe. (2011).
Massachusetts Nurse Advocate, 82(6), 12–13. Retrieved from
https://search-ebscohost-
com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=10
4526003&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Simonetti, M., Aiken, L. H., & Lake, E. T. (2019). Nursing in
Chilean Hospitals: A Research Agenda to Inform Health
Policies and Improve Patient Outcomes. Hispanic Health Care
International, 17(2), 79–88. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/1540415318819475

3. Peer 2 Response:
Caitlin Stephens posted
According to Roussel, Thomas, and Harris (2016), “personnel
accounts for the largest portion of the nursing budget” and is
therefore the easiest target for budget cuts (p. 175). For this
reason, one of the most implicitly affected aspects of nursing
practice is staffing. Numerous studies have shown the effects
of staffing on patient safety and satisfaction, failure to rescue,
and quality indicators like hospital acquired infections (HAIs)
and (HAPUs). Nurses in one study listed multiple concerns
about being short-staffed due to budget constraints that included
the psychological toll they experienced: moral distress, strained
workplace relationships, and burn-out (Humphries & Woods,
2016).
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
requires that organizations demonstrate how clinical nurses are
involved in decision making as part of receiving Magnet
designation. One way to do this is through involving nurses in
financial planning. Unit managers should collaborate with the
nurses on the floor to assess equipment needs for the upcoming
fiscal year. Last year, our hospital spent $15,000 on new patient
discharge folders; meanwhile, our floor (“surgical telemetry”)
did not have a functioning EKG machine. We would have to run
to another unit to grab an EKG even during a rapid response.
That fiscal decision did not settle well with our staff, but after
considering the larger picture and learning more about the
hospital budget, I can now understand why that happened.
Another way to involve clinical nurses in the budget is to be
transparent about the cost of quality indicators. Nurses should
be informed how much was lost during a year, or a quarter, due
to undesirable conditions, such as HAPUs or catheter associated
UTIs. While clinical nurses may have limited input on the
personnel budget, they can provide feedback and offer
suggestions for maintaining or improving productivity within
the budget. In addition, each nurse should accept accountability
for their role and ensure that their time on the clock is utilized

4. appropriately.
Humphries, A., & Woods, M. (2016). A study of nurses’ ethical
climate perceptions: Compromising in an uncompromising
environment. Nursing Ethics, 23(3), 265–276. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/0969733014564101
Roussel, L., Thomas, P., & Harris, J. (2016). Management and
leadership for nurse administrators (7th ed.). Burlington, MA:
Jones and Bartlett.