Introduction
Medical care is always one of the most essential services for society. This is especially true for rural areas where people have a limited number of health services. If there are situations when it becomes necessary to reduce their numbers, the community can experience serious consequences. The same can be said about the hospital’s organizational climate, which is undergoing transformations. Thus, preventing the provision of services that patients need has a negative effect on the entire community and the internal structure of the medical facility.
Discussion
An example of how the rejection of some services may affect patients and a healthcare institution is the case presented in the article “Obstetrics in Rural, Critical Access Hospitals: Is it Feasible?” by Coulon et al. The authors talk about Bayou Side Hospital, which was of critical importance in maintaining the health of a small rural town with a population of eight thousand people (Coulon et al., 2016). The primary services that were provided to residents were taking care of pregnancy and the birth of a child. It is also noted that the hospital has always taken into account the interests of patients when carrying out its activities, and the financial status has always adhered to average indicators, thereby not causing the need for any changes.
First, when considering the effect of refusal to provide specific medical services, it is necessary to determine the reasons why this happened. Hence, one of the motivators for the changes was financial pressures due to the implementation of obstetric services. Moreover, birth statistics showed that there was “a declining percentage of family physicians who were willing to perform deliveries, rising malpractice insurance costs, and escalating costs associated with staffing and outfitting a fully functioning obstetrics department” (Coulon et al., 2016, p. 2). On the one hand, refusing these services helps preserve the medical institution and will provide an opportunity to direct financial resources to improve. However, the main consequence of denying pregnancy and delivery services to patients is a decrease in healthy birth rates and infant deaths.
Regarding the organizational climate, making changes can make a contribution to employees. Any changes may cause the occurrence or misunderstanding, especially if it concerns rural communities. Thus, resistance may arise, and in more critical cases, employees may decide to leave the workplace, which is highly undesirable for a medical facility. In cases like Bayou Side Hospital, the connection with the community has valuable consideration. This is because the termination of services needed by the population can lead to high public publicity, which may cause dissatisfaction among patients. On the other hand, abandoning some services and refocusing on other areas of hospital activity may also have a positive impact. In other words, transformations can have a positive impact on the efficiency and quality of work of medical personnel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when considering the possible effect of discontinuing needed services, such as labor and delivery, on the community and the hospital’s organizational climate, some factors must be taken into account. Thus, these changes may be motivated by the need to maintain a medical institution to continue its activities, which requires the dissemination of awareness among patients and employees to reduce dissatisfaction. Moreover, it is essential to consider statistics on fertility. Even though this initiative may be met with resistance from the community and the workplace, the refusal of some services may allow the hospital to develop in other areas and improve the quality of public health and the work of medical specialists.
Reference
Coulon, A. P., Biteman, J., & Wilson, M. (2016). Obstetrics in rural, critical access hospitals: Is it feasible? Case Research Journal, 36(3).