NHS-FPX6008 Assessment 2: Needs Analysis for Change

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Assessment 2: Needs Analysis for Change

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Assessment 2: Needs Analysis for Change

Supply and demand health economic issues have dire consequences on the community, workers, and health care organizations. Thus, there is a need to address the issue by implementing solutions that can effectively prevent the high demand and low supply in healthcare. Thus, this assessment summarizes the supply and demand health economic issue, the socioeconomic disparities that exist, evidence-based regarding the need to address the issue, as well as predicted outcomes and opportunities from the implemented plan.

Summary of The Chosen Economic Issues, And Its Impact On Work, Organization, Colleagues, and Community

The chosen health care economic issue is the supply and demand caused by inadequate health care resources, such as the workforce, compared to the high demand for health care services. This issue is evident from the data by the World Health Organization (WHO), which indicates that there are around 29 million nurses worldwide and 2.2 million midwives, with an estimated shortage of 4.5 million nurses and 0.31 million midwives by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2024). This issue has great implications for the work, organization, and community, as it affects the ability to provide quality healthcare services. For example, the shortage subjects the workers to burnout due to overworking, while health care organizations are overwhelmed by the high demand for healthcare services beyond their capabilities (Rarani, 2025). Also, the organizations are confronted by high employee turnover, as the unfavorable conditions push many to leave the sector. Thus, colleagues' mental and psychological well-being are greatly affected, which also leads to unemployment as a worsening situation forces them to leave their jobs.

Socioeconomic or Diversity Disparity That Exists: How the Economic Issue Impacts a Particular Group

There is a socioeconomic gap in the impacts of supply and demand economic issues among young mothers in need of care and maternity services, with those from low-income and rural areas greatly affected. This disparity is caused by limited healthcare resources in rural areas, as well as regions with minority groups whose income levels are lower. According to Nuako et al. (2022), rural populations in the U.s have heightened mortality rates for various chronic diseases compared to the urban populations, which is linked to various factors, including limited access to healthcare providers and healthcare encounters. A study by Gizaw et al. (2022) shares similar findings, noting that people living in rural and remote areas have limited access to health care services, which is attributed to geographical and financial inaccessibility, inadequate funding, inconsistent medication supply, and equipment and personnel shortages. This data linked the high mortality rates among the rural population to supply and demand economic issues, where the available healthcare resources are not enough to address the needs of the population. Moreover, a study by Hayanga et al. (2021) shows that there are ethnic inequities and inequalities in healthcare use and care quality due to the unequal accessibility of healthcare services among minority groups. This issue can be linked to supply and demand issues, where healthcare resources are not equitably distributed. Thus, supply and demand economic issues have a great impact on the young mothers from rural areas and minority populations.

Findings of Evidence-Based or Scholarly Sources Regarding the Need to Address the Chosen Issue and Pursue Potential Change of Implementation Plan

There is a need to address the supply and economic issues by increasing the funding and resource allocations in healthcare to enable it to address the staff shortage. Thus, there is a need to pursue potential change by advocating for increased budget in the health sector to meet the rising demand for health care services linked to population growth. The implementation plan will support the need for increased staff through more resource allocation to mitigate issues like medication errors and other safety issues caused by staff shortage. Findings from various sources reveal that staff shortage has negative implications for health care. According to the study by Al-Suwailem (2021), a few medication errors were reported in a pharmacy, where there is no shortage of pharmacists. Similarly, Naseem et al. (2024) assert that the shortage of health care professionals has great implications for patient safety and the quality of care offered. These aspects show that there is a need to increase healthcare staffing to address the workforce shortage and improve the quality and safety issues caused by the problem. In addition, a report by Boniol et al. (2022) indicates that the global health workforce stock and distribution are a threat to the implementation of equity and universal health coverage. This study revealed that the 2016 global strategy on human resources for health estimated that by 2030, there will be a shortage of 18 million workers in healthcare (Boniol et al., 2022). This data shows there is a need for more staffing in health care to mitigate this expected shortage. Furthermore, Ballout (2025) reveals that there is a mental health crisis in the health workforce worldwide due to burnout, fatigue, and workforce shortage, which disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Hence, the data show that supply and demand economic issues should be addressed to protect the well-being of the workers and the community at large.

Predicted Outcomes and Opportunities for Growth Due to Proposed Change or Implantation Plan

Implementing the proposed change of increasing resource allocations to the health care sector to address the workforce staffing shortage due to supply and demand economic issues would provide great opportunities for growth and outcomes. One of the predicted outcomes is improved access to quality health care services due to the availability of sufficient resources that align with the needs of the people. As a result, the well-being and health of the people will greatly improve as they will be able to access preventive care and interventions to address the healthcare challenges (Wei et al., 2024). In addition, the health care facilities would not be overwhelmed, enabling them to provide quality and improved care. Consequently, providing preventive care will allow treatment and control of decisions, ensuring a healthy population that is highly productive (Liu & Liu, 2022). The productivity will contribute to economic growth and development, as resources that could have been channeled into the treatment of diseases are used to support economic activities.

Conclusion

Supply and demand health economic issues greatly affect the vulnerable people in society, especially the minority and those in rural areas, where there are limited health care resources. There is a socioeconomic gap in the impacts of supply and demand economic issues among the young mothers in need of care and maternity services, as evident from scholarly sources. The issue has a great impact on the quality and safety of the health care services, and harms the workers. Thus, there is a need to address it to overcome these implications. Increasing staffing is the proposed solution, which has potential for promoting economic growth through improved productivity. Also, the solution will increase the accessibility of healthcare services, especially among vulnerable people.

References

Al-Suwailem, A. K. (2021). Effect of the pharmacy staff shortage on the medication safety. Issues in Biological Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research. https://doi.org/10.15739/ibspr.21.007

Ballout, S. (2025). Trauma, mental health workforce shortages, and health equity: A crisis in public health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(4), 620.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040620

Boniol, M., Kunjumen, T., Nair, T. S., Siyam, A., Campbell, J., & Diallo, K. (2022). The global health workforce stock and distribution in 2020 and 2030: a threat to equity and 'universal 'health coverage? BMJ Global Health, 7(6cc

Gizaw, Z., Astale, T., & Kassie, G. M. (2022). What improves access to primary healthcare services in rural communities? A systematic review. BMC Primary Care, 23(1), 313.cc

Hayanga, B., Stafford, M., & Bécares, L. (2021). Ethnic Inequalities in Healthcare Use and Care Quality among People with Multiple Long-Term Health Conditions Living in the United Kingdom: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12599. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312599

Liu, W., & Liu, Y. (2022). The impact of incentives on job performance, business cycle, and population health in emerging economies. Frontiers in public health, 9, 778101.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.778101

Naseem, S., Naseem, S., & Amir, Z. (2024). Effect of staff shortage on patient safety and quality of care. Annals of Human and Social Sciences, 5(4), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.35484/ahss.2024(5-IV)16

Nuako, A., Liu, J., Pham, G., Smock, N., James, A., Baker, T., ... & Chen, L. S. (2022). Quantifying rural disparity in healthcare utilization in the United States: analysis of a large Midwestern healthcare system. PLoS One, 17(2), e0263718.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263718

Rarani, S. A. (2025). Nursing workforce in collapse: A narrative review of global shortages, burnout, and the future of health system resilience. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 100938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2025.100938

Wei, N., Wang, Z., Li, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang, J., Huang, Z., & Wang, X. (2024). Improved staffing policies and practices in healthcare based on a conceptual model. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1431017. ‌https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1431017

World Health Organization. (2024, May 3). Nursing and midwifery. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nursing-and-midwifery