The Story of James, Bill, and the Treatment Team

The infusion center at Carbondale Regional Hospital provided transfusion services for a number of patients. Today, James Williams was coming for a treatment. James suffered from sickle cell anemia, an inherited red blood cell disorder that causes significant pain. He received a blood transfusion every few weeks, and each time he was unruly, unkempt, and mean to the nursing staff. Knowing James was coming, the unit manager, Rachel, decided she would personally meet him this time as he came to the center, to get to know his side of things a bit better and shield the nursing team from his usual behavior.

Rachel walked into the unit only to find James already there and upset. It was not long before Bill, the hospital’s manager of patient relations, was notified that James was unhappy and he also arrived on the scene. James told Bill that the nurses had refused to treat him and told him that he would have to come back another day. James had paid transportation to get to the hospital and now would have to come up with the money to return. In addition, because the transfusion takes much of the day, James had been offered a meal to eat during the procedure; but the staff member who brought it had stuck her thumb in the food as she served it. James was not happy.

Bill offered James’s meal and transportation vouchers for his return visit. He vowed to find out why James had been refused treatment and offered to get in touch with James the next day to see what could be done.

That afternoon, Bill met with Rachel and the staff of the unit to learn their side of the story and to support them where he could. He barely made it into the room before the staff was complaining loudly of Bill’s actions. They reported that James was again threatening and mean when he arrived. Only one of the nurses was even willing to work with him. They said he had waited too long to come in after being checked to see if the blood he was getting was the right match and that he would have to be tested again—hence the delay in services. They also argued that no one put their thumb in James’s food; the employee’s thumb was only on the tray holding the food. The staff were angry that Bill had supported James and not them. Rachel, who normally supports Bill and his work, was supportive of her clinical team and was among the loudest of the group as they voiced their concerns.

Case Studies:

The student will complete each case study scenario and answer questions from the case studies outlined in the assignment using the guide below. One reference (within the last four years). Address all five areas below.

1. Introduction
2. Present an overview of the key problems and issues in the case.
3. Provide a thesis statement that summarizes your analysis in one or two sentences.
4. Background, key facts, and issues
5. Provide background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues.
6. Tie to class materials, making sure to include how these issues impact the organization and individuals in the organization.
7. Alternatives
8. Outline two possible alternatives.
9. Discuss the critical constraints.
10. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives.
11. Proposed solution
12. Recommend one solution.
13. Explain why this solution was chosen.
14. Support this solution with facts and class materials.
15. Provide personal experiences, if applicable.
16. Recommendations
17. Determine and discuss the specific strategies needed to accomplish the proposed solution.
18. If applicable, define what further information is needed.