Typically, the five-priority setting framework help in assigning priorities to the most pressing situations in a healthcare setting. In the framework, the factors that pose the greatest threat to the patient are treated as urgent while those that represent minimum to mild effects are treated as secondary concerns (Marquis & Huston, 2017). The priority setting is also helpful in assigning scarce resources based on patient needs. This framework follows Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. In the healthcare setting, the priority framework is used for decision making in several situations. The first is in ensuring safety and risk reduction. Here, priority is given to the circumstances that pose the highest safety risk to the patient. Where there are several risks, the one with the highest risk profile is treated as the priority. In a clinical setting, the other situation where the priority framework is applied in dealing with acute and chronic conditions. Acute conditions are those that develop abruptly while chronic conditions develop over a while. Therefore, acute conditions treated as a priority based on the high rate at which they develop as compared to the chronic conditions that take time to develop (Marquis & Huston, 2017).
The other technique for coming up with priorities that are used in the healthcare setting is the ABC method. This method involves listing all the patient needs that require attention. These are then assigned alpha-numerical notations based on the urgency (Aacharya, Gastmans, & Denier, 2011). By analyzing the consequences of each task, you can come up with a priority of meeting the needs. Finally, the priority framework is applied in the emergent vs routine assessment debate. Here, the priority goes to the emergent issues, which before their occurrence, no information concerning them is present as compared to the routine assessment (Aacharya, Gastmans, & Denier, 2011).
References
Aacharya, R. P., Gastmans, C., & Denier, Y. (2011). Emergency department triage: an ethical analysis. BMC emergency medicine, 11(1), 16.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application (pg. 9-10) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.