Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Impact of the Nurse Shortage on Hospital Patient Care: Comparative Perspectives
Introduction
Nurse shortage is one of the major challenges that face the health care system today. The nursing shortage has severe consequences that affect the well-being of nurses and their ability to provide quality care. In addition, it affects hospital capacity, health care processes, the efficiency of health care systems, nursing practice, and the overall efficacy of the health care system (Aiken et al., 2002). Patient safety and early detection of health complications are two of the most critical areas that are affected by nurse shortage. Nurses, chief executive officers, and chief nursing officers hold different views and perspectives that serve as obstacles to the proper resolution of the nurse shortage problem. The article under review describes a study conducted to evaluate the effects of nurse shortage on hospital patient care. The researchers explore areas such as hospital capacity, patient safety, and provision of timely, effective, efficient, and patient-centered care.
Background of Study
Nurse shortage is a very serious problem that the American health care system is currently dealing with and trying to find a lasting solution. The delivery of quality care requires the concerted efforts of many health care professionals because it is complex and challenging. Different health workers (registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and physicians) play varied roles in care delivery. Therefore, a shortage of professionals in any of the aforementioned groups is detrimental to the quality of patient care. The issue of nurse shortage is significant to nursing because it has a direct effect on the quality of care delivered and the wellbeing of nurses as well as patients (Aiken et al., 2002). An insufficient supply of nurses has severe consequences that include stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction, high employee turnover, work overload, and poor performance (Buerhaus et al., 2007). On the other hand, there is a relationship between nurse shortage and poor patient outcomes such as mortality, high operation, and labor costs, long hospitalization periods, and ineffective patient care. The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of nurse shortage on hospital care. The objective was to determine whether nurse shortage has any effect on team communication, patient care delivery, hospital capacity, the ability of registered nurses to work, and provision of timely, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, and safe care (Buerhaus et al., 2007).
Method of Study
The research study adopted a quantitative study method. Surveys were sent to registered nurses, CEOs, CNOs, and physicians in different hospitals. The research design included a collection of data from participants through 4-page survey instruments and analysis of data using SPSS version 11.5 (Buerhaus et al., 2007). Each survey contained information that was specifically tailored to each of the groups studied. However, some of the questions in the survey documents were similar. The sample included 657 registered nurses, 445 medical doctors, 222 chief nursing officers, and 142 chief executive officers (Buerhaus et al., 2007). Therefore, the study had 1466 participants. The surveys were sent to the participants through email. They were given options to either respond by email or visit a secure website that had been developed for the study. The researchers sent five emails to non-responders to encourage them to participate in the study (Buerhaus et al., 2007). Other incentives such as paid-for training programs and entry into draws were also used to encourage participants to respond.
Results of the Study
The study found out that there was a prevalent and severe shortage of nurses that had a negative impact on care delivery and hospital capacity. 81% of physicians, 74% of chief nursing officers, 82% of registered nurses, and 68% of chief executive officers reported that there was a severe shortage of nurses (Buerhaus et al., 2007). Only 19% of physicians and 13% of nurses reported sufficient supply (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The results also showed that nurse shortage had an adverse impact on the provision of patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and efficient care (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The shortage also affected care delivery and hospital capacity negatively. The findings have certain implications for nursing. First, they demonstrate the need to develop team communication and collaboration for enhanced patient safety and improved quality of patient care. Second, they show how the various perceptions of workers in the health care sector affect care delivery. These perceptions influence the participation of nurses in decision-making and organization as well as the delivery of patient care (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The findings have a great impact on nursing practice, education, and administration. The results provide vital information that can help nurses to improve their practice through collaboration. On the other hand, it provides administration teams with information on the importance of involving nurses in decision making, and the organization and delivery of nursing care. The information can be used to mitigate the problem through increased collaboration, interdisciplinary teamwork, and education on safety improvement in hospitals. The effects of nursing shortage on patient care and nurse wellbeing is a critical part of nursing education (Aiken et al., 2002). The findings can be incorporated into the curriculum used for training in nursing schools. Nurses play a key role in ensuring the safety of patients in hospitals (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The results of the study can play an important role in educating nurses and other professionals to change their perspectives regarding the definition of patient safety threats. Schools of nursing could use the findings to develop courses that focus on improving patient safety by inculcating specific professional competencies.
Ethical Considerations
Each of the surveys was approved by the Institutional Review Board. The privacy of the participants was protected because participation was voluntary and any personal information was collected or used with their consent. The discretion of the participants was respected and nobody was coerced to take part. Participation was voluntary and a personal decision.
Conclusion
Nurse shortage is one of the challenges that the health care system faces in the delivery of care. Job dissatisfaction, work overload, burnout, stress, reduced performance, employee turnover, and high emotional exhaustion are some of the adverse effects of nurse shortage in hospitals. Health care professionals have varied perspectives regarding the effect of nurse shortage on care delivery. For instance, CEOs do not fully comprehend the role that nurses play in detecting patient complications or improving patient safety. Therefore, they leave them out of the decision-making processes and organization of nursing care. The findings of the study are significant to nursing because they provide information that can be used to improve nursing practice, education, and administration. Studies have shown that nurses timely reaction to patient complications lowers mortality rate and increase patient overall wellbeing. The research design used ensured that the study was carried out properly and biases were minimized. The results of the study have several implications for nursing. They can be used to influence nursing practice, education, and research. Implementation of the findings can help administrators and nurses to mitigate the problem of shortage by enhancing collaboration and incorporating them in nurse training programs.
References
Aiken L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. H. (2002). Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(16), 1987-1993.
Buerhaus, P. I., Donelan, K., Ulrich, B. T., Norman, L., DesRoches, C., & Dittus, R. (2007). Impact of the Nurse Shortage on Hospital Patient Care: Comparative Perspectives. Health Affairs, 26(3), 853-862.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.