Policy Brief on Shortage of Physicians and Nurses

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Policy Brief on Shortage of Physicians and Nurses

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Context and Importance of the Issue
Critique of Policy Options
Policy Recommendations
References

Executive Summary

The countrys populations average age is increasing, which means that the number of older patients in need of constant medical care is rising, chronic diseases appear and spread. At the same time, a significant number of doctors also resign due to age, and the number of qualified students is not enough to fill vacancies. Moreover, the number of medical faculties graduating qualified specialists is limited.

Hospital workers experience a tremendous burden in working with a large number of patients every day. The availability of medical services will increase the demand for them, which means that doctors will be able to devote even less time to each patient than they can now. As a result, the quality of health care will deteriorate further, worsening the populations health. For these reasons, the government should not only make medicine more accessible but also ensure the conditions for maintaining its high level of quality.

Context and Importance of the Issue

The shortage of doctors and nurses is an issue of not only American hospitals, it is of a global scale. All problems provoking staff shortages and resulting from them are interconnected and continuously worsen the situation. Difficult working conditions and low pay do not attract a sufficient number of young specialists. It is especially acute in rural hospitals and departments with a massive load these are emergency departments. The question of lack of staff, in turn, creates a problem of overload for doctors and nurses, provoking sleep deprivation, and constant fatigue. The lack of recreation affects hospital staffs productivity and their ability to think objectively, creating the prerequisites for making medical mistakes. The combination of these problems significantly reduces the overall level of health care quality.

The roots of the problem lie in the aging of the population, including the medical staff themselves. The growing number of people over 65 increases the demand for medical care more complex and challenging than for young people (Gregory, 2020). A large number of physicians and nurses are also retiring, and, according to the forecasts of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) from 2020, by 2033, the shortage of doctors may be about 140,000 doctors (Boyle, 2020). This forecast was corrected from the results obtained in 2019, as the current pandemic made its edits. Among other factors provoking the gap are a small number of students, insufficient use of hospital staffs potential due to overstated license requirements, and others.

Critique of Policy Options

The complex and high licensing requirements for medical staff do not allow them to expand their activities. So the pandemic 2020 has shown that mitigating requirements can reach and help more patients.
The high cost of studying at higher educational institutions in medicine scares potential students and forces young doctors to look for additional income sources for student loan payments.
Measures to promote health and prevent morbidity are insufficiently effective (Heiser, 2019). The situation is also complicated because many segments of the population do not have access to quality products, and a polluted environment complicates their living conditions.

Policy Recommendations

The government should create more flexible conditions for expanding care that can be provided by nurses and doctors. These actions may unlock their potential and help more patients.
The government can arrange more support for medical students by providing grants and scholarships, creating a more flexible system for paying student loans.
The authorities should devote resources to technology development and train medical personnel to use them. These measures may speed up the admission and recovery of patients.
The authorities can influence citizens living conditions, solve environmental problems, issues of accessibility of quality food products, promote a healthy lifestyle, and solve other problems that impact human health.

References

Boyle, P. (2020). U.S. physician shortage growing. Association of American Medical Colleges. Web.

Gregory, J.G. (2020). Healthcare workforce shortage: Americas next epidemic. Soliant. Web.

Heiser, S. (2019).New findings confirm predictions on physician shortage. Association of American Medical Colleges.

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