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The Effects of Understaffing on Nurses Provision of Standard Care
Introduction
Few healthcare issues are raised as frequently as nurse understaffing is. The combination of an aging population, higher disease prevalence, and an increase in workload has caused a significant shortage of medical workers. The subsequent implication is that greater responsibility is placed on fewer nurses, which inevitably affects how they perform their duties. Ascertaining the exact experiences of the nursing staff is essential in outlining the effects of understaffing. Overall, nurse shortage has three consequences: lower quality of services, higher nurse burnout, and larger spread of infections.
Discussion
The first effect of understaffing is the lower quality of services, which manifests in the inability to account for all demands. Each nurse has to spend less time with each patient due to the necessity to distribute attention between all of them. Subsequently, patients often do not receive care, which would be individualized based on their needs and condition. Practically, it means that some patients are not properly assessed and treated. Overworked nurses are also more prone to making mistakes and missing important symptoms (Mar et al., 2019). In some cases, the result is a longer care period, in other cases, it is suboptimal care or even a negative health outcome. As a result, fewer patients recuperate quickly, and even fewer are satisfied with the provision of care.
The second effect of understaffing is higher nurse burnout, which leads to a highly chaotic work environment and a lack of trust between healthcare workers. Increased workload means that nurses have to manage even more than is already demanded of them. The lack of adequate recovery and constant pressure leads to anxiety, irritation, and emotional decision-making (Amudha et al., 2018). Affected by negative emotions, staff members may communicate in an unclear and even dysfunctional manner. A possible consequence is a wrong medication administered or an incorrect symptom reported. Furthermore, the lack of motivation to work can lead to nurse absenteeism, thus putting even more pressure on those staff members who are working. In all cases, patients receive worse care due to a toxic work environment.
The third effect of understaffing is the larger spread of infections. One of the most important elements of patient care is adequate hygiene and clean equipment. However, as the workload increases, nurses have less time to devote to effective infection control measures. Furthermore, understaffing also implies a lack of personal protective equipment. Combined with the lack of time or willingness to properly clean the environment, the lack of masks, gloves, and other clothes may lead to contamination and the spread of airborne infections (Krein et al., 2018). Not only do they exacerbate the condition of patients, but they also may make nurses sick and unable to perform their duties. In either case, the quality of care becomes worse, as infections may complicate patients diseases.
Conclusion
Altogether, it should be evident that understaffing may lead to suboptimal care, unclear communication, and the spread of diseases. Lower quality of services stems from the lack of time necessary for properly individualized care. Poor communication is the result of a toxic work environment filled with negative emotions and low trust. The spread of infections is the likely consequence of inadequate infection control measures and a lack of protective equipment. As a consequence, healthcare facilities have a large multitude of issues causing poor patient treatment and lower job satisfaction from nurses. Ultimately, understaffing always means a greater workload on fewer people with less compensation and recovery.
References
Amudha, P., Hamidah, H., Annamma, K., & Ananth, N. (2018). Effective communication between nurses and doctors: Barriers as perceived by nurses. Journal of Nursing and Care, 7(3), 1-6. Web.
Krein, S. L., Mayer, J., Harrod, M., Weston, L. E., Gregory, L., Petersen, L., & Drews, F. A. (2018). Identification and characterization of failures in infectious agent transmission precaution practices in hospitals: A qualitative study. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(8), 1016-1022. Web.
Mar, M., Bartosiewicz, A., BurzyDska, J., Chmiel, Z., & Januszewicz, P. (2019). A nursing shortagea prospect of global and local policies. International Nursing Review, 66(1), 9-16. Web.
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