Study Document
Pages:4 (1342 words)
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Document Type:Essay
Document:#56131011
The shortage of nursing staff remains a major challenge in the U.S. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2014), the shortage is expected to be even greater in the next one decade or so. The shortage has been fuelled by factors such as reduced enrolment into nursing schools, increased retirement of the nursing workforce, as well as higher demand for healthcare due to population ageing and greater incidence of lifestyle diseases (AACN, 2014).
The shortage of nursing staff has severe implications for the nursing workforce. A high number of patients relative to nursing staff often translate to increased workload for nurses. Indeed, nurses continue to grapple with unhealthily lengthy work shifts, often stretching up to 12-13 hours. It is an issue that has sparked a great deal of debate given the connection between excessive workload and nurse outcomes. Literature extensively demonstrates that excessive workload as a result of insufficient staffing is a significant predictor of stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction amongst nurses (Buchan & Aiken, 2008; Carayon & Gurses, 2008; AACN, 2014). There have even been instances of nurses leaving the profession in search of more fulfilling jobs. The negative effects of inadequate nurse staffing affect not only nurses, but also patients. It may increase instances of medical errors and hospital-acquired infections, as well as worsen nurse-patient and interpersonal relationships, eventually increasing patient dissatisfaction (Carayon & Gurses, 2008). Therefore, nursing staff shortage is an issue that deserves more attention than ever given.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2014). Nursing shortage. Retrieved from: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
Bielecki, A., & Stocki, R. (2010). Systems theory approach to the health care organisation on national level. Cybernetics and Systems: An International Journal, 41(7), 489-507.
Buchan, J., & Aiken, L. (2008). Solving nursing shortages: a common priority. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(24), 3262-3268.
Carayon, P., & Gurses, A. (2008). Chapter 30: Nursing workload and patient safety -- a human factors engineering perspective. In R. Hughes (ed.), Patient Safety and Quality: an evidence-based handbook for nurses. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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