Introduction
Professional practice issues, such as the nursing shortage, put patients at risk and make it harder for nurses to follow established protocols. Patients’ well-being and the likelihood of their death when hospitalized are both affected by the nursing shortage. Patients suffer from the nursing shortage in two ways: more missed care and increased infections contracted while in the hospital.
A high ratio of patients’ requirements to the number of nurses available causes nursing staff to experience burnout. Due to scarcity, many nurses are experiencing burnout; specifically, 45% report physical exhaustion and 51% report mental exhaustion (Lasater et al., 2021). Since there are not enough nurses to meet the rising demand, patients end up with more work, leading to burnout and unsafe ways to get their jobs done.
Interest and Purpose
The nurse shortage is chosen as the issue based on the quantity of research and evidence-based statements regarding the problem’s effects on clinicians, patients, and the organization’s finances. My first-hand experience with the COVID-19 pandemic nurse shortage piqued my interest in this subject. If the health sector wants better patient outcomes and more nurses to stay in the field, it needs to fix this problem and close the practice gap it creates.
As was the case globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital where one of my relatives was admitted had a shortage of nurses. Staff members did not perform their duties adequately and spent less time with patients due to the increased workload. The subsequent decline in care quality and patient and nurse dissatisfaction was a direct result of the nursing shortage.
Treatment requirements that are either not addressed at all or only handled partially fall under the category of missed care; this includes ambulation and mouth care. Pressure ulcers and atelectasis are among the many consequences of patients not receiving the care they need (Soósová, 2021). Higher patient acuity, experienced nurses’ departure from the profession, and pandemics like the recent COVID-19 outbreak contribute to the shortage. Pandemics lead to infections and deaths of some nursing staff and cause others to quit for fear of their lives. These challenges have persisted in the healthcare sector despite repeated calls for change.
Background and Significance
Although the healthcare sector has long been concerned about a shortage of nurses, the current pandemic has brought the problem to a critical level. This study proposes further investigation into the causes of the nursing shortage and potential solutions to address the problem, to protect patients and nurses alike. Insight into the topic and a deeper exploration of the issue, with potential interventions and solutions to retain nurses and prevent a worsening shortage, are encouraged.
The gap in practice to be addressed is how burnout among nurses compromises patient safety, and how to address it without necessarily increasing the number of nurses. The healthcare sector faces challenges in providing high-quality patient care due to significant nurse shortages (Soósová, 2021). Due to most nurses being overworked, patient care has suffered.
Higher expectations for newly graduated nurses, problems with nurses performing excellently, and decreased patient safety have all resulted from unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios. Due to time constraints, many registered nurses use workarounds to complete their drug administration tasks. Nevertheless, the risk of malpractice suits and medication errors endangering patients is real and rising.
Yoon et al. (2022) reported statistics on pharmaceutical mishaps resulting from workarounds in administration. According to Yoon et al. (2022), 60% of adverse events were related to patient deaths, and 40% were related to pharmaceutical choices that were deemed unsuitable. Efforts are being made to address burnout among nurses by teaching them stress management and self-care skills.
Research and Evidence-Based Practice
Besides enhancing working conditions and patient outcomes, research can influence evidence-based practice by assessing social interactions, optimizing patient safety, facilitating patient-centered care, improving quality of life, and investigating healthcare economic challenges. The purpose of nursing research is to gather evidence on topics related to nurses and the people they care for. The goals of this clinical research will be to enhance patient health and well-being and to direct nursing practice.
Increased patient safety despite hazardous nurse-to-patient ratios and improved nurse safety in accordance with practice standards can be achieved through evidence-based nursing practice, which this field of research will contribute to. The evaluated interventions can be included in evidence-based practice, may save money and resources, and ensure the safety of both patients and practitioners (Soósová, 2021). To find out why many aspiring nurses are considering abandoning the field, this study will use a PICO question to help the researcher identify the issue and address the challenges that arise.
Conclusion
Attributable to nurses quitting the profession owing to burnout, the nursing shortage has progressed from an emergency to a crisis. Many nurses resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms because of dealing with stress and burnout. Patient and clinician safety are affected by the professional practice issue discussed in this research. In developing the solution, the researcher will rely on evidence-based practice. A shortage of nurses threatens the healthcare system, making this an important subject. Clinicians have an ethical obligation to care for their patients and themselves; failing to do so will lead to rising burnout and subpar patient care.
References
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., French, R., Martin, B., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing legislation: An observational study. BMJ Open, 11(12).
Soósová, M. S. (2021). Association between nurses’ burnout, hospital patient safety climate and quality of nursing care. The Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 12, e1307-e1319.
Yoon, S., Cho, S. I., Shin, S., Lee, W., Ko, Y., Moon, J. Y., & Lee, H. J. (2022). An analysis of judicial cases concerning analgesic-related medication errors in the republic of Korea. Journal of Patient Safety, 18(2), e439-e446.