Nursing Shortage Analysis of a Pertinent Health Issue Essay

Nursing Shortage Analysis of a Pertinent Health Issue Essay

Analysis of a Pertinent Health Issue: Nursing Shortage

Describe the national healthcare issue and its impact

Nursing shortage is a significant national healthcare issue in the USA, and across the world, with widespread implications for patient care, the well-being of healthcare workers, and healthcare costs. The USA is experiencing a shortage of nursing personnel, an issue that has been exacerbated by burnout following the Covid-19 pandemic, increased healthcare demands, and an aging population. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that 59.4 full-time equivalent nurses are required per 10,000 population, but only about 10.26 full-time equivalent nurses are available per 10,000 population in the USA. The rural areas and underserved areas are especially hard hit by the nursing shortage (Al Mohajer, 2023).

The nursing shortage has a significant impact on healthcare. It leads to higher healthcare costs as organizations must meet the nurse demand gap through travel and temporary nurses, who increase operational costs (Bae, 2022). In addition, it causes denied and delayed services as medical facilities are forced to reduce services or close units due to insufficient staff (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2023). Besides that, it causes increased workload for existing staff, contributing to further turnover, absenteeism and burnout. Additionally, it compromises patient safety and care quality, as lower nurse-to-patient ratios lead to more errors and reduced quality of care (Galanis et al., 2023).

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Brief summary of two articles on the healthcare issue

Al Mohajer (2023) presents the results of a policy brief that identified the nursing shortage as a national issue in the USA, and suggests strategies for addressing the issue. The author notes that the nursing shortage being experienced in the USA is caused by suboptimal service delivery, insufficient research, flawed technologies, inadequate governance, poor financial design, and workforce market mismatch. The article makes recommendations for addressing the nursing shortage, including investing in relevant research, developing a robust preparedness plan for addressing public health emergencies, strengthening nursing education, including nursing in health technology design, changing payment structures and policies, investing in nursing well-being, and strengthening the nursing role in advancing equity Nursing Shortage Analysis of a Pertinent Health Issue Essay.

Tamata and Mohammadnezhad (2023) present the results of a systematic review exploring the factors that affect the nursing shortage. The study notes that the nursing shortage is caused by a combination of factors, including nurses’ stress and burnout, nursing staff turnover, barriers to training and enrolment, and policy and planning barriers. The authors recommend that these factors be addressed to reduce the nursing shortage.

Strategies used to address the organizational impact of the healthcare issue

Three strategies are identified for addressing the nursing shortage and its organizational impact. First, changing payment structures and policies to ensure nurses are reimbursed for their efforts in teleservices, school nursing, team-based care, and care coordination. Second, investing in nursing well-being by providing resilience and well-being programs, and a safe work environment. Third, investing in nursing education by increasing funding for staff attending nursing school and faculty salaries, and expanding scholarships and loan programs. Having pipeline programs that encourage those with an interest in nursing to pursue a nursing career program, and supporting bridge programs (Al Mohajer, 2023). Fourth, implementing nurse retention strategies that ensure nurses are not overworked, presenting attractive working conditions and providing adequate support. The retention strategies help to improve nurse-to-patient ratios, support mental health and wellness programs, and offer competitive salaries and benefits (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2023). Nursing Shortage Analysis of a Pertinent Health Issue Essay

References

Al Mohajer, M. (2023). Understanding the Gap Between Nursing Workforce in the United States and Population Needs-A Policy Brief.
Avicenna journal of medicine, 13
(4), 206–214.
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1775724

Bae S. H. (2022). Noneconomic and economic impacts of nurse turnover in hospitals: A systematic review.
International nursing review, 69
(3), 392–404.
https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12769

Galanis, P., Moisoglou, I., Katsiroumpa, A., Vraka, I., Siskou, O., Konstantakopoulou, O., Meimeti, E., & Kaitelidou, D. (2023). Increased Job Burnout and Reduced Job Satisfaction for Nurses Compared to Other Healthcare Workers after the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy), 13
(3), 1090–1100.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13030095

Tamata, A. T., & Mohammadnezhad, M. (2023). A systematic review study on the factors affecting shortage of nursing workforce in hospitals.
Nursing open, 10
(3), 1247–1257.
https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1434
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