The nursing shortage: a threat to patient care

There is no single cause of the problem, rather several key factors contributing to the growing shortage.

According to Miller and Dr. Ilana Chertok, professor and assistant director of Nursing Research and Scholarship in OHIO’s College of Health Science and Professions, highlights include nursing and patient issues, working conditions, workplace violence, the impact of COVID. -19 epidemic and education.

“As nurses age, they leave clinical and academic positions without being replaced by the next generation of educated and trained nurses,” Chertok explains. and related diseases that increase their health needs. The increase in chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease, increases the burden on the health system, including the workforce. ”

According to Miller, the nursing shortage, which first emerged in the late 1990s, is expected to reach critical levels by 2025, with a huge gap between the demand for nurses and the available workforce.

“We were already facing a shortage due to the retirement of the baby boomers, the generation that created the greatest demand as they got older,” Miller added. “But the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this crisis, and many nurses are leaving the profession, especially those working in intensive care settings where the pressure and demands are very high. Nurses who were leaving the field they were mid-career, a critical group of experienced professionals who not only provide care but also mentor new nurses. Losing this group has been devastating, creating that cycle lack of nurses young people and the experienced nurses needed to guide them. This shortage is having a devastating effect on health services across the country as they struggle to provide adequate patient care.”

Chertok also states that high patient values ​​for nurses cause heavy workloads, increased risk of burnout, reduced job satisfaction and high work rates.

“There is a lack of administrative support, difficult working conditions, and a lack of resources,” he said. “Disparities in health resources, limited expertise and specialized care, and low wages in rural and underserved areas worsen working conditions and increase the risk of burnout. This is a very difficult challenge in rural and inaccessible areas.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused a sudden increase in the demand for nurses, workload, stress and stress levels, not to mention the high risk of infection for nurses working in medical facilities. which affected nurses and other members of the health care team.

“The nursing shortage in Ohio is exacerbated by a variety of interconnected issues, many of which became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Dan Skinner, professor of health policy at OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, said. “This period highlighted long-standing problems such as burnout, harassment at work, and insufficient respect and compensation for nurses. For many, COVID-19 has acted as a “canary in the coal mine,” pointing to serious health system problems. ”

In addition to the above factors, the lack of nursing faculty reduces the ability of students that schools can accept and reduces the impact of health research and education. According to Chertok, a growing shortage of low-wage facilities, a declining number of faculty completing research or academics and an aging nursing faculty nearing retirement are increasing the number of enough nursing faculty members available to help teach and educate the next generation of nursing professionals.