The purpose of this assignment is to explore the dissemination of evidence. Upon completing the research, the author(s) may complete a manuscript for publication. Based on the topic of the PICOT question from week 2, where would you choose to submit your manuscript? This assignment will allow you to explore these possibilities.
Each journal has a set of author guidelines that detail the specific requirements needed to prepare your manuscript for submission. Conferences have similar requirements.
Complete this assignment by writing a 2 to 3 page APA paper, excluding the title page, reference page, and appendices. Do not list/bullet items when writing this paper. You must include two references and the required appendices. Refer to the Dissemination of Evidence rubric for grading details.
PICOT question: Does the shortage of nurses in the United States public and non-profit making hospitals affect service delivery to the patient?
Dissemination of Evidence
Name
Institution
Date
Dissemination of Evidence
Introduction
This paper will look at the issue of nurse shortage and its impact on service delivery to the patient. The PICOT question is: Does the shortage of nurses in the United States public and non-profit making hospitals affect service delivery to the patients? Despite the nurses making a significant section of the nursing professionals, the nursing profession continues to face shortages attributed to high turnover rates and inequitable distribution of the workforce. According to the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) (2021), in the next ten years, there is a likelihood of the registered nurses and the licensed practical nurses meeting the projected demand. The projections are largely linked with the expanding roles for the nurses, population growth, and an aging nursing workforce.
Materials/methods
The data was derived from peer-reviewed resources which have gone through a rigorous appraisal process before publication.
Results
Nursing literature highlights some potential reasons that have been linked with nursing shortages. They include an aging population, aging workforce, nurse burnout, career and family, growth, and violence in the healthcare settings among others. An aging population of above sixty-five years increases the need for healthcare services, especially for chronic illnesses and comorbidities. The increased use of healthcare services can result in a strain on the workforce. An aging workforce including the nurse faculty presents problems like training more nurses with few resources which limits the number of nurses that colleges can generate to fill the gaps. Nurse burnout could also make nurses leave the profession resulting in shortages. Career and family are significant factors to consider that a majority of the nurses are female in their childbearing years. The nurses end up leaving the profession after leaving while others move to new jobs. Violence in the healthcare setting presents a threat to either emotional or physical abuse resulting in a stressful work environment. The nurses barely experience work satisfaction which may result in their leaving the profession to look for safer and more fulfilling professions.
Talsma et al. (2016) assert that nurse shortages are likely to result in the provision of substandard care which would expose the patients to poor health outcomes and increased risks of adverse events. Staffing ratios among nurses is a clinical issue of concern as it significantly affects the work environment and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Public and non-profit health organizations that experience nurse shortages usually have nurses being unable to respond to emergencies, limited ability to rescue as well exposing patients to medical errors. More so, nurse shortages lead to high morbidity rates, nurse burnout, high levels of dissatisfaction, and high mortality rates. Nursing is a highly involved job that requires that nurses get adequate time to attend to patients’ needs, establish a therapeutic relationship, and most importantly design and deliver highly patient-centered care.
Discussion
It is evident from the nursing literature that nurse shortage is likely to affect the delivery of patient care. Nurses as the primary care providers provide a wide range of services and therefore nurse shortage increases their likelihood to provide substandard care while at the same time resulting in work-related stress, lack of job satisfaction, and inability to respond to patient needs on time (Talsma et al., 2016). Nursing literature communicates the need to adopt effective nurse-patient ratios to curb the issue of nurse shortages. Curbing nurse shortage is likely to result in the provision of quality and safe patient care and facilitate the provision of a continuum of care as the patient’s needs change from one phase to the other.
The results, therefore, indicate the need for hospital administrators to realign nurse staffing to improve the nurses’ ability to attend to patient needs and consequently minimize adverse events and potential medical errors. Nurses should be provided support and opportunities for career growth to enhance their skills while at the same time enabling them to move up the career ladder. This will subsequently lower high turn-over rates and job dissatisfaction. Stakeholders in the healthcare sector should therefore strive to work together with the ultimate goal of lobbying for reforms in the sector to oversee the establishment of nurse-patient ratios. The move is likely to result in the employment of more nurses to curb the shortage while n turn resulting in better delivery of patient care.
Conclusion
The nursing staff shortage is a great contributor to the delivery of substandard and unsafe patient care in health facilities. Nurses should have adequate time to attend to the patient’s needs, establish a therapeutic relationship, design patient-centered care and follow up on the patient’s case. With nurse shortage, the above can barely be achieved. Organizations must therefore be creative and proactive in meeting the needs of the nurses while providing the best and safe care to the patients. Workforce empowerment and motivation are likely to result in rejuvenation and sustainability of the workforce.
References
American Association of College of Nursing. (2021). Nursing Shortage. Retrieved 24 October 2021, from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Nursing-Shortage-Resources
Talsma, A., Jones, K., Guo, Y., Wilson, D., & Campbell, D. A. (2014). The relationship between nurse staffing and failure to rescue: where does it matter most?. Journal of patient safety, 10(3), 133-139. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0b013e31829954e2.