Abstract:

The healthcare has been on the forefront of the news and the mind of many people, therefore, the fact that we have a nursing shortage has everyone uncertain about the future of healthcare. This shortage is especially alarming as we’re faced with baby boomers who are living longer, as well as the Affordable Healthcare Act which increases the number of uninsured individuals, which leads more people in need of getting their health checked. Most importantly, patient safety is at risk resulting in medical errors that otherwise would never have happened. Nurses are also feeling dissatisfaction within their careers and many nurses across the country do not think positively about their field. It is important to control the nurses’ shortage before the negative impacts of the deficiency are too great in damage. Together, hospitals, nursing programs, and the government must all work as a team in order to overcome the nursing shortage. The shortage of qualified health sciences professionals is most often associated with the demand for nursing staff. Indeed, nurses represent hospitals’ largest labor expense, comprising the single greatest component of hospital staff. They are the primary providers of hospital patient care. “Birth and death, and all the various forms of care in between, are attended to by nurses.” There are very few other professions which allow individuals to make such a positive contribution to society. Despite the fact that nursing is meaningful work, the country is facing a nursing shortage that grows more pressing with each passing year. Given their importance in health care delivery, hospitals and other health services facilities must address the reasons behind the growing shortage of nurses.

This study was restricted to only 10 hospitals in Enugu state due to time and finances but there are several hospitals suffering from the same problem in the state.

This study have helped in getting the views of nurses in the state on the causes of nursing shortage and how this shortage have affected their practice.

Keywords: nursing shortage, baby boomers, nursing, nurse- patient ratio, healthcare system and patient.

References:

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