nursing shortage & qnc

8/3/2019 Nursing Shortage & qNc

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Nursing shortage refers to a situation where thedemand for nursing professionals, suchas Registered Nurses (RN), exceeds the supply,

either locally (e.g. within a given health carefacility), nationally or globally.It can be measured, for instance, when the nurse-

to-patient ratio, the nurse-to-population ratio, or

the number of job openings necessitates a higher number of nurses working in health care thancurrently available.This situation is observed in developed and

developing nations around the world.



Nursing shortage is not necessarily due to a

lack of supply of trained nurses in ajurisdiction. In some cases, perceivedshortages occur simultaneously withincreased admission rates of students

into nursing schools.

Potential factors include: lack of adequatestaffing ratios in hospitals and other health

care facilities, lack of placement programsfor newly trained nurses, and inadequateworker retention incentives



Globally, the World HealthOrganization (WHO) estimates a shortageof almost 4.3 million nurses, physicians andother health human resources worldwide -

reported to be the result of decades ofunderinvestment in health worker education, training, wages, working

environment and management



Increased nurses patient workloads Increased risk for error, thereby compromising patient

safety Increased risk of spreading infection to patients and

staffs Increased risk for occupational injury Increase in nursing turnover, thereby leading to

greater costs for the employer and the health caresystem Increase in nurses' perception of unsafe working

conditions, contributing to increased shortage andhindering local or national recruitment efforts



To ensure quality nursing care within the contemporaryhealth care system, mechanisms for monitoring andevaluating care are under scrutiny.

As the level of knowledge increases for a profession, the

demand for accountability for its services likewise increases.Individuals within the profession must assume responsibilityfor their professional actions and be answerable to therecipients for their care.

As profession become more interdependent, it appears thatthe power base will become more balanced, allowingindividual practitioners to demonstrate their competence andexpertise.

Quality assurance program will helps to improve the quality of

nursing care and professional development.

nursing shortage & qnc

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