Summary
One of the challenges for healthcare providers is nursing shortage. It is connected to numerous factors, such as the work environment, job satisfaction, and others (Seren Intepeler et al., 2019). This issue belongs to the category of leadership since it is a responsibility of medical facilities. Meanwhile, it leads to the emergence of risks, such as adverse patient outcomes. In this case, the quality of care and safety are affected (Jarrar et al., 2018). This aspect relates to community as there is a significant number of stakeholders involved. Therefore, it is important to propose solutions to the first problem, nursing shortage, to improve the second area, home patient outcomes.
Description
Problem and Setting
The issue of nursing shortage requires particular consideration due to the worsening of this situation. Initially, it emerged because of employee aging and the decreasing number of births alongside the unfavorable work environment as per the perception of young employees (Marć et al., 2019). As a result, job dissatisfaction and burnout led to high turnover rates among the nursing personnel (Nantsupawat et al., 2017). Consequently, this problem negatively affected patient outcomes in different settings but can be efficiently observed in particular cases. For example, the patients receiving care at home were reported to have higher readmission risks within thirty days (Werner et al., 2019). This outcome is explained by the fact that they receive lower quality medical services as the nurses have no time for performing this duty (Kunz & Minder, 2020). Therefore, these two issues are intertwined and should be resolved separately for improving the situation for both healthcare employees and their patients.
Description and Effects
The first problem, nursing shortage, can be assessed through organizational commitment contributing to career choices. Researchers claim that this aspect defines employees’ intention to change a job, and it consists of several components (Seren Intepeler et al., 2019). Thus, nurses’ perspectives are determined by their participation in management, managers’ attitudes and leadership qualities, and communication among employees at different levels (Seren Intepeler et al., 2019). Hence, the challenge can be addressed only through elaborating measures for these separate areas. In turn, the second problem, adverse patient outcomes in the home setting, derives from nursing shortage and their lack of opportunities (Jarrar et al., 2018). For example, the gap in home nursing care for children is connected to insufficient hours for employees to visit them and delays stemming from this condition (Weaver et al., 2018). In this way, the situation can be changed by addressing these two issues.
Significance of the Topic and Solutions
Eliminating the risks deriving from nursing shortage is significant for employee satisfaction and patient outcomes. To make a change, facilities should regularly assess and address their workers’ needs to attract more young specialists (Daniel & Smith, 2018). This method should be complemented by training, which improves their attitudes as per the recent study (Price & Reichert, 2017). As for the results of home patient care, which depend on nurses’ actions, they are important for maintaing the population health. In this regard, policymakers should develop the guidelines for performing this work on the basis of patient-centered care as the main theoretical approach (Ortiz, 2020). It is especially important at the times of crises and for elderly people, as can be seen from their experience with care during the pandemic, and can improve their outcomes (Kunz & Minder, 2020). Thus, the solutions include continuous assessment of nurses’ needs and training alongside promoting patient-centered care in the home setting.
References
Daniel, K. M., & Smith, C. Y. (2018). Present and future needs for nurses. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 23(1).
Jarrar, M. T., Rahman, H. A., Minai, M. S., AbuMadini, M. S., & Larbi, M. (2018). The function of patient‐centered care in mitigating the effect of nursing shortage on the outcomes of care. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 33(2), e464-e473.
Kunz, R., & Minder, M. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: Palliative care for elderly and frail patients at home and in residential and nursing homes. Swiss Medical Weekly, 150(1314).
Marć, M., Bartosiewicz, A., Burzyńska, J., Chmiel, Z., & Januszewicz, P. (2019). A nursing shortage–A prospect of global and local policies. International Nursing Review, 66(1), 9-16.
Nantsupawat, A., Kunaviktikul, W., Nantsupawat, R., Wichaikhum, O. A., Thienthong, H., & Poghosyan, L. (2017). Effects of nurse work environment on job dissatisfaction, burnout, intention to leave. International Nursing Review, 64(1), 91-98.
Ortiz, M. R. (2020). Patient-centered medical (health) home: Nursing theory-guided policy perspectives. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(1), 91-96.
Price, S., & Reichert, C. (2017). The importance of continuing professional development to career satisfaction and patient care: Meeting the needs of novice to mid-to late-career nurses throughout their career span. Administrative Sciences, 7(2).
Seren Intepeler, S., Esrefgil, G., Yilmazmis, F., Bengu, N., Gunes Dinc, N., Ileri, S., Ataman, Z., & Dirik, H. F. (2019). Role of job satisfaction and work environment on the organizational commitment of nurses: A cross-sectional study. Contemporary Nurse, 55(4-5), 380-390.
Weaver, M. S., Wichman, B., Bace, S., Schroeder, D., Vail, C., Wichman, C., & Macfadyen, A. (2018). Measuring the impact of the home health nursing shortage on family caregivers of children receiving palliative care. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 20(3), 260-265.
Werner, R. M., Coe, N. B., Qi, M., & Konetzka, R. T. (2019). Patient outcomes after hospital discharge to home with home health care vs. to a skilled nursing facility. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(5), 617-623.