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Description
According to the United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast: A Revisit published in the May/June 2018 issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality, a shortage of registered nurses is projected to spread across the country between 2016 and 2030. Surveyed nurses see the shortage in the future as a catalyst for increasing stress on nurses (98%), lowering patient care quality (93%) and causing nurses to leave the profession (93%) (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2021). A thorough literature review was conducted, and 40 studies were reviewed. Common themes that emerged include: high nurse to patient ratios increased the risk for hospital acquired infections, higher levels of understaffing are associated with higher mistreatment rates, and there is a decrease in patient outcomes associated with nurse understaffing. A set of guidelines have been developed to assist the nursing staff during a shortage of nurses or nursing technicians.
Publication Date
Spring 2021
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Business | Education | Engineering | Higher Education | Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Ross, Abigail; Bradshaw, Alexis; Murphy, Brenna; Jones, Carson; Connelley, Cierra; Nyderek, Haley; Dorton, Hannah; Minton, Morgan; and White, Mary Suzi, "Improving Patient Outcomes With High Nurse To Patient Ratios: A Quality Improvement Study" (2021). 2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations. 49.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/49
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