More Related Content Similar to Nursing Capstone Paper Sample (20) Nursing Capstone Paper Sample2. Introduction
Asofthemoment,staffingisconsideredasahotissueamongnursesindifferent
hospitals.Thesefacilitiesarebeingfrequentlyunderstaffed.Itisveryimportanttofix
thisproblembecauseofitshugeimpactonthesatisfactionlevelsamongpatients,as
wellastheirsafety.Needlesstosay,ahospitalcannotoperatewhenthepatientsno
longerwanttogotherebecausetheydonotreceivethelevelofcarethattheyexpect
anddeserve.Itisalsohighlydangeroustoputthelivesofpatientsatrisk(Department
ofLaborintheUS,2014).Theaimofthispaperistoresearchthereasonsrelatedto
understaffinginhospitals,andtheirimpactonpatientcarunderstaffinginhospitals,andtheirimpactonpatientcare.Solutions will also be
presentedinordertohelpinfixingtheproblem,withimplementationsthatwillbedone
ontheunit.Thispaperwillalsolookatthecurrentviewsofemployeesregarding
patientcare,anditsrelationtostaffing.Theprimaryhospitalinvolvedinthisstudyisthe
OhioHospital.
ReasonstoUnderstaffing
Oneofthereasonsofunderstaffingamonghospitalsisnursingshortage.However,it
hasbeendiscoveredthattherearemoreregisterednursescomparedtonursingjobs
intheUSA.Howhasthisresultedtoanunderstaffing?Intheyear2007alone,about
49%ofhospitalfacilitieshavereportedthattheyarehavingdifficultieswhenitcomes
torecruitingnewregisterednursescomparedtotheirrecruitmentprocessesin2006
(Malone&Hughes,2011,p.340).Atthesametime,therearehighturnoverrateson
medical-surgicalunits.Adifferentreasonisthatseveraloftheseregisterednursesare
notnothiredonlyforinpatientunitsamonghospitals.Assuch,fastergrowthisalso
expectedeveninnon-hospitalfacilities,includingphysician’shomehealthcare,offices,
aswellasoutpatientunits.Thisisbecauseofthewayinwhichthehealthcareindustry
isevolving.Processesthatusedtobecompletedinhospitalsarenowdoneinphysician
officesandoutpatientunits.Atthesametime,elderlypopulationarenow gearing
towardsreceivingcareintheirhomes.Thiscanfurtherresulttoadecreaseinthe
availabilityofregisterednurseswhoaresearchingforworkinahospitalsetting.
3. Anotherreasonishassomethingtodowithfinances.Mosthospitalorganizationsare
followingastrictbudget.Theincreaseinfederalandbudgetdeficitsinthestatehave
furtherresultedtoanincreaseinthepressureforallorganizationsinthehealthcare
industrytoreducecost.(Thompson,2011).Forthisreason,differenthospitalsalsoneed
toimplementcostcuttingmeasures.Cuttingasmallpercentageonpersonnelbudget
canalreadyresulttohugesavingsonthepartofthefacility.This,however,hasnegative
impactsonpatientcare.
RReferences
Malone,N.,&Hughes,H.(2011).Missedopportunitiesinnursingcareandstaffing.
NursingQualityandCareJournal,28(2),240-243.
Thompson,B.(2011).Managementfunctions and leadership roles in nursing.
Philadelphia,PA:WilliamsInc.,Press.
DepartmentofLaborintheUS.Occupationalmanagementhandbook.Registered
nurses.NewYork:2014.Web.http://www.dl.gov/art/Healthcare/RegisteredNurses.htm