Nurses take up the bulk of the healthcare industry. They play a critical role in the successful running of our healthcare systems. However, due to their great demand, we are now experiencing a nursing shortage. This is detrimental to providing the best possible healthcare to all patients. The welfare of patients will be compromised if healthcare facilities are understaffed with nurses.

Also, overwhelmed nurses may overlook some details or be unable to engage with their patients fully. This results in dissatisfaction among patients when it comes to the performance of the nurse. These are some of the issues that medical staffing agencies, such as those providing healthcare staffing in Massachusetts, aim to help address.

Read on to learn some of the effects of inadequate nurse staffing on patient outcomes and the healthcare industry in general.

• Negative patient outcomes
  If healthcare facilities don’t keep an appropriate number of nurses on shift can endanger the patient’s safety. If nurses are overworked, they can experience fatigue or burnout, which can affect their capacity to focus on their tasks, resulting in medical errors, absence of engagement, and missed nursing care. Among the negative consequences of these are the rise of in-hospital deaths, an increased risk of infection, an increase when it comes to postoperative complications, and a higher number of falls.
• Burnout among nurses
  If certain healthcare facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities, are understaffed, the amount of work is the same and will now fall to the fewer nurses who will normally have longer work shifts. This can result in mental, emotional as well as physical health breakdown. Sick or injured nurses can be absent from work which worsens the problem.
• Decreased patient satisfaction
  The lack of nurses in healthcare facilities like nursing facilities can definitely affect patient satisfaction. According to research cited by the British Medical Journal, bad patient impressions regarding nursing care are linked to missed care, which may result due to a nursing staff shortage.

Healthcare organizations provide and maintain a work setting that’s effective and supportive for nurses. It’s recommended by the American Nurses Association (ANA) that employers give nurses a chance to work together to create staffing schedules that are flexible for their units. A nursing staffing agency such as ours can help address inadequate nurse staffing. 

At Best Choice Agency Inc, we have an excellent pool of highly proficient healthcare professionals such as registered nurses, certified nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, phlebotomists, and other nursing professionals to fill your medical staff needs.

Feel free to contact us about our medical staffing agency in Worcester, Massachusetts.