NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX4000 Developing a Nursing Perspective

Prof. Name

Date

Analyzing a Current Healthcare Problem or Issue

Healthcare Workforce Shortage

The shortage of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and support staff, is a critical issue impacting healthcare institutions. This workforce gap leads to increased workloads, stress, and fatigue among healthcare providers, contributing to higher turnover rates. As healthcare workers, particularly nurses, leave their roles due to burnout, both patient safety and care quality are compromised. Research has shown that interventions such as improved compensation, optimized scheduling, and access to professional development opportunities are crucial to improving retention rates. Additionally, integrating technologies like telehealth services can alleviate some of the burden on healthcare workers, enhancing both efficiency and the quality of patient care (Jonasdottir et al., 2022). Addressing this shortage requires proactive measures from healthcare administrators to safeguard both patient outcomes and staff well-being.

Implications of the Shortage

The insufficient number of healthcare professionals presents significant challenges for healthcare facilities. Hospitals and clinics are struggling to meet the increasing demand for medical services, resulting in overburdened staff and compromised patient care. The stress caused by excessive workloads contributes to high turnover rates, with nurse attrition in the United States reaching approximately 27.65% annually (Bae, 2023). Studies also highlight a direct link between nurse staffing levels and patient mortality. For instance, research conducted in a Swiss university hospital revealed that insufficient staffing of registered nurses increased the odds of patient mortality by 10%, whereas adequate staffing reduced mortality rates by 8.7% (Musy et al., 2021). These findings underscore the importance of adequate staffing to maintain both care quality and patient safety.

Addressing the Issue

To address the healthcare workforce shortage, healthcare leaders must implement targeted, evidence-based strategies. Increasing wages and improving working conditions, such as manageable scheduling, have been proven to reduce staff turnover and improve job satisfaction (Zhang et al., 2024). Offering professional development programs further supports career advancement and encourages long-term retention. In rural areas, financial incentives, such as housing allowances and salary increases, are effective in attracting and retaining healthcare professionals (Witter et al., 2021). Failing to address these issues will result in continued burnout, higher patient mortality rates, and deteriorating healthcare service quality. Further research on staffing policies, technology integration, and long-term retention strategies is essential to overcome this crisis.

Healthcare Workforce Shortage Table

Category	Key Insights	References
Healthcare Workforce Shortage	The shortage of healthcare workers, particularly nurses, leads to stress, burnout, and patient safety risks. Retention strategies include improved salaries, enhanced work conditions, and training programs.	Jonasdottir et al. (2022)
Implications of the Shortage	High nurse turnover rates (27.65% annually) impact care quality. Research links low staffing to increased patient mortality.	Bae (2023); Musy et al. (2021)
Addressing the Issue	Effective solutions involve raising wages, optimizing work schedules, and providing professional development opportunities. Rural healthcare benefits from financial incentives to attract and retain staff.	Zhang et al. (2024); Witter et al. (2021)

References

Bae, S.-H. (2023). Comprehensive assessment of factors contributing to the actual turnover of newly licensed registered nurses working in acute care hospitals: A systematic review. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01190-3

Jonasdottir, S. K., Thordardottir, I., & Jonsdottir, T. (2022). Health professionals’ perspective towards challenges and opportunities of telehealth service provision: A scoping review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 167, 104862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104862

Musy, S. N., Endrich, O., Leichtle, A. B., Griffiths, P., Nakas, C. T., & Simon, M. (2021). The association between nurse staffing and inpatient mortality: A shift-level retrospective longitudinal study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 120(103950), 103950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103950