No Such Thing As Safety Without Nurses
Addressing the Nursing Shortage: A Call to Action for Patient Safety Awareness Week
As we approach Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 13-19), clinicians and health systems are called to focus on their institutional safety culture and practices that support improved patient outcomes.
What is at Stake?
The National Patient Safety Goals for Hospitals identified by the Joint Commission for 2022 highlight specific areas for improvement, such as "improve staff communication" and "use medicines safely." While these goals are crucial for quality clinical care, ask any healthcare provider what's keeping them up at night, and their answers align globally: poor staffing.
Before March 2020, there was an estimated worldwide nursing shortage of 6 million nurses. While all frontline healthcare professions are feeling the squeeze of the Great Resignation, nursing's effect on patient outcomes is most widely studied. Before the pandemic, the shortage was due to a rapidly retiring older demographic with insufficient new grads to fill vacancies. Now, two years later, the problem persists, compounded by a mass exodus of nurses due to overwhelming burnout.
A recent survey of over 9,500 US nurses by the American Nurse’s Foundation (published October 2021) found that 50% of respondents were considering leaving their positions in the next 6 months. One-quarter of those nurses intended to leave by April 2022.
Just months after that survey, health systems are reeling from staff losses. It's hard to watch the news or read the newspaper without mention of the problem.
When surveyed nurses were asked why they were leaving their positions, their motivations were clear:
47% said work negatively affected their health and well-being
41% cited staffing shortages
31% mentioned a lack of support from their employer during the pandemic
25% felt unable to consistently provide quality care
Despite other public claims, burnout is the research-based source of nursing resignations.
What Do Nurses Need?
In America, nurses are consistently voted the most trusted profession. Their dedication to patients and families is unquestionable. Throughout the pandemic, they've held the frontlines, showing up without fail at risk to their own safety and health.
So how can we help them recover and bounce back stronger than before?
A vast body of evidence from the past 20 years demonstrates an incontrovertible link between adequate nursing resources and patient outcomes. Necessary nursing resources include proper equipment and supplies, safe staffing ratios, and overall staff satisfaction. Happier nurses in healthy environments equal safer hospitals and better patient outcomes. The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, founded by Dr. Linda Aiken at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has been instrumental in providing research-based recommendations to improve outcomes by targeting hospital working environments. Research-based safe-staffing ratios championed by the Center have been implemented in states like California and countries worldwide. Institutions that follow safe staffing ratios and prioritize nursing satisfaction save money and see better patient outcomes.
As we move into March and celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week, thank a nurse or frontline worker for their dedication to patient care, but also ask them what they need to do their job safely. We can't talk about patient safety in 2022 without discussing healthcare work environments and staff retention. The data already exists to show healthcare systems what to fix to make hospitals safer for staff and patients. A post-pandemic world is a great place to start.
About the Author
Kelly Convery is the Clinical Quality Manager for Keriton. She’s a registered nurse with over 15 years of healthcare experience, primarily in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She has been active in quality improvement projects and implementing best practice initiatives throughout her career.