Title: How Nurse Staffing Affects Patient Safety and Satisfaction
Headings: How Nurse Staffing Affects Patient Safety and Satisfaction
How Nurse Staffing Affects Patient Safety and Satisfaction
Why Does Understaffing Occur?
Is There a Link Between Understaffing and Negative Patient Outcomes?
How Does Understaffing Affect Nurses?
Does Inadequate Nurse Staffing Affect Patient Satisfaction?
Why Is Patient Satisfaction Important to the Healthcare Industry?
What Can Healthcare Organizations Do to Improve Nurse Staffing?

Content: Why Does Understaffing Occur? Budget cuts, nurses reaching retirement age and a shortage of nurse faculty to prepare new nurses are just a few reasons for understaffing. Is There a Link Between Understaffing and Negative Patient Outcomes? Healthcare facilities that do not keep an adequate number of nurses on duty can jeopardize the safety of their patients. Overworked nurses may suffer from fatigue or burnout which can impair their ability to focus on tasks. This lack of focus can lead to medical errors, a lack of engagement and missed nursing care. Patients in understaffed facilities face an increased rate of in-hospital mortality, a higher risk of infection, a rise in postoperative complications, and a greater number of falls. How Does Understaffing Affect Nurses? When a healthcare facility is understaffed, the same amount of work falls to fewer nurses who typically end up working longer hours. Doing so with little to no relief can cause a breakdown in mental, emotional and physical health.