Problem In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues.

 

Nurse staffing levels in hospital settings is directly associated with patient outcomes. Nurse shortage occurs when there are too few nurses caring for a large number of patients. Nursing shortage increases mortality rates and the likelihood of medical errors. The problem affects nurses, patients, organizations and the healthcare system, Often, when nurses have too much to do, there are incidences of missed care, which affects overall patient care outcomes. The problem of having too few nurses and too many patients overwhelms the ability of nurses, and as a result patients are unable to receive the appropriate care, which leads to negative health outcomes (Griffiths et al., 2018). Also, the shortage of nurses leads to stress among nurses, further contributing to burnout and the lack of interest and motivation. Additionally, low staffing levels affects the organizations, since adverse patient outcomes lowers the credibility of an organization, while increasing the costs of handling the arising problems. People may also lose trust in the healthcare system. If not addressed, nursing shortage within hospitals will continue to negatively impact patient care, which will undermine the primary purpose of the healthcare system.