Effects of Nursing Shortage on the Emergency Department Analytical Essay by Top Papers

This paper focuses on the effects of the shortage of nurses in the United States. The paper explains that the nursing shortage in the United States and elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. This paper shall review literature pertaining to the underlying factors behind the nursing shortage and its impact on the emergency department setting. Internal as well as external factors have contributed to the prevailing shortage of nursing staff in many countries apart from the United States. The consequences of this shortage include increased inpatient mortality associated with an increased patient load, burnout and job dissatisfaction and decreased patient satisfaction and patient-perceived health with expectant nursing care, which is often underappreciated by nursing staff. Some solutions include a more aggressive political assertion to recruit and retain nursing faculty, adaptation of short-term solutions in staff allocation and recognition of the invaluable working knowledge of current emergency department nursing staff.