Nursing Shortage Affecting Healthcare Services Badly - Assignment Example

The aim of this study was to find out nurses’ perspectives on the causes and impact of nurse shortage in healthcare. Therefore, it seemed only natural to obtain their viewpoints through a questionnaire. Informed consent was sought from all the participants who had to fill out the questionnaires and also from the Institutional Review Board. This has served to ascertain that all the participants agreed to offer feedback voluntarily without any form of compulsion and coercion. The IRB was to ascertain that the methods used in the research were commendable.

The participants were assured of confidentiality and anonymity when they consented to the study. Files related to their information and responses were password protected. A lot of literary sources support the findings of this study. One study has shown that the shortage of nurses results in a longer wait for the patients, reduced quality of delivery of care to patients and delay in providing emergency services. Some studies have also indicated that the shortage of nurses is a result of economic regression which will not last for a longer period.

This might indicate why nurses are not satisfied with the pay packages and compensation. According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, the nursing shortfalls are involved in the 19% of medical errors that result in serious injuries and about 85% of nursing home lack skilled and professional nurses to deliver even the basic care to patients. This is consistent with the replies of the nurses of this study, who complain that the shortfall of staff has affected healthcare very badly.

From this research I learnt that the research design should give room for procedural changes and delays. In my project delays were caused due to sudden appointment of the nurse subjects on duty.