The potential practice problem is nurses’ burnout and consequential deterioration in care provision processes. Nurses’ burnout has been implicated in several provider-related errors. Nurse burnout is attributable to role overload, conflict, and ambiguity in the responsibilities among nurse staff. This problem can be solved adequately by nurse staff scheduling and by increasing the number of nursing staff in the acute care unit.
According to (Stimpfel et al., 2016), nursing staff scheduling has been implicated in nurse burnout, patient dissatisfaction, and poor quality of care. Nurse burnout attributable to poor scheduling is due to nurse staff having to work longer shifts and in an environment where individual staff responsibilities and roles are not properly defined. Nursing staff shortage has also been implicated in nurse burnout. Short staffing in nursing care provision processes remains a critical issue in various healthcare settings. Short staffing has been implicated in longer than usual shifts as well as work overload, as evident in higher nurse-to-patient ratios. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
Research findings by (Rizany et al., 2019) reveal the significance of proper nurse scheduling in eliminating burnout among nurse staff. These findings indicate that adopting a staffing and scheduling model that utilizes patient acuity rather than the number of patients in scheduling nurses has been shown to significantly reduce nurse burnout and enhance patient satisfaction in nursing services. Patient acuity models assign nursing staff to patients based on the individual patient’s healthcare needs.
Another research finding by (Cimiotti et al., 2016) reinforces the significance of adequate nurse staffing in enhancing care provision systems. This research indicates that adequate nurse staff, as informed by smaller nurse-to-patient ratios, have been implicated in improved care delivery, patient satisfaction, and better clinical outcomes. Adequate staffing confers considerable benefits in eliminating nursing burnout and improving the contact time between nurses and patients. This, in turn, optimizes the care provision processes.
Resolution of these problems requires the adoption of proper staff scheduling as well as increasing nursing staff. These strategies adequately eliminate nurse burnout. Their utilization will, therefore, be evident in improved clinical outcomes and inpatient satisfaction. Evaluation of the effectiveness of these strategies will be based on parameters such as readmission rates, morbidity, and mortality. Reduction in all these indicates care optimization. Sustaining these practices will require a concerted approach between the nurse staff and the hospital’s administration. Nurse staff will be required to adhere to the provisions of the schedules, while the administration will be required to fund the addition of staff.
Cimiotti, J., Aiken, L., Sloane, D., & Wu, E. (2016). Nurse staffing, burnout, and healthcare-associated infection. American Journal Of Infection Control, 40(6), 486-490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2012.02.029