For years, hospital understaffing has created a waterfall of problems for just about every aspect of the medical industry.
It also creates numerous problems for patients, too. Hospital understaffing is a major contributor of medical mistakes made due to negligence, which can lead to malpractice claims.
What creates understaffing
Becker’s Hospital Review discusses the severe state of understaffing across the nation in medical facilities. This has worsened in recent years, where the demand for medical staffing grew while fewer people had any desire to continue working in the field.
Another main component of this is the perpetuation of the burnout cycle. Staff often has too much work thrust upon them due to understaffing, which leads to more people quitting due to burnout. Then, the remaining staff ends up overworked, leading to more burnout and more quitting.
Understaffed hospitals often suffer from a higher rate of medical mistakes and errors. This includes everything from getting a patient’s dose schedule wrong to giving someone the wrong medication entirely.
Neglect and understaffing
Another major issue relates to neglect. When staff does not have enough people to accurately keep tabs on every patient, it is far too easy for some patients to slip through the cracks. This means many may go for a long time in between check-ins, which could potentially prove problematic or even fatal in some cases.
Of course, the burdens of keeping a hospital staffed are not small. However, they do not excuse the injury and harm it can potentially bring upon unsuspecting patients who receive poor care.