Which of the following are major concerns associated with the present nursing shortage? (Select all that apply.)
a. Patient safety
b. High patient acuity
c. High nurse-to-patient ratios
d. High stress among nurses
e. High recruitment incentives
ANS: A, B, C, D
Patient safety is a concern, because errors are more common when nurse-to-patient ratios are high. Patients in hospitals are sicker than previously. High patient acuity requires increasingly skilled nurses, and the high-acuity patient requires more nursing time; neither may be available during a nursing shortage. Errors increase when one nurse has a patient load that is so large that care is rushed. Nurses leave the workforce as a result of high stress; this worsens the shortage. High recruitment incentives are not considered major concerns associated with the shortage of nurses.
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