Researchers studied the impact of the nursing shortage on patient outcomes

A new study has found that a shortage of nurses increases the risk of medical problems and mortality among patients.

Specifically, the study found that a shortage of nurses and nursing assistants was associated with an increased risk of complications in surgical units, including infections and other adverse post-operative outcomes.

“The safety of patients undergoing surgery is of primary importance and is rightly given high priority in the development of appropriate systems, policies and procedures,” Paul Meredith, lead author of the study and senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, UK, pointed out in a statement.

He added: “This study is another reminder that workload is also a major risk factor and that the risks to surgical patients persist beyond the immediate surgical period. Adequate nurse staffing on wards is vital to ensure the safety of patients undergoing and recovering from surgery.”

Researchers analyzed data on surgical patients and staff from nearly 214,000 hospital admissions across four English National Health Service (NHS) sites between April 2015 and February 2020.

The results of the study were published in the British Journal of Surgery.

The study found that a shortage of registered nurses and nursing assistants increased the risk of re-hospitalization by 2.3 percent, while a shortage of nursing assistants alone increased it by 1.4 percent.

Staff shortages were also associated with a 4.8 percent increase in deep vein thrombosis, a 5.7 percent increase in pneumonia, and a 6.4 percent increase in pressure sores, which are particularly common in surgical patients.

Meanwhile, the risk of mortality increased by 9.2 percent for each day of a shortage of registered nurses and 10.3 percent for each day of a shortage of nursing assistants.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there was a 62 percent increase in the number of absences of health workers in Europe during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was also reported that nine out of ten nurses expressed their intention to leave work during this period, and more than 80 percent of them reported a psychological crisis.

In addition to the pandemic, nurses are also facing numerous challenges in their work.

According to the Royal College of Nursing’s 2021 Employment Survey, 56.8 percent of nurses were considering or planning to leave their positions.

The reasons varied, but the most common were feeling undervalued and being under too much pressure.

In addition, a report by the European Federation of Nurses (EFN) emphasizes that unsafe working conditions force nurses to reduce their working hours.

According to the report, nurses in Europe face various forms of violence, including verbal and physical assaults as well as sexual harassment.

For example, up to 30 percent of nurses in countries such as Denmark, Portugal, and the UK reported experiencing sexual harassment at work.

Violence was found to come not only from patients, but also from family members and other health care workers, with up to 41 percent of nurses reporting abuse from medical colleagues.