Nursing Shortage Leads to Exhaustion, Medical Errors

April 5, 2013 | Crandall & Pera Law
Nursing Shortage Leads to Exhaustion, Medical Errors

Nearly 70 percent of nurses polled in a recent survey admitted that fatigue had made them concerned about their ability to perform during work hours.

An online survey sent to the HealthLeaders Media Council also showed that more than 27 percent of these health care professionals said they had made an error resulting from fatigue, while nearly 65 percent said they had come close.

Much of the blame for exhausting work schedules could be placed on manual scheduling processes that lack visibility into the larger staff scheduling picture and offer alerts to compliance with staffing policies or regulatory requirements.

Nearly 40 percent of survey respondents also cited inadequate staffing levels as a concern, as the local vacancy rate for registered nurse positions is more than double the rate of unfilled vacancies seen in 2008. Read the full details here:

Exhausted nurses could mean more medical mistakes

There has been a shortage of nurses throughout the country for many years, a situation which has led to understaffing and the hiring of many nurses who were poorly or quickly trained to fill this void. An increase in nursing malpractice and medication errors, as well as poor communication to physicians has occurred as a result of these issues.

If you have been injured due to medical malpractice please call to investigate your matter fully. Crandall & Pera Law is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.