U.S. hospitals have been making progress in dealing with the nurse shortage, but the country is still likely to face a deficit of around one million nurses by the year 2012, according to a new study that appeared in the journal Health Affairs on Monday. Researchers at the Center for Studying Health System Change report U.S. hospitals are using a variety of approaches, including nurse education programs and competitive salary packages, in response.
The survey of hospital administrators suggests that some hospitals are becoming less reliant on temporary staff, choosing instead to develop internal solutions such as training programs and flexible just-in-time scheduling systems that allow existing staff to cover the shortfall. The researchers say changes are needed on the national level to address the problem.
- see this article from Health Affairs