Staffing shortages in healthcare are nothing new, but recent events have exacerbated the issue beyond anything we have seen before. Recent studies show that more than 1,000 hospitals across the country are experiencing staffing shortages, with more to be added to the list in the coming months. 21% of all hospitals reporting say they anticipate having critical staffing shortages very soon. It has become a near guarantee that a hospital will experience staffing shortage, which is why facilities are focusing on how to mitigate the effects of limited staff in order to keep morale high and provide the best patient treatment possible. 

In the past, thousands of facilities across the country have utilized hospital whiteboards—placed in patient rooms, nurses’ stations, labs, emergency departments, and other areas—to better track and treat patients during their stay. Their impact on patient satisfaction and care team efficiency is well documented, which is why they make an ideal solution for facilities facing staffing shortages. 

The Impacts of Short-Staffed Hospitals

Staffing shortages can lead to a number of negative outcomes for patients and available staff, including increases in: 

Patient falls: as care teams spend less time with patients, and call lights go unanswered, patients are forced to get out of bed and tend to their own needs, from going to the bathroom to retrieving items from across the room. This significantly increases falls and other risks of injury. 

Medication errors: even the most highly trained hospital staff can make mistakes when they are rushed. Staffing shortages force remaining healthcare workers to move quickly, which can increase the number of medication and other treatment errors that occur. 

Bed sores: when patients are less tended to, they are not moved and/or taken out of bed nearly as much as they need to be. This can increase the chances of them developing bed sores. 

Care team burnout: when staffing is limited, stress can be high. While the remaining healthcare staff generally step up to meet the challenge, working under these conditions can cause burnout over time. 

Patient dissatisfaction: increases in falls, bed sores, medication errors, and a general feeling of not being well cared for will inevitably increase patient dissatisfaction, leading to decreases in HCAHPS scores hospitals receive.