Introduction Staffing shortfalls in the medical community have been noted since the turn of the century (Coss, 2009). There are not enough professionals being adequately trained to handle the increased demand for complex health care (Stock, McDermott, & McDermott, 2014). Many hospitals experience nursing shortfalls due to this shortage. However, some shortfalls result from the hospital's inability to financially maintain adequate staffing. Hospitals experienced a sharp decrease in funding sources following the financial crisis of 2008 (American Hospital Association, 2008). The repercussions of these decreases are still felt seven years later as hospitals attempt to recover from the crisis.
Statement of the Problem Chief Financial Officers…show more content… The researcher uses naturally formed or pre-existing groups (Baltimore County Public Schools, 2015). The study groups are nurses that work on well-staffed shifts and those that work on chronically understaffed shifts. This portion of the study will measure the effect of high patient volumes on the burnout levels reported by emergency department nurses. Nurse workload will be measured using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) scale. This score derives from a daily evaluation that estimates the proportion of time that nursing staff is required to spend assisting the patient during a work shift (Daud-Gallotti, et al., 2012). The statistical workload will either support or contradict the nurses' assertions of their working conditions. The nurses' reports will be compared to conclude a causal link between nurse workload and burnout. In making this determination, other variables must be controlled or disclosed to ensure validity (Baltimore County Public Schools, 2015). The relationship between patient satisfaction and nurse staffing levels will also be measured using a causal-comparative study. Satisfaction levels of patients seen during well-staffed shifts will be compared to those of patients seen on understaffed shifts. In the absence of other determining factors, the link between staffing and patient satisfaction can be
