Edith Gonzalez - Nursing
Every day, a patient in a clinic waits for a nurse and oftentimes they find none. Across the globe, nursing is at its breaking point, and yet it remains key to a functioning healthcare system. According to the World Health Organization, there are 29.8 million nurses worldwide yet there is a shortage of 5.8 million, specifically in lower and middle-income countries. The consequence of understaffing extended far beyond delayed care. It has affected nurses personally. Nurse burnout, fuelled by high workloads, and systemic neglect, is pervasive. In a meta-analysis of 85 studies including nearly 298,000 nurses, burnout was associated significantly with lower patient safety, medical errors, and lower patient satisfaction. This burnout undermines nurse retention, mental health, and their performance in the field. Performance that is necessary for patients' well-being. How can this be resolved? To begin with, health systems must invest i...