NR 520 Module 4 Assignment_Application of Nursing Theory Essay..

2 Introduction Human Nursing Theory theories provide a foundational framework which helps guide evidence-based practice in healthcare, especially in nursing. These theories offer a structured approach to understanding and addressing patient care, helping nurses make informed decisions and developing effective interventions, leading to better patient outcomes and quality of care. Internal organization data that is currently available on staffing shortages leading to poor patient outcomes may include metrics such as patient-to-staff ratios, incident reports, quality improvement programs, patient safety dashboards, nurse turnover rates, length of stay, readmission rates, and specific incidents such as medication errors or falls. The patterns seen in this data indicate a correlation between an increased workload and frequency of incidents, which suggests a possible relationship between staffing insufficiency and patient safety concerns. Also, increased workloads can result in burn- out, missed care, and errors, ultimately affecting overall patient safety and care. This paper will further explore the issue of nursing shortages, highlighting the factors contributing to it, and introduce a theory to inform a proposed approach to addressing this issue. The theory will then be applied to develop concrete strategies and interventions, outlining how they can be implemented to improve nursing workforce retention, recruitment, as well as increase patient safety and quality of care overall. Description of Issue or Problem The critical issues of inadequate staffing and unsafe patient-nurse ratios are a global concern with serious implications for not only patient safety and overall outcomes, but also nurse burn-out, emotional exhaustion, and job dissatisfaction. Insufficient 4 fewer/no adverse events, shorter hospital stays, lower readmission rates, and improved patient satisfaction. According to Lasater, KB. et. al, “When nurses care for fewer patients at time, they are able to spend more time at each patient’s bedside, and as a result, patients are less likely to experience an adverse outcome such as a hospital-acquired infection, poor glycemic control, readmission and even death”. “The clinical benefits of nurse staffing have primarily been studied in adult medical and surgical populations but have also been observed in special populations including babies in neonatal intensive care units and children; and may also be key to reducing racial disparities in outcomes” (2021). Nursing Theory Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring offers a valuable framework for addressing the challenges associated with nursing staff shortages, especially on units with higher demands, such as med-surg floors. This theory focuses on relationships as a whole, the well-being of nurses, improving patient care, and promoting a supportive and caring environment. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of the nurse-patient relationship and its impact on the individual’s holistic well-being. A study conducted by Lasater, KB. et. al. in 2021 found that, “each additional patient added to a nurse’s workload is associated with 16% higher deaths. Also, average length of hospital stay is higher in hospitals with worse nurse staffing. Each additional patient added to a nurse’s workload increases by 5% the odds of patients staying a day longer in the hospital, adding millions of dollars each year to hospital costs in the