The Challenges of Long Working Hours in Nursing

For the past few decades, nurses have been having the challenge of working for long hours. In most cases they are expected to work back to back which compels them to attend work on daily basis with huge loads of jobs. Besides, nurses have also been working for extended hours whenever they are duty making hard for them to have time for resting. Therefore, most of them end up having fatigue that make them cause various medical faults that impact the field negatively.

Challenges of solving long working hours in nursing

This problem has been in existence due to the challenges faced when attempting to rectify it. For instance, there has been few and ineffective systems that govern the working of nurses across the globe. Additionally, places like in the rural areas, the number of health facilities and centers are minimal making people to congest while seeking services of the nurses (Smith, 2016). Besides, the number of nurses has also been very small in various countries in the world. This challenge makes it difficult for the available nurses to work effectively. 

Possible solutions to the problem of nursing

Various agencies and stakeholders have come up in an attempt to solve this problem of nurses working for long hours. Some of the solutions have bared fruits while others have proved to be ineffective. One of the most probable solution to this problem is increasing the number of nurses in health facilities and centers. Secondly, developing and enacting workable systems within nursing can go a long way in ensuring that nurses succeed in their careers (Phillips & Miltner 2015). Another solution would be to increase the number of health facilities, particularly in the rural areas that will ease the work of nurses in such places.   

Logistics required for solving this problem

In order to effectively solve this problems, proper analysis of logistics must be done as well. The logistic will take into account the number of nurses that different countries and regions require in the entire world. Salaries and other remunerations should be prioritized when analyzing and planning on the logistics. Proper and conducive environment must also be provided in order for the nurses to work effectively (Smith, 2016). Therefore, the cost of having the necessary resources and other inputs that can offer adequate safety to the nurses should be factored in the logistics.

References

Dembe, A. E., Erickson, J. B., Delbos, R. G., & Banks, S. M. (2005). The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: new evidence from the United States. Occupational and environmental medicine, 62(9), 588-597.

Phillips, J. A., & Miltner, R. (2015). Work hazards for an aging nursing workforce. Journal of nursing management, 23(6), 803-812.

Rogers, A. E., Hwang, W. T., Scott, L. D., Aiken, L. H., & Dinges, D. F. (2004). The working hours of hospital staff nurses and patient safety. Health affairs, 23(4), 202-212.

Smith, V. A. (2016). Nursing student attrition and implications for pre-admission advisement. Journal of Nursing Education, 29(5), 215-218.