Becker's Hospital Review

101 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY State of the nursing shortage: 7 notes By Erica Carbajal H ospitals across the U.S. are feeling the effects of a severe nursing shortage. At the same time, hospitalizations are rising due to COVID-19, with some states in- cluding Florida and Louisiana recording their highest numbers of COVID-19 hospitaliza- tions yet in August. Seven notes on the nursing shortage : 1. Pre-pandemic, there was already a nursing shortage. e pressures of COVID-19 com- pounded the situation as some nurses began leaving the workforce altogether and others retired early. 2. By 2030, estimates suggest California will face the largest nursing shortage of any state. e Bureau of Health Workforce projects the state will have a deficit of 44,500 nurses. 3. On Aug. 9, the Florida Hospital Associa- tion said nearly 70 percent of the state's hos- pitals could face critical staffing shortages within the next seven days. is comes as a record 14,787 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state as of Aug. 10. 4. In Texas, there are 23,000 more unfilled RN positions than there are nurses look- ing to fill them, according to a labor anal- ysis by the Texas Workforce Commission cited by e Texas Tribune. On Aug. 9, Tex- as Gov. Gregg Abbott asked for hospitals to consider postponing elective procedures to boost capacity and resources as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise. More than 10,000 Texans were hospitalized with the virus as of Aug. 9, the highest since February, according to data from the state's health department cited by a Dallas-Fort Worth NBC affiliate. 5. e shortage has created a competitive job market, with hospitals losing nurses to either other hospitals offering pay incentives or to travel nurse agencies. Little Rock-based Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, for example, said it would offer a $25,000 sign-on bonus for nurses hired to work in 24/7 critical care areas. 6. To keep nurses from taking opportunities elsewhere, some health systems have also begun offering retention bonuses to current nurses. Oklahoma City-based OU Health has also launched a "Travel at Home" program, giving current nurses the option to be paid a traveling nurse rate in place of a benefits package, unless legally mandated. 7. e current situation has some health of- ficials worried the resources are being pulled away from small or rural hospitals that can't afford to attract or retain nurses with pay in- centives, the Texas Tribune reported Aug. 5. n Patients who report unfair treatment from physicians delay care, study finds By Erica Carbajal N early 76 percent of U.S. adults who reported feel- ing treated or judged unfairly in a healthcare set- ting within the 12 months prior to being surveyed said it caused care disruptions, according to findings from the Urban Institute published Aug. 9. Researchers used data from the Urban Institute's December 2020 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey to conduct the analysis. The nationally representative survey included more than 7,500 adults aged 18 to 64. Overall, 3.2 percent of respondents reported feeling treated or judged unfairly because of their race or ethnicity in a healthcare setting in the past 12 months. Black and Hispanic adults were more likely to report experiencing discrimination within healthcare settings than their white counterparts, the findings showed. Of those who said they were treated or judged unfairly by their healthcare provider, 75.9 percent said it disrupted their receipt of healthcare, 39 percent said they delayed care as a result, nearly 35 percent looked for a new provid- er and 11.4 percent said they didn't follow the provider's recommendations. At the same time, more than one-third of those who re- ported unfair treatment said they took action to address the treatment or judgement, including 19.2 percent who reported speaking to their provider about the treatment, nearly 17 percent who filed a complaint and 9.4 percent who took other action. "Our findings show patients who feel treated or judged unfairly because of their race or ethnicity when seeking healthcare face consequences that can directly harm their health," researchers said. "Several strategies can help pro- viders improve their behavior and attitude toward patients to mitigate these negative consequences, including ex- panding provider education and training about racism and bias, encouraging culturally competent and effective care, and diversifying the healthcare workforce." n The shortage has created a competitive job market, with hospitals losing nurses to either other hospitals offering pay incentives or to travel nurse agencies.

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