Nurses play a critical role in patient care in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Generally, these medical professionals are the primary point of contact for patients and their families.
What Are the Contributing Factors to Nursing Errors?
Nurses are human, and several factors can contribute to nursing errors, including the following:
- Staffing shortages: Inadequate staffing can lead to overworked and fatigued nurses and increase the likelihood of mistakes. When a nurse is responsible for too many patients, providing the necessary care and attention to each of them is more difficult.
- High-stress environments: Emergency rooms and intensive care units, hospitals, and medical facilities can be high-pressure environments. Stress associated with the job can impair a nurse’s judgment, leading to critical errors.
- Inadequate training: Nurses must be adequately trained and prepared to handle the demands of their assigned roles. Insufficient training can lead to medication errors, inability to recognize and respond to changes in a patient’s condition, and improper procedures.
- Miscommunication: When communication between nurses, doctors, and other healthcare staff breaks down, misunderstandings concerning a patient’s condition, treatment plan, or medication regimen can lead to harmful mistakes.
