The Impact of Shortage of Nurses on Patient Safety

Abstract

The global Nursing shortage creates safety risks for patients while simultaneously causing healthcare facilities to decline in quality. Person-centered care delivery remains safe when nurses work with adequate staff numbers and receive support from their leaders and work in well-organized environments. The study aimed to investigate patient safety effects from Nursing shortages through qualitative evidence analysis to identify the organizational and interpersonal factors that contribute to this problem.

The study used a systematic qualitative literature review to analyze eight (8) peer-reviewed articles from 2019 to 2025. The research conducted database searches through four electronic platforms to perform thematic synthesis of the data. The study applied Donabedian's Model of Quality of Care as the theoretical framework to interpret how structural shortages affect healthcare delivery systems and patient outcomes. The research findings showed that hospitals with inadequate staffing levels can lead to missed care because nurses must handle excessive workloads which leads to stress and moral distress. Leadership together with teamwork and communication proved essential for maintaining safety even under pressure.

The research shows that patient safety protection requires more than temporary staffing changes, but organizations need to create lasting structural reforms and ethical frameworks for accountability. Healthcare leaders together with policymakers need to create mandatory Staffing guidelines which enable nurses to develop strong patient relationships through positive workplace environments. Future research should concentrate on creating interventions and sustainable Staffing methods which will enable healthcare organizations to retain their Nursing staff while safeguarding their patients across different healthcare environments.