Which viral drama er “the pitt” is right about the scarcity of nursing in America

The HBO drama The pitt He has quickly captured the attention of viewers everywhere, not only because of their writing and distribution, but also because of their honest and honest representation of life within an poorly affected emergency department. While the stories are fictional, many health workers they see will tell you: this is too real.

From chaotic triage scenes to major attendance asks the Hospital Medicine Chief to hire more nurses in cases of trauma on the back,The pittA mirror is maintained in the daily experiences of health workers in the United States, especially those in the first emergency lines of our nation. And, in order to do it, it is a crisis of work force that we can no longer afford to ignore.

In Incredible Health, we work with 1 million nurses and 1,500 health systems across the country. Our annual reports reflect whatThe pittDramatizes: Nurses are overloaded, casualties and work in situations where they are in real physical danger. In our most recentreportIn the Nursing State, 88% of nurses say that the shortage of staff adversely affects patient care and 63% are assigned to too many patients at the same time. Another survey ofHealth executives found it78% do not believe that the staff needed to manage a large -scale health crisis.

Risk to patients

The risk to patients is very real. The scarcity of staff forces nurses to manage the patient’s unsustainable loads, increasing the probability of lost symptoms, delayed care and combustion that leads even more nurses to leave the profession. It is a vicious cycle that makes us less safe.

The pittIt also highlights the violence that healthcare workers have. Nurses and other healthcare workers are being batched verbally, physically assaulted and emotionally worn out, often with low institutional support or protection. Half of all nurses report that a patient or family assaulted verbally and/or physically assaulted during last year, and 26% claim that they are likely to leave their job due to it. The result is an increasing feeling of fear and frustration that only accelerates the attention of the profession. No one should have to choose between their safety and call.

Nurses in crisis

WhatThe pittIt is correct that the data has been told for years. Nurses are not only caregivers, they are part of the spine of our health system. And they are in crisis. Arrangement will not occur during the night, but there are clear steps that can be taken by the executives of the healthcare system to support and retain their nurses, such as prioritizing the hiring of permanent staff instead of temporary nurses, providing growth and training opportunities, offering flexible programming and quite compensating for their staff.

Equally important is to address the psychological challenges of working in a post-paid world: chronic stress, trauma and burns that are often not seen or not treated. Health systems must prioritize the safety and well -being of the workplace, not only to retain the talent, but also to honor the humanity of those who keep hospitals in operation. This could include establishing zero tolerance policies for violence against healthcare workers, support for legislation that establishes penalty for violence against health staff and establish strong security plans for staff if any violence in the workplace occurs. Patients and their families can also do their part, remembering that the people who treat them are human beings. The extension of basic courtesy, kindness and patience is what you need to do, as health workers work tirelessly to provide care.

At a time when public consciousness can drive significant change, it is bewildering to see a cultural moment asThe pittTesting conversations about Health-Care’s most urgent problems. But consciousness must lead to action: for health workers who are still shown every day, and for patients whose life depends on them.

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