| Harris Poll reveals Americans fear effects
of nursing shortage on quality of health care
Study also shows public trusts information
provided by nurses as much as doctors
As a national nursing shortage builds, more than half
of Americans believe the quality of health care is affected
"a great deal" by a shortage of nurses, according to a recent
Harris Poll.
The nursing shortage is posing an increasing threat to the
quality of care in hospitals and health organizations, and
this poll reflects the general public's concern. Only four
percent of respondents said the quality of health care that
people in the country receive was not affected "at all" by
a nursing shortage.
Sigma Theta Tau International, an honor society of nursing,
and NurseWeek Publishing Inc., publishers of NurseWeek
and HealthWeek, a nursing and health trade publication,
commissioned the poll, conducted by Louis Harris & Associates,
Inc. More than 1,000 people were surveyed in this public opinion
poll conducted in June. The groups collaborated to conduct
the poll to gauge attitudes about the nursing profession.
Despite 2.5 million registered nurses in the United States,
a shortage exists in nurses with needed specialties, skills
and experience. Nurses are in particular demand if they demonstrate
a high level of skills in the operating room, recovery room,
emergency room or pediatrics. Hospital recruitment efforts
to reverse the shortage include big sign-on bonuses, salary
increases and tuition reimbursement plans.
Other poll results include:
- An overwhelming majority of the public
(92 percent) said they trust information about health care
provided by registered nurses, ranking nurses even with
physicians.
- 85 percent of the Americans said they would
be pleased if their son or daughter became a registered
nurse.
- 76 percent of the public think nurses should
have four years of education or more past high school to
perform the duties of their job.
- When asked about specific duties of registered
nurses, 91 percent of the public recognized they monitor
patient care, but only 14 percent recognized that nurses
prescribe medications.
1) Public's trust of nurses
An overwhelming majority of the public (92 percent) said they
trust information about health care provided by registered
nurses, ranking nurses even with physicians. Nurses ranked
higher than teachers (62 percent) or journalists (51 percent).
Only two percent of respondents said they didn't trust health
care information "at all" provided by doctors or registered
nurses.
2) Nursing as a career
Americans on average would be considerably more pleased if
their son or daughter said they wanted to become a registered
nurse than a journalist or a lawyer, and much more pleased
if they wanted to become a registered nurse than a police
officer. Nursing ranked roughly the same as teaching. On a
scale of one (very displeased) to 10 (very pleased), respondents
were asked to rate how they would feel about their son or
daughter choosing a certain profession.
3) Education levels for nursing
When asked about education of nurses, nearly one-half of the
public said nurses should have four years of education beyond
high school. Three out of ten Americans think nurses should
have five to 10 years of education beyond high school.
Entry-level BSN enrollment has fallen 6.6 percent from a
year ago, dropping for the fourth year in a row, according
to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
By the year 2000, the U. S. Department of Health and Human
Services projects there will be 596,000 registered nurses
with a BSN, with a need for 854,000 baccalaureate nurses.
Nurses with five or more years of education (Master's or Doctorate
degree) are projected at 175,000, with a need for 377,000
in the health care system. Projections for 2010 and 2020 continue
to drop off significantly in each degree area.
4) Nursing's role in health care
When asked about specific duties of registered nurses, the
public recognized that nurses monitor care and provide counseling
to patients, but were less aware that nurses diagnose, treat
and prescribe medicines, which are duties of advanced practice
nurses. Responses were as follows:
- 91% said nurses monitor the condition of
patients
- 69% said nurses provide counseling to patients
- 34% said nurses diagnose health conditions
- 23% said nurses decide on treatments for
patients
- 14% said nurses prescribe medications
For a complete copy of the Harris Poll results, contact Andrea
McDonald, Sigma Theta Tau, at 888.634.7575, e-mail: mcdonald@stti.iupiu.educ
or visit their web site at www.nursingsociety.org
or contact Barbara Bronson Gray, NurseWeek at 818.889.5312,
e-mail: bbgray@ibm.net
or visit the web site at www.nurseweek.com.
For a copy of Sigma Theta Tau's "Facts on the Nursing Shortage,"
including several recommendations to curb the shortage, visit
their web site at www.nursingsociety.org/media
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