On May 12, 2024, the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Beijing fell into unprecedented chaos. The doctors and nurses in the emergency room were so busy that their heads were about to explode, and the wounded and sick were anxiously waiting for treatment.
Loading...
I saw a female nurse hurrying out of the ward with a panicked expression, her face full of worry. "Quick, come on! The patient is in unstable condition and his breathing has stopped!"
The doctor immediately rushed in when he heard the sound, and soon heard a rushing electrocardiogram in the operating room. Several nurses scrambled to resuscitate the patient, but the patient's signs of life were getting weaker and weaker.
Just as everyone was tense and trying their best, suddenly there was another rush of footsteps. "Oh no, another patient also has apnea!"
All aspects of the hospital were immediately plunged into a state of total emergency. Doctors and nurses are going back and forth between the ward and the operating room, and the life and death of each patient is a matter of anxiety.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. At the same time, hospitals across the country are facing the same dilemma: there is a severe shortage of nurses, medical resources are seriously strained, and doctor-patient conflicts occur from time to time. In the seemingly calm medical industry, undercurrents are surging and crises are lurking.
In the evening of the same day, major media reported on the incident, which aroused widespread attention from all walks of life. One has to ask: what is the reason for the severe shortage of nurses in hospitals? When will this issue be effectively addressed?
There is a shortage of manpower, and the quality of medical care is worrying
With the aging of the population and the increasing demand for medical care, the role of nurses is becoming increasingly prominent in the healthcare system. As an important force directly involved in the diagnosis and care of patients, nurses assume key responsibilities in the daily operation of hospitals. However, in recent years, the shortage of nurses has become increasingly prominent, which has seriously affected the quality and efficiency of medical services.
According to statistics, the number of registered nurses in the mainland is about 5.63 million, and the ratio of nurses to doctors is only 1:1.2, which is still a big gap compared with the international advanced level. The State Council's goal of a 1:2 ratio of public hospitals to staff is clearly a long way off.
"There are two people in our department even on the night shift, and there are more than 30 patients in the ward, so we can't keep busy." Zhang Ting, a nurse at a tertiary hospital in Beijing, said with a sad face, "Sometimes it's too late to even make routine room rounds, let alone dispense medicine and take care of every patient." "
This is a common occurrence across the country. The reporter visited a number of hospitals and learned that the severe shortage of nurses has become a common problem. In some hospitals, some departments have only half of the staff, and the workload of nurses is far beyond the capacity of the individual.
"Sometimes we are so tired that we just want to get home from work and rest, but there are so many things to deal with that we can't spare time." Li Li, a nurse at a hospital in Guangdong, said, "Sometimes we don't even dare to admit new patients because we can't take care of them." "
This shortage of manpower not only increases the burden on nurses, but also directly affects the quality of medical services. Studies have shown that understaffing of nurses increases the risk of medical errors, prolongs the length of hospital stay and even endangers patients' lives.
"Sometimes we're so busy that we're dizzy, and it's easy to make mistakes." Zhang Jie, a nurse at a hospital in Tianjin, said frankly, "Although we will try our best to take care of each patient, after all, our energy and time are limited, and it is inevitable that there will be negligence." "
It can be said that the shortage of nurses has seriously restricted the development of the medical industry. How to solve this dilemma has become an imminent problem in front of the medical interface.
The salary package is low, and the brain drain is serious
What is the reason for the severe shortage of nurses in the mainland? Exploring the root cause, in addition to the objective work intensity factor, the low salary of nurses is also one of the important reasons.
Many of the nurses interviewed said that the current salary of nurses is seriously disproportionate to the intensity and risk of the work they undertake. Although the state has introduced a series of policies to improve the treatment of nurses, there are still many problems in the actual implementation.
"The salary level of our nurses is really low, and there is a big gap compared to doctors." Wang Li, a nurse at a tertiary hospital in Hubei, said, "Sometimes we have to work overtime after work to process medical records and other paperwork, but we don't have the corresponding overtime pay." "
In addition to low wages, the poor working conditions of nurses are also a major attraction. Escalating doctor-patient conflicts sometimes cause nurses to suffer verbal and even physical harm. This undoubtedly increases the psychological pressure of nurses and reduces their enthusiasm for practice.
"Sometimes when we take care of patients, we are scolded and even beaten by their families." Li Hui, a nurse at a hospital in Beijing, lamented, "It's really frustrating that we just want to do our best to take care of our patients, but in exchange for such treatment." "
In this case, many excellent nurses choose to leave the clinical frontline to engage in teaching, management and other work, or simply leave the medical industry. This not only further exacerbates the shortage of nurses, but also deprives hospitals of valuable human resources.
"I used to work in the emergency department and I was busy every day. Later, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I applied to be transferred to the teaching department. Zhang Lin, a nurse supervisor at a tertiary hospital, said, "Although the work intensity is less now, it is not as fulfilling as before." "
It can be said that low pay packages and poor working conditions are the key to the shortage of nurses. Only by effectively improving the working conditions and treatment of nurses and enhancing their social status and sense of professional honor can we attract more outstanding talents to join the nursing profession and alleviate the current crisis situation.
The implementation of the policy is ineffective, and the containment is difficult
Although the state has introduced a series of policies aimed at improving the level of nursing services, there are still many difficulties and obstacles in practice.
"Although our hospital has received a notice of relevant policies, the implementation has not been smooth." Li Xiaohong, the head nurse of a hospital in Beijing, sighed, "First of all, there is the problem of funding, the overall funding of the hospital is limited, and it is difficult to comprehensively improve the treatment of nurses. In addition, the compilation of indicators is also limited, making it difficult to recruit new people. "
In fact, the development of medical and health services has always been constrained by the problem of insufficient financial investment. According to statistics, the proportion of China's medical and health expenditure in GDP has been around 5% for a long time, which is far from the level of 6% to 10% in developed countries. This has a direct impact on the operation and reform and development of the hospital.
In addition, there are also problems with the talent training mechanism. The shortage of teachers in the nursing profession and the uneven quality of teaching lead to the number of high-quality nursing talents exported each year far from meeting the market demand.
"Most of the new people recruited by our hospital from nursing schools every year choose to leave after a period of work." Ma Xiaohong told reporters, "They generally report that the salary is too low, the work intensity is too high, and it is difficult to engage in this profession for a long time." "
More importantly, the existing charging mechanism also restricts the enthusiasm of hospitals to improve the level of nursing services. Nursing services are often priced at a low level, which makes it difficult to reflect the actual value of nurses' labor, making it impossible for hospitals to provide more generous treatment for nurses.
"The current medical insurance catalogue and fee standards do not reimburse many high-quality nursing services." Wang Xiaolan, director of the nursing department of a tertiary hospital, said, "This leads to the fact that the hospital will lose money when implementing these services, and it is naturally difficult to promote." "
In such an institutional environment, even if hospitals want to greatly improve the treatment of nurses, it is difficult to implement them. The combination of various obstacles has made the problem of nurse shortage still unsolved.
The solution: multi-party construction of nursing business
A real reversal of the shortage of nurses will require a concerted effort and systemic reform at multiple levels.
First of all, the government should increase financial investment in medical and health services to ensure that hospitals have sufficient funds to improve the working environment and treatment of nurses. At the same time, it is necessary to further improve the talent training mechanism, improve the social status of the nursing profession, and attract more outstanding talents to join.
"We hope that the government can introduce stronger policies and measures to create a good environment for the development of the nursing industry." Li Xiaohong said, "It is not only necessary to greatly increase the salary level of nurses, but also to improve the career development channel, so that practitioners have more room for growth." "
Secondly, hospitals should take the initiative to adjust internal distribution policies and increase investment in nurses. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the working environment, enhance the sense of professional dignity of nurses, and effectively reduce their work burden. Only in this way can we improve the professional satisfaction of nurses and attract and retain excellent talents.
"Hospitals should really take the construction of nurses as a long-term strategy." Wang Xiaolan said, "We should not only work remuneration, but also strengthen the training and promotion mechanism, so that nurses can truly feel recognized for their own value." "
In addition, all sectors of society should also take the initiative to participate in creating a good atmosphere conducive to the development of nursing. Companies can support the development of nursing talent by setting up scholarships and providing internships. The general public should also improve their respect and understanding of the nursing profession and reduce unnecessary doctor-patient conflicts.
"Only when hospitals, the government, and all sectors of society work together can the nursing industry truly achieve all-round development." Zhang Xiaohong, dean of a nursing school, said, "Only in this way can the future of the mainland's medical and health undertakings be brighter." "
All in all, in order to solve the dilemma of the shortage of nurses, it is necessary to make efforts from multiple levels such as talent training, remuneration and working environment, so as to effectively improve the social status and attractiveness of the nursing profession. Only in this way can the high-quality development of the mainland's medical industry be truly implemented.
Together, let's focus on this issue and contribute to a vision of equitable and high-quality health care for all. Do you have any thoughts and suggestions? Welcome to share with us in the comment area. #医疗体系呼唤: How to fill the gap of 4 million nurses? #