ARTICLE
Reimagining Nursing for the Future: 6 Ways to Improve Communication for Nurses
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ursing holds a critical and unique place in the world’s healthcare infrastructure. Without nurses, patient care and safety would be at risk, but their impact is much greater. The safety and well-being of communities, nations, and the world would be at risk without nurses, which is why we must protect them and the nursing profession. The future of nursing is threatened today by many variables, including a staffing shortage that is beyond anything ever seen in the industry. In a survey by Nurse.org of 1,500 nurses worldwide from September to November of 2021, 80% of nurses said their units are inadequately staffed. Unfortunately, we cannot backfill our way out of the current crisis because we simply do
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TO REVERSE THESE TRENDS, WE MUST, FIRST, LISTEN TO NURSES DESCRIBE THEIR EXPERIENCES, AND SECOND, IMPLEMENT INNOVATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR WORKING ENVIRONMENT. AT THE CENTER OF BOTH IS BETTER COMMUNICATION.
not have enough nurses in the funnel. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, there will be a need for 36 million nurses practicing around the globe with a potential global shortage of 13 million nurses. To reverse these trends, we must, first, listen to nurses describe their experiences, and second, implement innovations to improve their working environment. At the center of both is better communication.
Communication: Every hospital’s foundation Communication is at the heart of nursing work. When communication is difficult, everything slows down. When nurses must take extra steps, spend more time, and use cognitive
