Safety in Nursing Tips: Challenges and Opportunities

Nursing in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart. Staff shortages, sicker patients and a focus on patient satisfaction above all else have created a situation where nurses sometimes sacrifice proper technique and safeguards to provide faster service.

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Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to improve safety. Whether you work in a hospital, an outpatient setting or elsewhere, these 10 tips for nursing safety will keep you out of the occupational health office.

Why Is Safety in Nursing Important?

Safety in nursing is crucial for a variety of reasons. Not only do safety protocols promote patient well-being by minimizing the risk of errors, but these types of protocols also help minimize the risk of slips and falls, infections and cross-contamination and medication errors, among others.

Taking steps to foster and maintain a safe workplace can also help improve patient outcomes, reduce the prevalence of nurse burnout and minimize staff stress levels. Lastly, safety in nursing is of paramount importance because it minimizes RNs’ risk of professional and legal repercussions — such as license suspension and loss of licensure — that can arise from errors made in patient care.

Top Safety Issues in Nursing

Registered nurses face significant safety issues in the workplace. For example, nurse burnout and inadequate staffing levels not only impact working RNs but also pose hazards within the workplace.

Other top common safety issues in nursing include the following:

• Nurses assisting with patient falls are at risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries. 

• Needlestick injuries can place nurses at risk of various pathogens, such as hepatitis and HIV, among others.

• Physically demanding tasks, such as lifting patients to transfer them to different beds, can cause sprains and strains.

• Nurses are at risk of verbal, emotional and in some instances, physical abuse from their patients and patients’ families.

• Errors in medication administration place patients at risk of serious consequences, such as allergic reactions, hospitalization and in severe cases, death. Nurses who make medication errors can face disciplinary action from their state board of nursing or loss of employment. In some instances, they may also face civil and/or criminal penalties.

Nursing Challenges Today

Countless challenges, such as the nationwide nursing shortage, trickle down into other day-to-day challenges nurses often face and impact overall safety in nursing. Prior to the pandemic, nurses were already facing issues in the workplace including:

• Nursing shortages
• Long working hours
• Workplace hazards
• Physicality
• Bullying and harassment
• Advancements in technology

Challenges and Safety in Nursing in Different Clinical Environments

Nursing challenges vary based on clinical environments. The challenges mentioned above continue to be relevant in every position. Still, nursing professionals also experience unique trials depending on their clinical setting.

Hospitals

• Financial challenges: Hospitals often lack financial resources, equipment and training spaces. Delayed payment from insurance companies can lead to financial challenges, which in turn can result in nursing personnel not being paid on time as funds are reallocated to treatments.
• Personnel shortages: The nationwide nursing shortage has required hospital RNs and NPs to work overtime. Significant numbers of nurses continue to report experiencing burnout, increasing the probability of severe physical and mental health consequences for nursing staff, while also putting a strain on the nursing profession.
• Behavioral health and addiction: Hospitals lack the necessary programs and facilities to address addiction. This rise in hospital admissions related to opioids has increased the demand for nursing professionals.
• Nursing safety concerns: RNs working in hospitals are not only at risk of developing musculoskeletal and overuse injuries, but in some instances, they’re also at risk of encountering physical and emotional abuse from patients and their families.

Independent Practices

• Reaching patients in rural areas: NPs struggle to treat and monitor patients that live in rural or remote areas. This is because the supply of primary care typically does not meet the demand in these areas. Depending on location, some patients may reside over 20 miles away from the nearest healthcare setting.
• Transitioning to virtual telehealth visits: NPs are experiencing a learning curve as they assess more patients using telehealth technology. Although some may have used telehealth prior to the pandemic, the sudden shift to remote care to promote safety has proven difficult for others.
• Reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases: Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and the primary drivers of $3.5 trillion in annual healthcare costs. Primary care AGNPs are on the frontlines, helping prevent chronic disease through screening and health promotion.
• Safety concerns: NPs and RNs working long hours in private practice may have an increased risk of developing nurse burnout. Additionally, nurses working at offices with insufficient staffing levels are at a higher risk of making mistakes in patient care.

Long-Term Care Facilities

• Higher acuity: Patients in long-term care facilities require higher levels of attention and routine service from AGNPs.
• Nursing shortages: Safe nurse staffing ratios are difficult to maintain in long-term care facilities during widespread personnel shortages, which affects patients’ safety and health.
• Harassment: Residents in long-term care facilities can experience fear, confusion and agitation, which can sometimes lead to the assault, verbal abuse and harassment of nursing staff.
• Safety risks: Nurses working in long-term and residential care facilities are frequently tasked with administering patients’ medications. Mistakes in medication administration can have dire consequences for both nurses and the patients they care for.

Challenges of Nursing Roles

Various nursing roles present different challenges for individuals based on roles, responsibilities and the healthcare system's state. For example, the day-to-day experience of an FNP delivering primary care is different from that of an NP working in an acute care setting.