The effect of nurse shortages on healthcare at a public hospital in KwaZulu Natal

The main aim of this study was to discover the effect of nurse shortages on healthcare at a public hospital with the objectives of understanding the reasons for nurse shortages, to assess challenges nurses face as a result of staff shortages and to assess how this influences the delivery of health care. This study adopted a qualitative design with an exploratory descriptive approach with twenty respondents forming part of this study through purposive sampling. Data was collected from five wards at a public hospital in KZN. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted which consisted of interviewing five operational nurse managers and fifteen registered nurses. The approval to conduct this study was granted and supported by the National Department of Health on 15 November 2021. Ethics approval for the study was granted by the faculty’s Research Ethics Committee (FREC) on 16 November 2021 (Certificate No. 2021 FBMSREC 078).

Permission to conduct the research at the KZN hospital was obtained from the CEO and management team of the hospital. The respondents were notified about the interview procedure and that probing questions may be asked to further investigate their responses.

An interview permission form was provided to the nurses on the day of the interview. The researcher emphasised that the respondents’ comments will be treated confidentially and respondents will remain anonymous. For that reason the data obtained was handled discretely and not made publicly available on this platform.

The findings revealed that there were four major reasons for nurse shortages at a public hospital. These are budget and resources, staff development, working environment, and managerial support. The study found that the delivery of healthcare was impacted negatively due to staff shortages.