As medicine progresses to higher and higher levels, society generally expects the level of care at hospitals to rise proportionally as well. However, this is not always the case as hospitals are running into a labor shortage problem. The National Nurses United organization estimates the optimal ratio of nurses to patients at 1 to 5. However, countries like Ireland, Finland, and Germany currently have a nurse-to-patient ratio around 1 to 75. Unfortunately, this problem is only expected to get worse as the world gets older. By 2030, around 1 in 6 people globally will be 60 or older. Simultaneously, there will be a shortage of 4.5 million nurses across the globe. So how can some of the pressure be eased off overworked healthcare professionals?
One of the best solutions is to upgrade hospital infrastructure. The pneumatic tubes from Swisslog Healthcare, for example, provide hospitals with an efficient and easier way to transport things like documentation, blood products, or drugs. Since it’s being transported by a tube and not a person, it harbors less bacteria and is safer for patients and healthcare professionals alike. Ultimately, the population of the world is inevitably going to get older. The best way to prepare hospitals for the influx of aging patients is to make sure that hospital infrastructure is up to the task.
Source: Swisslog
More Stories
Meet Jhiree Jones: The School Counselor Who Runs Cherry Blossom Healing and Refuses to Hire Until Every Therapist Is Fully Booked
Signs You’re Losing Facial Volume (And What You Can Do About It)
As Global Stress Hits a Decade High, International Being You Day Returns June 22 With a Worldwide Survey Asking: “How Do You Know When You’re Not Being Yourself?”