Making sense of competing nursing shortage concepts.
Widespread and continuing discussions of nursing shortages frequently involve divergent concepts of shortage that can have differing policy implications. This article explains the shortage concepts used by economists, hospital administrators, and government policy makers. It discusses measurement problems and suggests possible improvements. It then sets forth the divergent policy implications of competing shortage concepts. The article's aim is to promote greater clarity in analyses of nursing shortages and more fruitful conversations among participants who use different notions of shortages.
University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA. gldfrb@gwu.edu
Marsha G
MG
Goldfarb
Robert S
RS
Goldfarb
Mark C
MC
Long
D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D005544:Forecasting; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D017059:Models, Econometric; D016294:Models, Nursing; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015401:Nursing Administration Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011050:Policy Making; D012107:Research Design; D016526:Workload