Trends and the Impact of Physician Shortage on Patient Outcomes

Authors

  • Dr. Alink Matez

Abstract

Whereas the need to foster patient satisfaction has been a key objective at the local, state, and national levels, the challenge of physician shortage has proved to be detrimental. Some of the impacts of the shortage have been documented to include overcrowding in hallways, burnout, and dissatisfaction among sections of patient groups. As such, it is recommended that the US government’s healthcare authorities engage in the establishment of a balanced ratio between physicians and the number of patients admitted in the ED departments. Apart from the revision of the existing physician-to-patient ratios in its states, there is a need for the US government to promote an equitable distribution of human resources in different healthcare organizations’ ED sections at the national, local and state levels. It is also recommended that the US government creates a multi-disciplinary, multi-professional, state-wide and workforce commission responsible for formulating workforce distribution, retention and development strategies. This step could be complimented by the design of stable and adequate funding residency programs that include medical training with the objective of producing proportionate supplies of rural and urban primary care providers. Lastly, it is recommended that nurse practitioners and physician assistants be used as physician extenders to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of a limited ED workforce in the US. Overall, the goal of subsidizing community-based and rural training sites towards the invigoration of primary care residency programs is projected to form a lasting solution to the shortage of primary care providers in the context of the United States’ sections of healthcare emergency departments.

Published

2021-08-26

How to Cite

Dr. Alink Matez. (2021). Trends and the Impact of Physician Shortage on Patient Outcomes . International Journal of Respiratory Care, 12(1), 01–05. Retrieved from http://greycoatpublishing.co.uk/IJRC/index.php/journal/article/view/1

Issue

Section

Articles