Care erosion refers to a decline in the level of care given to patients in healthcare facilities. It has become a major public health issue all around the globe. There is a need to address this issue by finding the reasons behind it and taking steps to eradicate or minimize those causes. More registered nurses are required at each healthcare facility not just in Australia and the UK but also in other countries. The issue is more prevalent in aged care facilities where a specialised nursing department is present to care for the elderly.
Nursing care is an important part of aged care in Australia. There is a need to provide 24-hour service when it comes to this type of caregiving. However, if there is a shortage of nurses, particularly registered nurses, the consequence is erosion of care and improper or incomplete facilities. In addition to a certain number of nurses, a director of nursing is also required at each aged care facility who would be responsible for managing the entire crew and recruiting more nurses if and when required.
Cognitive dissonance has been found to be the main factor contributing to care erosion in hospitals. The theory helps physicians as well as nurses to understand why this happens and how it can be addressed. The stress and mental discomfort experienced by the caregivers make them less productive and inconsistent with their actions. They treat young patients and the elderly differently when it comes to giving care. This includes traditional forms of care in which the response also differs hugely when it comes to caring for our elders.
The care level in hospitals and other healthcare facilities keeps on getting increasingly poorer with the passage of time especially when it comes to caring for our elders. Aged care nursing is therefore a specialised practice that needs recognition and support by the employers in all healthcare facilities. There is a need to provide proper education and training to nurses at all levels so that aged care is properly executed.
The nurses and patient care assistants need to take proper courses to improve the profession of nursing based on ethics and best practices. The trainers and educators are highly experienced when it comes to recognizing the reasons behind erosion of care and how to tackle this problem through systematic learning. The goal is to eradicate care erosion from the society and make excellent and unsurpassed healthcare a reality.
