Emergency room nurses sound alarm over staffing shortages in Quebec hospitals
A corporation representing emergency nurses in Quebec is sounding the alarm over staffing shortages in emergency rooms, saying it’s detrimental to the standard of care provided in hospitals throughout the province.
The Affiliation des infirmières et infirmiers d’urgence du Québec (AIIUQ) stated in an announcement Wednesday that it was “extraordinarily involved” by the shortage of certified nursing personnel and the ensuing penalties “for institutions, care groups and sufferers.”
“The state of affairs may worsen within the coming weeks in gentle of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the affiliation stated.
The shortage of nursing workers has led to the partial or full closure of emergency departments, in keeping with the AIIUQ. It pointed to the Gatineau Hospital, the place the ER has been working at diminished capability since June. The division is totally open throughout the day, however the native well being authority reviews providers have been scaled down at evening.
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The AIIUQ additionally cited different emergency room closures up to now months on the Suroît, Coaticook, Port-Cartier and Senneterre hospitals.
The scarcity has main repercussions on emergency providers throughout Quebec, the affiliation stated. This consists of hiring of unqualified workers and a rise in nurse-to-patient ratios. It has additionally result in a discount in care providers that aren’t thought of essential and fewer coaching in persevering with schooling for nurses, it added.
A scarcity of certified emergency room workers has led to extra necessary additional time, stated the AIIUQ, and “results in a discount within the high quality and security of care.” There has additionally been an exodus of nurses to the personal sector.
The Quebec authorities’s “political will” to sort out the essential nursing scarcity within the public system was applauded by the affiliation, but it surely stated it could have preferred to have seen “concrete commitments” to curtail necessary additional time and to enhance working situations for nurses.
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Premier François Legault introduced final week that the province will provide one-time bonuses starting from $12,000 to $18,000 to nurses who work full-time within the public well being community. The federal government says the plan will assist rectify the scarcity, but it surely has been criticized by health-care professionals for not together with measures to finish necessary additional time.
On Wednesday, the affiliation representing emergency room nurses stated the plan to offer additional money will present short-term aid, however gained’t repair longstanding issues.
The AIIUQ known as on the federal government to implement “particular measures” for emergency rooms and different departments, saying they’re going through a “obvious lack of information.”

—With recordsdata from The Canadian Press
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