The causes and consequences of nursing shortages: a helicopter view of the research.

In Australia, as in most industrialised countries, there is an acute shortage of registered nurses. While there are numerous research reports emanating from Canada, the United States and Great Britain that provide insight into reasons for this shortage, little comparable work has been undertaken in Australia. This paper presents an overview of the complex interlinking set of factors which cause or are the consequences of nursing shortages including lifestyle preferences, workforce composition, quality of work life and workload and the impact of organisational change and altered management practices. It is important that managers in Australian health care settings understand these issues in order to work towards developing sustainable solutions for retention.