Impact of Nurse Workload on Quality of Patient Care in Public Hospitals in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/jhmn.3762Keywords:
Nurse Workload, Patient Care, Public HospitalsAbstract
Purpose: To aim of the study was to analyze the impact of nurse workload on quality of patient care in public hospitals in Nigeria.
Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
Findings: Findings indicate that high nurse workload in public hospitals in Nigeria significantly reduces the quality of patient care by increasing fatigue, burnout, and the likelihood of clinical errors. Overworked nurses often struggle to provide timely, safe, and patient-centered care, leading to lower patient satisfaction and poorer health outcomes. Overall, inadequate staffing and excessive workload remain major barriers to delivering high-quality healthcare services in Nigerian public hospitals.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Job demands–resources (JD-R) model, donabedian quality of care model & human capital theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of nurse workload on quality of patient care in public hospitals in Nigeria. Public hospitals in Nigeria should implement evidence-based nurse staffing ratios to reduce workload pressure and improve patient care quality. Investment in recruitment and retention of nurses is essential to address chronic shortages that contribute to excessive workload.
Downloads
References
Aiken, L. H., Sermeus, W., Van den Heede, K., et al. (2012). Patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of hospital care: Cross-sectional surveys of nurses and patients in 12 countries in Europe and the United States. BMJ, 344, e1717. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1717
Amoah, V. M., et al. (2021). Nursing workload and patient outcomes: A Donabedian approach. BMC Nursing, 20(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00688-9
Broetje, S., Jenny, G. J., & Bauer, G. F. (2020). Job demands-resources model in nursing: An integrative review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 84. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00084
Carayon, P., & Gurses, A. P. (2008). Nursing workload and patient safety—A human factors engineering perspective. In Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2657/
Fujita, S., Seto, K., Ito, S., Wu, Y., & Hasegawa, T. (2013). The characteristics of patient safety culture in Japan, Taiwan and the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 13(20). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-20
Gharbi, M., Di Mascolo, M., & Verdier, C. (2024). Charge de travail du personnel infirmier dans les hôpitaux—Étude bibliographique. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.18856
Griffiths, P., Maruotti, A., Recio-Saucedo, A., & Redfern, O. C. (2023). Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 138, 104457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104457
Griffiths, P., Recio-Saucedo, A., Dall’Ora, C., et al. (2018). Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 75, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.07.010
Holden, R. J., Scanlon, M. C., Patel, N. R., et al. (2011). A human factors framework and study of the effect of nursing workload on patient safety and employee quality of working life. BMJ Quality & Safety, 20(1), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs.2008.028381
Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L. (2021). Relationship between nurse workload and patient safety outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14616
Li, L. Z., Yang, P., Singer, S. J., Pfeffer, J., Mathur, M. B., & Shanafelt, T. (2024). Nurse burnout and patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of care: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 7(11), e2443059. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.43059
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2023). Health at a glance 2023: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en
Sani, M. M., Jafaru, Y., Ashipala, D. O., & Sahabi, A. K. (2024). Influence of work-related stress on patient safety culture among nurses in a tertiary hospital: A cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing, 23, 81. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01695-x
Sharma, N., Chakrabarti, S., & Grover, S. (2022). Workload, burnout, and quality of care among nurses: A global perspective. BMC Nursing, 21(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00865-4
World Health Organization (2022). State of the world’s nursing report. WHO. https://www.who.int
World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Global patient safety report 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240095458
World Health Organization. (2024). Global patient safety report 2024. https://www.who.int
Wu, A. W. (2023). Getting better: Staying ahead of the curve on patient safety. BMJ Quality & Safety, 32(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1177/25160435231156689
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Emeka Eze
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
