This is where we pick up with our series of articles based on the research of the good folks at ECRI, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to improve patient safety and outcomes. Their report on patient safety topics includes the looming staffing shortage in the healthcare industry.
A Dearth of Doctors
According to researchers at ECRI, more than half of U.S. healthcare workers expect to leave their job in 2026. Although staffing shortages are seen across the industry, ECRI points out that “behavioral health, obstetrics, long-term care, and Veterans Affairs are areas of substantial concern.” They believe that provider burnout, funding cuts and financial instability are, and will continue to be, key factors in diminishing staffing numbers at many health facilities, which directly threatens patient access to care.
Such shortages affect those seeking behavioral health professionals, as more than one-third (122 million) of the American population live in a mental health professional shortage area—a situation expected to continue into 2037. “As a result, the national average wait time for behavioral health services is 48 days.”
Similarly, more than 35% of the country’s counties are considered “maternity care deserts” that lack a birthing facility or obstetric clinician. This shortage affects over 2.3 million women of reproductive age and more than 150,000 births. Although certified nurse midwives are projected to increase by 40% by 2037, according to ECRI, “only 10.9% of births are attended by midwives” due to licensure restrictions and other challenges.
In long-term care, 72% of nursing homes have fewer employees than before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite significant investments in the workforce. Nearly half are limiting admissions as a result, and 97% have staff working extra shifts or overtime. Medicaid reimbursement, which often covers less than 80% of care costs, and a lack of qualified or interested candidates has made recruitment extremely challenging.
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities are struggling, as well. The VHA reported a 50% increase in severe occupational staffing shortages from 2024 to 2025 and a net loss of more than 16,000 workers in 2025.
And all this is just a snapshot of a few areas within the healthcare sector that are projected to experience workforce shortages in the coming years. So, what is there to be done about it?
Managing the Mayhem
As always, the ECRI report contains a list of suggested solutions or recommendations on how to manage these various patient safety concerns. As to staffing shortages, here are a few of their suggestions for coping with what’s coming:
- Demonstrate compliance with all applicable elements of Joint Commission’s National Performance Goal for staffing.
- Partner with academic institutions to expand the workforce through innovative training programs.
- Take full advantage of state flexibility in scope of practice expansions, evolving telehealth policies, interstate collaborative, and financial support opportunities to enhance workforce capabilities and financial viability.
- Empower staff to speak up when overburdened or report unsafe conditions associated with staff shortages.
- Consult with human resources and other stakeholders to understand the organization’s use of temporary or agency staff, or explore creating an in-house staffing agency.
- Engage departmental leaders to increase staff awareness of well-being resources, including peer support programs, employee assistance programs and external resources available through employee benefits.
There are many more patient safety concerns listed in the ECRI report, but the four articles we presented in this series are particularly good at representing where we are and where we’re heading in the healthcare context without meaningful interventions. We’re thankful for those organizations, such as ECRI, that focus on ways to improve patient well-being. It will be up to those in the trenches—the hospitals, surgery centers and clinics—to investigate the many proposed solutions and proven strategies that purport to mitigate patient harm and improve outcomes, and—where appropriate—implement policies and procedures that will make a real difference in the lives of millions of Americans. Their care is in your hands.