About 68% of Ontario nurses said they do not have enough time or resources to give proper care to patients, according to a poll done by the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN). .“I believe these findings will shock the public, as close to 7 in 10 nurses are seeing patients’ health being put at risk because adequate time, resources and staffing levels are simply not available,” said WeRPN CEO Dianne Martin in a Tuesday statement. .“Alarmingly, this is now being normalized.”.The poll said 66% of Ontario nurses report they have taken on more patients. It said 84% of nurses have been asked to take on additional shifts or overtime to cover staffing shortages. .The poll went on to say 88% of nurses have been impacted by staffing shortages. About 83% of respondents reported missing breaks and meals because of increasing workloads. .About 79% of nurses are experiencing moral distress at work. This figure has risen from 68% in 2020. .The mental toll on nurses is high right now as 86% admit their mental health has been affected from the work they do. About 67% said they believe they do not have enough mental health supports. .The poll said 47% of nurses are thinking about leaving this career. The major catalyst for this high number is wage dissatisfaction, as 91% believe they are not compensated well for their positions. .WeRPN said it will be sharing these findings with government leaders to bring attention to the declining situation for nurses in Ontario. .Martin said people can support nurses by asking if they are receiving care in an appropriate environment. .“Every voice counts when it comes to driving public policy change,” said Martin. .“Ontarians can share their concerns on social media, ask questions and write to their local MPPs and last but not least, always demonstrate kindness and respect for nurses, who do everything they can to care for us when we need it the most.”.Pandemic tensions and hospital staffing shortages led to high rates of violence against Ontario’s hospital workforce, according to a poll by Oracle Research on behalf of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on July 5. .READ MORE: POLL: Ontario hospital staff subject to increasing physical and sexual violence.“The sobering reality is that hospitals are increasingly toxic and dangerous workplaces where women are beaten, sexually assaulted, and racially attacked by the hundreds, every single day,” said Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, CUPE secretary-treasurer Sharon Richer. .The poll found 63% of respondents experienced physical violence. It said 53% of hospital workers believed there was an increase in violence targeting them or a co-worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. .The WeRPN poll was conducted online with a sample of 762 registered nurses across Ontario from May 1 to 9. The poll has a margin of error of +/- four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
