Various factors can be cited that contribute to the current nursing shortage. In this article, the authors present reasons for the shortage that have less to do with the numbers of nurses and patients and more to do with the structures and processes imbedded in health care delivery today. Factors that are discussed include the business model of health care and entrenched interests within the health care system. The authors recommend that health care professionals, nurses, and physicians unite to promote change within the healer-patient relationship that forms the moral foundation for care providers.
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