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A nursing shortage occurs when the medical community does not have enough nursing staff to operate effectively. Nurses perform many of the day-to-day tasks necessary for patient care. While some offer specialized care, most provide broad-spectrum patient care. Without an adequate number of nurses, most medical facilities cannot provide patients with quality care.

Nurse-patient ratio refers to a fixed number of patients a nurse provides care for at one time. The ratio is dependent upon numerous factors and differs according to the severity of patients. Understaffed hospitals present risks to both nurses and patients. In the United States, no federal law exists to mandate minimum nurse-patient staffing ratios at hospitals. As of 2016, California is the only state that has enacted nurse-patient ratio legislation for all hospital care units. Massachusetts has a law requiring nurse-patient ratios in intensive care units. Several other states have proposed laws and mandated regulations to address concerns over nurse staffing. Although no federal staffing laws are in place, many hospitals have their own criteria regarding nurse-patient ratios.