Massachusetts nurses are turning up the volume on warnings about hospital conditions, saying the system is sliding in the wrong direction on patient care, safety, and high-tech tools that too many staffers barely know how to use. A new statewide survey of roughly 480 active registered nurses, released during National Nurses Week, points to steep drops in care quality, rising workplace violence, and a rapid expansion of artificial intelligence that many respondents say they are not prepared to handle. Majorities cited understaffing and safety threats they say are harming patients and driving colleagues out of the field. The findings were released on May 7, 2026, as nurses rallied on Beacon Hill, pressing lawmakers for enforceable staffing limits and stronger protections for health care workers.
Survey findings: care quality and staffing
About 71 percent of surveyed nurses said the quality of care in Massachusetts hospitals has worsened over the last two years, and 60 percent flagged understaffing as the biggest obstacle to providing safe care. More than half reported knowing…..