Nurse/Patient ratio in the ED? - page 5

1. 
   Aug 29, '12

   I am overseas and I normally have 4 pts in the main adult area. Resus is 1:1, consult(like fast track) is 6:1, kids ed 5:1, short stay (obs area) 5: 1 and up to 10:1 at night. (pts mainly sleeping being observed, ivf etc). We also have a waiting room nurse most of the 24 hrs who starts working up pts, they have the entire waiting room! Traige can have up to 6 pts being held in the ambulance area a /w beds, 1-3 triage nurses depending shift.
   
   We are the equivalent of a large busy level 1.
2. 
   Sep 2, '12

   Work in ny and it is pretty similar
3. 
   Nov 20, '12

   Three to one 'regular' pts is our norm. Quite often we have a fourth mental health pt that doesn't require much of us once initial eval is done. We often get a fourth if an ambulance comes in when we are full, but once of our main 3 rooms is open that ambulance pt usually goes into that room getting us back to three.
   
   DC :-)
4. 
   Nov 20, '12

   Patients should be assigned based on acuity not volume...I do per diem in a place with a 1:4 ratio and getting slammed with 4 half-dead patients at once is way more difficult than taking care of 10 stable ones.
5. 
   Nov 20, '12

   Agreed, though in our case, our 3:1 (sometimes 4:1) as I just described is baseline. Someplace to start. We get a STEMI or CVA or respiratory distress or something and others jump in to help until things are manageable and then its still 1:1 for as long as needed, with others covering my other pts and rooms not getting filled until I am available.
   
   DC :-)
6. 
   Nov 20, '12

   Quote from mzlizbit

   Level 2 Trauma ER in New York:
   Trauma: Max at 7:1
   Acute: Max at 9:1
   
   I've seen it go up to 11:1
   
   It's pretty sick and completely dangerous...

   That's absurd!! No way I would be there long!

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