An Act Patient Safety (S.1206/H.1958)

[Skolesni]

I am writing for support of a petition for a bill that is currently in the house and the senate. I have been working as a registered nurse for a period of 3 years now. I am currently on contract in Massachusetts as a travel nurse, however, I have immediate plans of making this state my permanent residency. I have enjoyed my time in this state thanks to the people, the culture and the environment. However, at work I have struggled immensely in my field as a nurse, especially coming to this state. The demands that nurses are put under on a daily basis are unrealistic for the nurse and unsafe for the patient. Working in the state's currently busiest hospital, I have witnessed things that no individual, let alone a resident of this state, should have to face in its healthcare system. Measures need to be taken that protect our citizens, especially during these difficult times for the patient and their families. The Massachusetts Nurse Organization and 150 other supporters have fought for An Act Relative to Patient Safety (S.1206/H.1958) for years now. As you know last year we made tremendous strides in implementing part of the act in all of the state's intensive care units, which set a limit to the maximum number of patients that would be assigned to a nurse at one time. Research has shown nationwide that following implementation of these measures, there was a reduction in mortality rates and costly medical errors, shortening inpatient hospital stays, decreasing rates of adverse and costly medical complications, as well as reducing the facility's medical burden in terms of annual material, supply, and waste production. Furthermore, it would reduce nurse turnover rates, cutting down on the hospital's replacement costs on new hire training. Now we need your help, to amend this Act and make it a law for all department to have strict guidelines limits on how many patients can be assigned to one nurse at a time. If you work as a nurse in the state of Massachusetts, I urge you to petition your local government for this bill to pass. Not only do we as nurses deserve it, but our dear patients do too. THE PURPOSE OF THE BILL: This bill if passed would set a limit to the maximum number of patients that would be assigned to a nurse at one time. PATIENT CARE AREA RN-TO-PATIENT LIMIT Step Down/Intermediate care 1:3 Operating room 1:1 Post anesthesia recovery 1:2 Labor & delivery 1:1 Antepartum 1:2 Post partum couplets 1:3 Pediatrics 1:4 ER 1:3 ICU patients in ER 1:1 Trauma patients in ER 1:1 Non urgent patients 1:4 Medical, surgical, telemetry 1:4 Observation/Outpatient 1:4 Rehabilitation/transitional care 1:5 Psychiatric 1:5 Research Findings: ·In California from 2004 to 2006: adequacy of staff increased by 12.95%, time spent educating patients increased by 7.33%, clerical support increased by 6.92%, benefits increased by 6.39% and overall job satisfaction increased by 5.9% (Spetz, 2008). ·Understaffing increases the risk of hospital acquired infections including pneumonia, which costs the state of Massachusetts $400 million annually (Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Department of Public Health, 2010). ·Research conducted by McHugh & Ma (2013) in California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania demonstrated a correlation of adverse outcomes when comparing nurse to patient ratios, with a 7% increase in re-admission rates for patients with heart failure, 6% re-admission rates for pneumonia, and 9% re-admission rates for patients with myocardial infarctions, in those nurses with a high patient load. FOR MORE RESEARCH I URGE YOU TO VISIT MASSACHUSETTS NURSING ORGANIZATION.ORG