Nurse cutbacks linked to death rates

[sam1971]

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/26/nurse-cutbacks-death-rates-data-staffing

Sorry if this has already been posted before. I came across it and found the article very interesting.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I know that it takes ~ 7 years for clinical research findings to actually be accepted into practice but this type of research has been going on for DECADES!!

Linda Aiken has published several very large scale studies - which have been replicated worldwide - demonstrating the negative effects of inadequate staffing. Despite this, US healthcare 'biggies' are still increasing profits on the backs of nurses. As a nurse, it is very frightening to know (absolutely to know, beyond any doubt) that 5 patients is the upper limit of safety for RN staffing in Med Surg - increased ratios = sharp increases in morbidity and mortality. There is similar research on the effects of tenure.... if staff is >20% new grad, morbidity & mortality increase.

What's it going to take?

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I know that it takes ~ 7 years for clinical research findings to actually be accepted into practice but this type of research has been going on for DECADES!!

Linda Aiken has published several very large scale studies - which have been replicated worldwide - demonstrating the negative effects of inadequate staffing. Despite this, US healthcare 'biggies' are still increasing profits on the backs of nurses. As a nurse, it is very frightening to know (absolutely to know, beyond any doubt) that 5 patients is the upper limit of safety for RN staffing in Med Surg - increased ratios = sharp increases in morbidity and mortality. There is similar research on the effects of tenure.... if staff is >20% new grad, morbidity & mortality increase.

What's it going to take?

"What's it going to take?"

Money.

When malpractice lawsuits, cost more than hiring more nurses.

Wouldn't it be great if nurses could sue their employer for emotional distress?

Before anybody thinks I'm sue happy, I firmly believe money is the only thing that's going to change the direction we're going. When understaffing costs more that adequate staffing, we'll see things improve.

I really hate the idea of reimbursement, being tied to paperwork and patient surveys. Maybe it's not such a bad thing for nurses.

When hospitals don't get paid, because there's not enough of us, maybe staffing policies will change.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

We see it every day. They are all worried about $$$, but don't cut back on Administrators or their pay. I'm pretty sure the CEO, CFO, & COO are still getting their bonuses and perks. It's going to take an increase in lawsuits and/or actual penalties to change things.

[anon456, BSN, RN]

At my hospital they are actually very good about keeping strict nurse-patient ratios-- maybe it's because it's ICU and stepdown ICU. But every day it seems like they scramble to find nurses who are qualified to take those patients, pulling in ICU nurses from other units or asking people to come and pull and extra shift. I just wish they would hire more nurses and I understand about budgets but when someone sues because something goes wrong, I would think that would be far more costly in so many ways (the life involved, the reputation of the hospital and the doctor) than just adding a few more nurses to the roster.

[IL-male RN]

Get this! where I used to work, they put LPNs in ICU at nights with 2 RNs for 15 patients. Is your license at RISK?. But on schedule - assignment sheet has more RNs, but most of them have off on master schedule. LTC also do that in some cases. IDPH took a look at assignment but don't compare to master list, that how they got way with it.