Opinions on staffing and patient safety

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 17, 2009

there ought to be tons of info out there as this is a popular topic. Why not concentrate on what NURSES say are the pros and cons of ratios. For instance, I am not convinced there is a magic number. One patient can occupy all your time and the next day 5 are fairly smooth sailing. What I hear nurses say is that they want some autonomy in deciding what is best for their nursing unit at a given time.

SteffersRN87, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

I agree with classicdame. I work outpatient oncology. Typically we get 4 to 6 patients at once. And, we are assigned patients as they come in. It usually doesn't work out too bad, but sometimes you get the short straw. Our patients come for - biopsies (lung, liver, lymph node, bone marrow, breast, etc.), LP's, blood and blood products, IV medications (iron, IGG, Reclast, antibiotics, etc.), chemotherapy, and labs. I have had 5 patients all getting chemotherapy at once, and I have had 5 post biopsy patients all at once. The chemotherapy 5 patient load is very tricky. All medications need dosing BSA checked, the dose must be checked, you need to assess for side effects that would make you hold the medication, and you must also double check with another RN. Some chemos require frequent VS as well.

I do not believe in a set number for staffing. I believe that it should be based upon acuity. However, there is never enough staff required for this.