Patient Acuity in OPD- HD unit, Do you apply it in your unit?

[jcainglet]

Hello! I am a MSc Student in Renal Nursing and would like to ask if patient acuity is being considered in your unit? Currently, I am working in the middle east and our outpatient facility has a ratio of 1 staff to 4 patients with no technician. Thank you and I hope to hear response from other nurses working in the same field.

Thank you very much.

[jcainglet]

Some organizations were only focusing on the ratio not on the patient acuity.

[marc_beck]

Yes we do.

Our centers have a staffing ratio of 1 RN :14 PT : 4 PCT - patient care technician

But if the center has a case that needs isolation the staffing ratio would be 2 RN : 16 Pt :4 PCT.

Patient acuity is important for safety issues. Some other state, they do have nurse patient ratio regulation.

[jcainglet]

Thank you for sharing your HD unit practice. By the way, do you have any acuity scale ? Because based from your reply and my understanding that your only particular with the isolated cases. How about those patients with unstable high BP for instance? What factors your HD unit considers?

[marc_beck]

Currently we are only particular with isolated cases. But based on my years of experience, there should be an acuity scale. Like hemodynamic status, independent functioning level, access... and it should be assessed on a monthly basis. but because of the hectic schedule in center, mostly that is what's happening.

[Spinmass, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

We have a staff patient ratio of 1:3. We currently have one ISO patient so must have two nurses on at the time he is running. Acuity is considered at time of admission and re-evaluated during care plan meeting and or d/c from hospital stay. We have denied admission to patients based on acuity but it is subject, totality of circumstances, not based on a specific scale.

[glittered_rn]

I think maria teresa parisoto is developing an acuity scale for hd patients in opd if i am not mistaken 🤔