State-Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels Alleviate Workloads, Leads to Lower Patient Mortality

Nurses Union

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herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Yes but what about hospitals creating these "tech" positions that nurses normally do. I recently saw an ad for "critical care tech" and the job description was exactly like what an ICU RN would do. So one has to think about about whether or not laws like these would lead to more nurse positions.
I certainly think patients are safer with a competent critical care nurse that with a tech.
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herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

ANA Reaffirms Dedication to Improving Staffing for RNs and Their Patients

Press Release - American Nurses Association

wooh, BSN, RN

1 Article; 4,383 Posts

ANA Reaffirms Dedication to Improving Staffing for RNs and Their Patients

Press Release - American Nurses Association

How exactly have they shown their dedication to this in the past?

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herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
How exactly have they shown their dedication to this in the past?

I understand your point.

Their press release states this. To my knowledge this is the first time the ANS supported safe staffing ratios. For that i am glad.

The nurse staffing resolution identifies short-staffing as a top concern for direct care nurses that negatively affects patient care and nurse job satisfaction. It notes that staffing decisions remain largely outside of nurses' control, and that staffing plans lack enforcement mechanisms.

The resolution requests ANA to "reaffirm its dedication" to advocating for a staffing process, directed by nurses, that is enforceable and that includes staffing principles, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, data collection, and penalties for non-compliance in all health care settings where staffing is a challenge.

http://nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/MediaResources/PressReleases/ANA-Reaffirms-Staffing-for-RNs-and-Their-Patients.pdf

I was one of the delegates who voted for my state nurses association to leave the ANA. I've been praying that the come around to understand that hospital restructuring and downsizing are not an opportunity. They are bad for patients and bad for nurses.

The other thing not mentioned is how Governor Brown of California refuses to enforce the ratios while the unions had a cat fight. So even though there are ratios, nothing stops the hospitals from not hiring enough nursing staff to even meet those ratios. No nurse-ratio penalties like no penalties for speeding - Sacramento Business Journal

Pranqster

50 Posts

It's well-known that California is a socialist haven.

Give me a place like PA where hospitals and nursing homes are free to assign as many patients as they want to nurses. Poor patient outcome is a small price to pay for freedom for health care corportations, who, in the words of one candidate for president, are people too.

is this guy serious? "Poor patient outcomes is a small price to pay"? REALLY?! This knuckehead would sacrifice a patients healthcare so that us "socialists" lose! What a coward!!!!!

Mindful, RN

306 Posts

Specializes in Critical-care RN.

Woodenpug, BSN

734 Posts

Specializes in MPCU.

In my best Homer Simpson impression "Doh." It only took a few years for someone to notice.

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herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Nothing is perfect. It is good to work for fines and all that can be done to improve patient care.

Meanwhile our ratios continue to improve nursing care.

State-Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels Alleviate Workloads, Leading to Lower Patient Mortality and Higher Nurse Satisfaction

As mandated by State law, the California Department of Health Services requires acute care hospitals to maintain minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. Required ratios vary by unit, ranging from 1:1 in operating rooms to 1:6 on psychiatric units.

The legislation also requires that hospitals maintain a patient acuity classification system to guide additional staffing when necessary, assign certain nursing functions only to licensed registered nurses, determine the competency of and provide appropriate orientation to nurses before assigning them to patient care, and keep records of staffing levels.

To assist with compliance, the legislation made grants available to hospitals and provided funding to college and university nursing programs to increase the pipeline of new nurses.

The legislation has increased nurse staffing levels and created more reasonable workloads for nurses in California hospitals, leading to fewer patient deaths and higher levels of job satisfaction than in other states without mandated staffing ratios.

Despite initial concerns from opponents, the skill mix of nurses used by California hospitals has not declined since implementation of the mandated ratios. ...

http://innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=3708

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herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Hospital nurse staffing ratios mandated in California are associated with lower mortality and nurse outcomes predictive of better nurse retention in California and in other states where they occur.

Implications of the California nurse staffin... [Health Serv Res. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI

lindarn

1,982 Posts

Once again, nurses have no one to blame for allowing hospitals to break the staffing ratios.

You have 16 patients, which means that you need four nurses, but you only have three because some one called in sick? Assign the three nurses and inform administration that four patients do not have a nurse. Do not give the other nurses five patients. When the four patients call for their nurse, you inform them that you were not given enough nurses and administration will not call in another nurse. Therefore, they have NO nurse today. Give them the administrations phone number, the CEO, hospital attorney and law firm, and also the local TV news station and paper, and you will see how fast you get adequate staffing.

Nurses are letting them get away with it. Period. Reject a 5th patient. Period. They are breaking ratios because you let them. If you have not unionized yet, what are you wating for? To win the lottery?

Nurses need to, "just say NO"!

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

tewdles, RN

3,156 Posts

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

Short staffed nurses and million dollar administrators...I wonder why our outcomes are in the toilet?

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