Safe Nurse Staffing Ratios
Danielle Scott
Vermont Technical College
Safe Nurse Staffing Ratios
In the last few years, there has been a rising need for an increase in registered nurses in the hospital setting. This rise in registered nurses is related to increasing acuity of hospitalized patients and a shorter duration of stay. The safety and quality of patient care is closely associated to the quantity and skill of the nursing workforce. Hospital inpatient working environments have worsened in some hospitals because healthcare facilities have not maintained the demand for the increase in nursing staff. With inadequate staffing ratio there are gaps formed involving patient’s needs and the nursing care accessible to meet patient’s needs. Lowering the quantity of patients given to a registered nurse allows for better patient safety, higher quality of care and decreases the amount of money spent on medical complications and staff turnover.
Trend Analysis
The trend of safe nurse staffing ratios is defined as sustaining the proper number and combination of nursing staff, with this mix of health care members it is crucial to the delivery of safe, quality patient care. An inadequate staffing ratio results …show more content…
Medication errors compromise patient safety. Factors that relate specifically to nursing medication errors include acuity of patients and workload of nurses, distractions, and interruptions that can occur during medication administration. Medication errors underlying causes are inadequate staffing, time restraints, unit atmosphere, and exhaustion. Administering medications is one of numerous responsibilities of a registered nurse and is regularly fraught with disruptions. It was reported that every medication pass was disturbed because of other staff members, absent medications, and further patient care requirements. (Frith, Anderson, Tseng, & Fong, 2012,
Danielle Scott
Vermont Technical College
Safe Nurse Staffing Ratios
In the last few years, there has been a rising need for an increase in registered nurses in the hospital setting. This rise in registered nurses is related to increasing acuity of hospitalized patients and a shorter duration of stay. The safety and quality of patient care is closely associated to the quantity and skill of the nursing workforce. Hospital inpatient working environments have worsened in some hospitals because healthcare facilities have not maintained the demand for the increase in nursing staff. With inadequate staffing ratio there are gaps formed involving patient’s needs and the nursing care accessible to meet patient’s needs. Lowering the quantity of patients given to a registered nurse allows for better patient safety, higher quality of care and decreases the amount of money spent on medical complications and staff turnover.
Trend Analysis
The trend of safe nurse staffing ratios is defined as sustaining the proper number and combination of nursing staff, with this mix of health care members it is crucial to the delivery of safe, quality patient care. An inadequate staffing ratio results …show more content…
Medication errors compromise patient safety. Factors that relate specifically to nursing medication errors include acuity of patients and workload of nurses, distractions, and interruptions that can occur during medication administration. Medication errors underlying causes are inadequate staffing, time restraints, unit atmosphere, and exhaustion. Administering medications is one of numerous responsibilities of a registered nurse and is regularly fraught with disruptions. It was reported that every medication pass was disturbed because of other staff members, absent medications, and further patient care requirements. (Frith, Anderson, Tseng, & Fong, 2012,