Understaffing in acute care hospitals is a major issue impacting nurses (Weaver, 2014). Understaffing is significant because numerous studies have demonstrated delivery of nursing care is affected by staffing and patient load (Blegen, Good, & Reid, 2014). Additionally, high patient to nurse ratios leads to nurse burnout and increased turn over of staff (Blegen, Good, and Reid, 2014). This paper analyzes the importance of safe nurse to patient ratios, how understaffing impacts care, and overall job satisfaction related to staffing ratios. Additionally, it will examine how to remedy understaffing.
Background Information Historically, major complaints amongst nurses have focused on staff to patient ratios (Blegen, Good, & Reid, 2014). In present time, staffing conditions are still amongst nurse’s biggest concerns (ANA, 2014). A strong relationship has been …show more content…
State staffing laws need to be established everywhere in the United States so nurses can provide this level of care. According to the American Nurses Association there are three approaches typically taken to do this. The first is legislature-requiring hospital to have a staff committee drive predominately by nurses employed by the hospitals (ANA, 2014). The reason the committee being nurse driven is important is nurses understand the patient population better than anyone else in the hospital (ANA, 2014). Another option to implement staffing laws is for legislature to mandate specific nurse to patient ratios (ANA, 2014). The issue with this type of plan is there are politicians making the plan, in lieu of the actual nurses working the unit (Cook, Stephens, & Taylor, 2012). Politicians and those working with them may not fully understand unit needs. The last approach that can be used is to force facilities to print staffing levels so the public can see them, similar to a hospitals health grade (ANA,
Background Information Historically, major complaints amongst nurses have focused on staff to patient ratios (Blegen, Good, & Reid, 2014). In present time, staffing conditions are still amongst nurse’s biggest concerns (ANA, 2014). A strong relationship has been …show more content…
State staffing laws need to be established everywhere in the United States so nurses can provide this level of care. According to the American Nurses Association there are three approaches typically taken to do this. The first is legislature-requiring hospital to have a staff committee drive predominately by nurses employed by the hospitals (ANA, 2014). The reason the committee being nurse driven is important is nurses understand the patient population better than anyone else in the hospital (ANA, 2014). Another option to implement staffing laws is for legislature to mandate specific nurse to patient ratios (ANA, 2014). The issue with this type of plan is there are politicians making the plan, in lieu of the actual nurses working the unit (Cook, Stephens, & Taylor, 2012). Politicians and those working with them may not fully understand unit needs. The last approach that can be used is to force facilities to print staffing levels so the public can see them, similar to a hospitals health grade (ANA,