What do increased staff-to-patient ratios mean for nurses?
When thinking of healthcare, one word that should always come to mind is safety. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities should be a safe environment for patients and staff. One major area of healthcare that should always follow a safety first rule is nursing.
The nurse to patient ratio should always be considered when thinking about safety. Nurse to patient ratio simply means how many patients is one nurse caring for.
The American Nurses Association believes that safe nursing staff ratios are essential for the overall healthcare system. Hospitals should follow evidence-based practices to ensure safe patient to staff ratios.
Although a standard should be set, some hospitals and healthcare facilities may differ when deciding what is safe. The area in which you work may also determine the appropriate nurse to patient ratio.
The National Nurses United breaks down the necessary ratios in order to provide the best possible care. The recommendations seem fair but not every facility will follow these ratios.
Medical 1:4
Emergency 1:3
Intensive care 1:1
Labor and Delivery 1:3
Pediatrics 1:3
For example, based on the recommendation a nurse working in the emergency department should only care for three patients at a time.
Congress introduced a bill in 2019 that focuses on safe nurse to patient ratios. Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act is a bill that would requires hospital to standardize safe ratios and advocate for the healthcare team.
Over the years, the nurse to patient ratio has seen some changes. Due to staff shortages some hospitals are requiring nurses to take on a heavier patient load. This is extremely unsafe. The recent pandemic is making the problem even worse.
Due to Covid-19 hospitals have been facing a major staffing crisis. The acuity and volume of patients increased. Nurses are getting sick, leaving to travel, or leaving the profession all together. Less staff means higher patient ratios.
Having an increase in nurse to patient ratios is unsafe for the patient but also the nurse. Nurses may not be able to pay attention to the small details because they have so many patients to care for. That small detail could be critical for the health of the patient. Having more patients also means less care for each patient.
The quality of care will suffer and the nurse may become burnt out. This will have a direct effect on the entire healthcare system.
Safety should always be top priority inside the walls of a hospital or other healthcare facility. The increase in nurse to patient ratios is unsafe and a major cause for concern. Nurses are becoming stressed and overworked.
Studies have shown that having overworked staff can lead to medical errors. Some errors may be minor and some may be extremely serious. The stress of their current work environment is causing number of nurses to leave bedside nursing and focus on something else.
Some nurses may even go on strike. A few New York hospitals had over 10,000 nurses threaten to go on strike due to staffing issues. Nurses are fed up and taking a stand!
Nurses who are currently working during these difficult times need a reminder to also take care of themselves. Increasing patient to staff ratios is leading to exhausted nurses that are on the verge of burnout. If this happens then both the nurse and the patient will suffer.