Thursday, October 30, 2008
Action Plan Responses and Other Comments
The comments that we have received from other students have unanimously supported the stance on the bill we have selected. After following the blogs of our fellow classmates, we have noticed a trend in support for the need of increased number of nurses. We have not yet received any feedback or responses from the key stakeholders that we have selected. We plan to continue to take action and follow the progress of this bill. If we do not hear from our key stakeholders within a week from today, we plan to recontact them in order to gain their support. We would further like to educate our peers and colleagues on this matter in order to help make a difference in bettering the health care system.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Scholarly Evidence
"The average patient-to-nurse ratio ranged from 4:1 to 8:1 per
nursing shift. These researchers demonstrated that a risk of
death was 14 per cent higher in hospitals with 6:1 patient-to-nurse
ratios and 31 per cent higher in hospitals with 8:1 ratios,
compared to hospitals with patient-to-nurse ratios of 4:1 or less.
outcomes."
This quote comes from the following source to show that there is evidenced-based literature to prove there is a problem in the current system.
MacPhee, M., Ellis, J., & McCutcheon, A. S. (October 2006). Nurse staffing and patient safety.
Canadian Nurse, 120(8), 20.
nursing shift. These researchers demonstrated that a risk of
death was 14 per cent higher in hospitals with 6:1 patient-to-nurse
ratios and 31 per cent higher in hospitals with 8:1 ratios,
compared to hospitals with patient-to-nurse ratios of 4:1 or less.
outcomes."
This quote comes from the following source to show that there is evidenced-based literature to prove there is a problem in the current system.
MacPhee, M., Ellis, J., & McCutcheon, A. S. (October 2006). Nurse staffing and patient safety.
Canadian Nurse, 120(8), 20.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Legislative Plan
We support that a decrease nurse-to-patient ratio is imperative to safety and successful outcomes within the hospital. in the very near future, we plan to contact key stakeholders and legislators to spread this information in order to facilitate support on our behalf. We plan to contact the sponsor of this bill (Sen. Daniel K. Inouye) in order to inform him that we are supporters of his bill. We also plan to contact Rep. Louis Capps (D-CA) becasue she is concerned with a minimum nurse staffing ratios in Medicare participating hospitals. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) is a co-sponsor of a related bill HR. 4138 a bill to ammend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to impose minimum nurse-patient ratios in Medicare participating hospitals, and other purposes. We plan to contact Governer Timothy Kaine becuase he represents us and the state of Virginia. We plan to contact nurses, and health administrators.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The governmental objectives of this bill are to ensure that there is a safe nurse to patient ratio in order to ensure proper and efficient patient care. If proper care is taken in the first place it can save much time and money for the hospitals by reducing the amount of mistakes that could be made if there were too few nurses in the facility.
The political influences for this bill are based upon the amount of mistakes that are made in hospitals and facilities by the nursing staff. There are numerous cases in which a nurse makes a mistake perhaps because she has been overworked and then she is taken to court and the hospital can lose much money. Also, because these nurses can make mistakes because there is inadequate staffing, patients are ending up staying in the hospital for much longer than they first anticipated. By putting this bill into effect it will reduce the amount of mistakes made by the nurses.
The potential impact of change is that patients will receive better and more thorough care from their nurse. The nurse will have fewer responsibilities and will therefore have more time to focus their attention on fewer patients, thus resulting in more thorough care. The health care system will also benefit because hospitals and clinics and facilities will have a better reputation of care in their setting and will therefore not have as many cases against them.
The political influences for this bill are based upon the amount of mistakes that are made in hospitals and facilities by the nursing staff. There are numerous cases in which a nurse makes a mistake perhaps because she has been overworked and then she is taken to court and the hospital can lose much money. Also, because these nurses can make mistakes because there is inadequate staffing, patients are ending up staying in the hospital for much longer than they first anticipated. By putting this bill into effect it will reduce the amount of mistakes made by the nurses.
The potential impact of change is that patients will receive better and more thorough care from their nurse. The nurse will have fewer responsibilities and will therefore have more time to focus their attention on fewer patients, thus resulting in more thorough care. The health care system will also benefit because hospitals and clinics and facilities will have a better reputation of care in their setting and will therefore not have as many cases against them.
Responding to Comments
Hello fellow bloggers,
In response to the questions and comments left by visitors our group wanted to explain this bill a little further. The legislation does not set a nation-wide number that hospitals and agencies need to adhere to for staffing plans. It does however require hospitals to provide a detailed staffing plan with a safe nurse/patient ratio, that cannot be more that already passed national and state legislation.
We, as a group of senior level nursing students, do not feel that the government should impose a number to the nurse/patient ratio. Many things must be taken into consideration when planning care for patients and without looking at specific patients and their individual health status it is impossible to decide the number of patients a nurse can take care of at once. Also when planning nurse staffing in the hospital one must remember that these patients are sick and can become critical and have a higher acuity of nursing care at any moment. For example, if a nurse is busy with 8 patients and one patient's health status starts to deteriorate, how can she continue to care for all 8 patients safely and effectively.
In response to the questions and comments left by visitors our group wanted to explain this bill a little further. The legislation does not set a nation-wide number that hospitals and agencies need to adhere to for staffing plans. It does however require hospitals to provide a detailed staffing plan with a safe nurse/patient ratio, that cannot be more that already passed national and state legislation.
We, as a group of senior level nursing students, do not feel that the government should impose a number to the nurse/patient ratio. Many things must be taken into consideration when planning care for patients and without looking at specific patients and their individual health status it is impossible to decide the number of patients a nurse can take care of at once. Also when planning nurse staffing in the hospital one must remember that these patients are sick and can become critical and have a higher acuity of nursing care at any moment. For example, if a nurse is busy with 8 patients and one patient's health status starts to deteriorate, how can she continue to care for all 8 patients safely and effectively.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2007
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-73
This bill was introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye, HI
Here is a link to the Senator's website: http://inouye.senate.gov/
The purpose of this bill is to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes.
This bill deals with the shortage of registered nursing staff to care for patients in the United States. The evidence collected from hospitals across the nation shows that there is a correlation between the number of RN's on the unit and the health of the patients, and that patient safety is adversely affected by this shortage. It is critical that patient safety be maintained with safe numbers of nursing staff in this time of nursing shortage.
The bill proposes to ensure that individual hospitals develop a staffing system that provides for a certain minimum ratio of registered nurses to patients for each unit.
This bill was introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye, HI
Here is a link to the Senator's website: http://inouye.senate.gov/
The purpose of this bill is to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes.
This bill deals with the shortage of registered nursing staff to care for patients in the United States. The evidence collected from hospitals across the nation shows that there is a correlation between the number of RN's on the unit and the health of the patients, and that patient safety is adversely affected by this shortage. It is critical that patient safety be maintained with safe numbers of nursing staff in this time of nursing shortage.
The bill proposes to ensure that individual hospitals develop a staffing system that provides for a certain minimum ratio of registered nurses to patients for each unit.
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