Nurse Patient Ratio In Nursing

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Safe nurse-patient ratio is a complex issue debated on for many years. Due to inadequate staffing registered Nurses are faced with high patient ratios, and nurse burn out everyday. According to the American Nurses Association, “Massive Reductions in nursing budgets combined with, the challenges presented by a growing nursing shortage have resulted in fewer nurses working longer hours for sicker patients. This situation compromises care and contributes to the nursing shortage by creating an environment that drives nurses from the bedside”. (2012) Through the nursing process, the essential role of the Registered Nurse is to assess, diagnose, and plan based on outcomes, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing care. However, it is not realistic to thoroughly implement these core guidelines in a safe and effective way, when you are …show more content…

The California Department of Health set a criterion that was unit specific, and provided mandated ratios for each unit. Some examples include that an ICU nurse should have a nurse-patient ratio of 2:1, Psychiatry 6:1, Telemetry 5:1 and Medical-surgical units 5:1. According to the research study “Implications of the California Nurse Staffing Mandate for Other States” by Aiken, L, “29 percent of nurses in California experienced high burnout, compared with 34 percent of nurses in New Jersey and 36 percent of nurses in Pennsylvania, states without minimum staffing ratios during the period of research. The study also found that 20 percent of nurses in California reported dissatisfaction with their jobs, compared with 26 percent and 29 percent in New Jersey and Pennsylvania” (2010) Aiken found that about 74% of California staff nurses thought the quality of care of their patients have improved significantly as a result of the mandated staffing

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