The Importance Of Staffing In Nursing

Staffing in Nursing

How come my nurse doesn't spend more time with me? Why is she/he always rushing to get out of my room? As reported by the American Nurses Association (ANA), staffing in nursing is one of the biggest health care issues affecting the nation (2017). For one, there are just too many patients and not enough nurses, which makes it unsafe for the clients and the licensed professional. The administrators must reduce the ratio of nurse to patient because the current nurses' workload can lead to nurses' burnout, patient dissatisfaction, and negative patient outcomes.

Thousands of nurses throughout the nation are exhausted and overwhelmed due to their heavy workload. The administrators do not staff the units properly; therefore, they

Nurses that have a higher workload of patients are probably more prone to commit a medication error because they may not have the time to do the five checks of medication administration: the right drug, the right dose, the right route, the right time, and the right patient. Keller et al. (2013) stated that thousands of patients die after hospitalization and these deaths could've been prevented with more nursing care. Keller et. al (2013) also stated that 4535 patients (2%) out of 232,342 died shortly after hospitalization. Decreasing the ratio of nurse to patient would make a significant impact on patients’ mortality rate: “The difference between 4:1 and 8:1 patient-nurse ratios may be approximately 1000 deaths in a group this size” (Keller et al. 2013). This is a serious manner, and it goes against the nurses’ code of ethics "do no harm." Nurses and other healthcare personnel are supposed to take care of the patients and not harm them because a unit is poorly

They also claim that the facility would not be able to afford such costs: "The American Hospital Association opposes mandated ratios for a variety of reasons.... would have to spend millions of dollars more per year" (Rajecki 2009). They may argue that the extra expenses would have to be deducted from other sources. The administrators may also say that they would have to increase the prices of procedures/ provided to clients. Health care facilities/ the corporation make a reasonable point; however, reducing the ratio of nurse to patient would decrease the costs spent on adverse patient outcomes. Per Keller et al. (2013), when the nursing staff is compromised, patients experience adverse outcomes such as pressure ulcers and nosocomial infections (an infection that is acquired during stay in a health care facility). Adverse patient outcomes are not reimbursed to the facility treating these