Essay On Nurse Patient Ratio

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Nurse-Patient Staffing Ratio For decades, it has been reported that there are not sufficient nurses to provide high-quality care. Previous researches have shown that for each patient added to nurses, the workload increases resulting in increased mortality. In my experience, the nurse-patient ratio is an important key factor in quality care, patient safety and outcome. I previously worked at the Medical-Surgical unit where 7 to 8 patients were allotted to nurses. Sometimes the unit has no unit clerk to input doctors’ orders in the computer or to call a doctor for consultation. During weekend shifts there would be no nurse technicians. There are situations when more than 3 patients would be discharged and have new admissions at the same shift. All these factors are definitely affecting the quality of…show more content…
California is the first state to implement minimum nurse-patient staffing ratio in 2004. I support this law and believe that the law should be implemented in acute care hospitals in all states. A research conducted to examine the implications of the California nurse staffing mandate for other states suggested a probability that the surgical deaths could have been reduced in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania if there were the nurse to patient ratio like the state of California. In my professional experience, I have come across poor patient care due to high nurse-patient ratio. Due to the high nurse- patient ratio, nurses do not have time to do charting, medicate patients on time, and provide quality care. Nurses are the professionals who empathize with the patients on physical and emotional issues. Not spending quality time with the patients may make the patients’ feel ignored and unattended. Patients who are incontinent are to be
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