How Many Patients Per Nurses in Nigeria
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:13 pm
By Olufemi Iseyemi Folakemi
NURSE PATIENT RATIO A MAJOR DETERMINANT OF CARE NEGLECTED BY MANAGERS OF HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY
How Many Patients Per Nurses? Correct Nurse To Patient Ratio:
Nurse to patient ratio is probably one of the most talked about issues in nursing. And apparently, it’s also one of the most common reasons why nurses leave the profession. When an institution suffers from short staffing, bad things start to happen. Nurses become grumpier and the quality of care they deliver decreases. Infections increase and patients stay longer in the hospital. These things don’t only affect nurses and patients; they can be bad for the health institution, too.
The Problem Worsens
There are tons of things that force nurses to hang their nursing caps and just quit work. Bullying, burnout, and poor working conditions are probably some of the reasons you are already familiar with.
These things easily make one out of five fresh nurses quit the profession within their first year of getting a license. One out of three, on the other hand, quit within the first two years of starting work.
With more nurses quitting work, most institutions require nurses to take longer shifts, reduce their off days and take on more patients than necessary. One good reason is that institutions don’t see hiring more nurses as cost-effective.
In reality, however, they actually end up spending more in addressing the poor outcomes of short staffing and poor nurse-patient ratio.
What Is The Correct Nurse-Patient Ratio?
The American Nurses Association advocates for a legislative model wherein nurses have the autonomy to create a staffing plan that will meet the demands of their units and patients. This approach allows for a staffing plan that’s flexible and can be adjusted based on the following:
Number of admissions
Minimum number of nurses
Staffing level advised by specialty nursing organizations
Number of discharges and transfers
The level of education, training and experience of the staff
The intensity of patient needs
Unit geography and availability of technology
Patient numbers
Availability of ancillary staff and other resources
In determining staffing ratios, it’s a good idea for institutions to sit down with their nurses as they are the people who are in direct charge of patient care. They have a realistic view of what goes on in each unit and what problems they encounter.
What Does The Law Require?
In California, there are clearly and legally defined minimum nurse to patient ratios that are supposed to be maintained at all times. For example, for Intensive/ Critical Care, one nurse should only care for two patients. The same ratio applies to Neonatal Intensive Care, Post Anesthesia Recovery and Labor and Delivery. A 1:1 ratio applies for the Operating Room and Trauma patients in the ER.
Apart from California, there are 14 other states in the country that legally address nurse staffing. Seven of these states legally require hospitals to have staffing committees that will take charge in creating staffing plans and policies. This includes OH, OR, CT, NV, WA and IL.
Just recently, Democratic State Senator Mike Skindell reintroduced a bill that mimics the California law on safe staffing. It mandates a 1:1 nurse to patient ratio in certain areas of the hospital as well as prevents nurses from being overloaded and overworked.
The bill prohibits mandatory overtime as well as the use of cameras to substitute for nurses. It also prohibits the layoff of supporting personnel and practical nurses.
NURSE PATIENT RATIO A MAJOR DETERMINANT OF CARE NEGLECTED BY MANAGERS OF HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY
How Many Patients Per Nurses? Correct Nurse To Patient Ratio:
Nurse to patient ratio is probably one of the most talked about issues in nursing. And apparently, it’s also one of the most common reasons why nurses leave the profession. When an institution suffers from short staffing, bad things start to happen. Nurses become grumpier and the quality of care they deliver decreases. Infections increase and patients stay longer in the hospital. These things don’t only affect nurses and patients; they can be bad for the health institution, too.
The Problem Worsens
There are tons of things that force nurses to hang their nursing caps and just quit work. Bullying, burnout, and poor working conditions are probably some of the reasons you are already familiar with.
These things easily make one out of five fresh nurses quit the profession within their first year of getting a license. One out of three, on the other hand, quit within the first two years of starting work.
With more nurses quitting work, most institutions require nurses to take longer shifts, reduce their off days and take on more patients than necessary. One good reason is that institutions don’t see hiring more nurses as cost-effective.
In reality, however, they actually end up spending more in addressing the poor outcomes of short staffing and poor nurse-patient ratio.
What Is The Correct Nurse-Patient Ratio?
The American Nurses Association advocates for a legislative model wherein nurses have the autonomy to create a staffing plan that will meet the demands of their units and patients. This approach allows for a staffing plan that’s flexible and can be adjusted based on the following:
Number of admissions
Minimum number of nurses
Staffing level advised by specialty nursing organizations
Number of discharges and transfers
The level of education, training and experience of the staff
The intensity of patient needs
Unit geography and availability of technology
Patient numbers
Availability of ancillary staff and other resources
In determining staffing ratios, it’s a good idea for institutions to sit down with their nurses as they are the people who are in direct charge of patient care. They have a realistic view of what goes on in each unit and what problems they encounter.
What Does The Law Require?
In California, there are clearly and legally defined minimum nurse to patient ratios that are supposed to be maintained at all times. For example, for Intensive/ Critical Care, one nurse should only care for two patients. The same ratio applies to Neonatal Intensive Care, Post Anesthesia Recovery and Labor and Delivery. A 1:1 ratio applies for the Operating Room and Trauma patients in the ER.
Apart from California, there are 14 other states in the country that legally address nurse staffing. Seven of these states legally require hospitals to have staffing committees that will take charge in creating staffing plans and policies. This includes OH, OR, CT, NV, WA and IL.
Just recently, Democratic State Senator Mike Skindell reintroduced a bill that mimics the California law on safe staffing. It mandates a 1:1 nurse to patient ratio in certain areas of the hospital as well as prevents nurses from being overloaded and overworked.
The bill prohibits mandatory overtime as well as the use of cameras to substitute for nurses. It also prohibits the layoff of supporting personnel and practical nurses.