Course Project: Patient

Safety
PICOT Question

how does having an

adequate nurse-to-patient
ratio versus not having an
adequate nurse-to-patient
ratio affect patient safety
during a year long period in
an acute care setting?
Why is it a good
thing?
according to ANA, hospitals that support a
positive work environment by promoting
manageable patient workloads have significantly
improved patient outcomes

when nurses have lesser ratios, they are more

able to provide patient teaching and to prepare
the patient for the transition home
Personal Story

I work in a busy unit of a local hospital. I walked

in a room one day at the beginning of a shift and
obtained a patients vital signs. The nurse was
behind me and looked up at the bag infusing into
the patientlong story short - the name on the
bag did not match the patients name. The
previous nurse had hung the wrong medication.
Personal Story cont
The unit I work on is extremely
busy. They are constantly short
staffed for both aides and nurses,
which results in flyers coming in
who are not used to how the floor is
run.

That day, they were particularly

short staffed nurses, which is what
resulted in the wrong medication
being hung and the nurse being
written up
American Association
for Nurse Executives

they recognize the

need for nurse staffing
ratios

there are factors that

determine a nurses
ability to provide safe
and competent nursing
care
What does this have to do
with patient safety?
nurse to patient ratios affect
patient safety in more than one
way

one of the most major threats is

medication administration

for example, medication

administration in pediatrics is a
huge responsibility. It requires
intricate calculations and basing
dosages on weight
How does adequate
staffing tie into this?
there is a strong ratio between
adequate staffing and patient
safety

ensuring adequate staffing

means: reduced med errors,
decreased patient complications,
improved patient satisfaction
and decrease in nurse
fatigue/burnout
It takes teamwork
coming up with a solution to
this problem requires a
collaborative effort

this ensures that skills of each

nurse on the unit are
appropriate and theyre able to
provide adequate care

overall, optimal staffing is

required to provide optimal
patient safety
References

Aiken L., Clarke S., Sloane D., Sochalski J., Silber, J. 2002. Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction. Journal of

the American Medical Association 288: 1987-1993)

American Nurses Association (2014). Nurse staffing. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/nursestaffing

American Nurses Association (2014). Key findings from research studies on safe RN staffing. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/

ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/NurseStaffing/2014-Nurse-Staffing-Updated-Literature-Review.pdf

Hogan, C. (2006). Pediatric patient safety: Factors pediatric nurses identify as contributing to medication administration errors. Health Sciences and Nursing.

Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/cv_565051/d

PR Newswire (2013). Physician-patient alliance for health & safety: Rep. Jan Schakowsky introduces legislation to improve nurse-to-patient ratios for enhanced

patient safety. Health Sciences and Nursing. Retrieved from:

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/cv_565051/docview/1416081018/7D4C52EA36414CBFPQ/1?accountid=40836