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A new study provides evidence that California's RN-to-patient staffing law reduces patient mortality, assures nurses spend more time with patients and promotes retention of experienced RNs. The study, published by Health Services Research, was conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers led by Linda Aiken, RN, PhD, director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the school of nursing.
Study Shows RN Ratios Save Lives
Seeded on Sat May 1, 2010 11:11 PM EDT
Article Source: Nurse.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (21)
Surveying more than 22,000 RNs in California and two comparable states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the researchers found New Jersey hospitals would have 14% fewer patient deaths and Pennsylvania 11% fewer deaths if they matched California’s 1:5 ratios in surgical units.
My mother was one of those unnecessary NJ deaths. Because her nurses had too many patients, they missed a piece of crucial assessment data and she died as a direct result.
The really bad thing is that I told the hospital they were dangerously understaffed (I had done the research years before) and they yelled at me! Perhaps if I could have gotten time off from my nursing job, I could have gone out there and showed them what they were missing. (I'd like to see them threaten to forcibly remove me like they did with my sisters! I know the law.)
#1 - Sat May 1, 2010 11:15 PM EDTCalifornia RNs are far more likely to stay at the bedside, and less likely to report burnout than nurses in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.
I won't go back to bedside nursing without safe staffing (unless I have to in order to support myself). I won't do to another family what that hospital in NJ did to mine.
#2 - Sat May 1, 2010 11:17 PM EDT#2:I won't do to another family what that hospital in NJ did to mine.
Hi Kerri, I too, am sorry about what happened to you and your family.
It is truly unfortunate that the "helping" professions, i.e., teaching and nursing, are the first ones cut. Helping is not in vogue anymore, apparently! Everybody is out to make/take as much money as they can get without doing any real work. How sad.
- 3 votes
Helping is not in vogue anymore, apparently
And yet, helping others is so crucial to being human. How sad for all of humanity.
- 1 vote
I agree. Before California's law went into place, I had as many as 10 patients on night shift. In other facilities where I had worked, even more than 13 and in an acute care hospital. And even as charge nurse I had the same load as a floor nurse. For real!
The ones who are against this are nurses who never ever worked bedside care and are are rather elitist like the ANA and/or are mouthpieces for the hospital industry- they just want more "bang for their buck." No one ever truly staffs by acuity, if that were true, we wouldn't need laws like this in my state.
The truth was we did staff by numbers before the law, but it was way higher than the given law. Time with patients before the law? Not ever, I was a task master. That's it. Breaks for lunch before the law? What's a break?
Karri, I'm sorry what happened to your mom and your family.....
- 1 vote
#3 - Sat May 1, 2010 11:31 PM EDTI left CA before the law went into effect. I seriously thought about moving back when the law went into effect, but my committments here prevented it. How is the law working? I know someone who swore it would destroy nursing in CA, but everything I have read has said it is working for nurses, hospitals and (mostly) for the patients.
Breaks for lunch before the law? What's a break?
Time to catch up on your charting? That's what I would do. (Because the next time I would get to chart was after my shift was over.)
- 1 vote
The law is working well for bedside nurses. Of course hospitals don't like it. But before the law, we used to use travelers and registry a lot- turnover was high, but not now. We have more than enough staff, and it's kept some of us old timers like myself and longer at bedside. Patients like it because (gasp!) they actually get to speak with their nurse as a person than some Sergeant task master to dump pills, IV antibiotics etc.
Before the law, I hardly ever had a break. If I did, it was to go use the bathroom. Any other time, I used to go catch up on my charting....
- 1 vote
Well, I might consider moving back to CA at some point. Good jobs for nurses and good health care for patients. Sounds like a deal to me.
I cannot add another thing. Staff by acuity? Give me a break. The hospitals I worked at said they did but got around it in sneaky ways. Breaks? Lunch? Ha.
Nurses now are nothing more than automatons. Time with patients? Good luck there. What I find pathetic is how new grads are getting burned out so fast when the reality sets in.
I finally got sick of it and retired. It isn't going to get any better.
#4 - Sat May 1, 2010 11:48 PM EDTI remember when we supposedly staffed by acuity. But, we had too many "4"'s (the highest acuity level) and the manager said we had to cut back on these numbers. So, every "4" had to be reviewed by the charge nurse. Funny, the acuity numbers didn't go down. So, they changed the number of highest acuity patients you could have.
- 1 vote
I recall a conversation with a RN who took the educator track, this was back in the late 80's in northern CA just as the large teaching hospitals were being forced to cut back on beds, and staff. I had asked her who the new grads were going to learn from, and how, when these teaching institutions were being squeezed. She was defiant. One of these days, I should get back to her about this.
#6 - Sun May 2, 2010 1:21 AM EDTSurprisingly, there are stricter ratios on how many students an instructor can have than on the number of patients a nurse can have.
Still, it is important to note that patient advocate is a major role for the RN at ever level. And, advocating for adequate staffing is even more essential for the patients than it is for the nurse.
- 1 vote
Speaking strictly from the intern view of things, I'd rather learn about pathology than time management, though ideally one would want to learn both. Ideally.
Actually, time management is taught in nursing school, as a part of clinical experience. Your first few clinical experiences you have only one or two patients and they increase it with each clinical experience. But you never have the 7-10 patients that is so common in many states.
- 1 vote
Time management is important, and they do stress that in nursing school. You have to learn how to change your plan of care for all your patients at the drop of a hat since it all it takes is one patient "going bad" and one situation to make the whole shift stressful.
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I remember at one hospital where I worked there was a new grad two weeks into her orientation and one evening she was assigned 13 patients with one tech to help her.
Needless to say, she quit soon after.
Less stress on nurses. Better patient outcomes. Why hasn't this gone national? (Don't tell me, I think I know -- profits.)
- 1 vote
#7 - Sun May 2, 2010 6:10 PM EDTYep, it's the almight dollar :/ Forget about patient safety. Forget about nurse satisfaction. If the facility is making a profit, that's all that matters :/
- 2 votes
So sad, isn't it, Stephanie? We all went into nursing wanting to help people and ended up hurting ourselves and possibly our patients -- and all to put more money in the hands of the CEO's.
- 2 votes
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