Nurse-patient ratio mandates: evidence, implementation, and policy challenges

Nursing

Nurse-Patient Ratios

The problem with the union proposal is that the evidence that shows increased levels of nurses lower the incidence of preventable death and injury among patients is that the evidence is difficult to come by, and many people oppose government mandated staffing levels. There is great conflict in the arguments, as a group of writers note. They say, "We propose that many of the debates that appear to be intractable disputes over the evidence arise from conflicts in the other spheres that influence decisions, such as the values, preferences, and circumstances of individuals and the communities they represent" (Atkins, et al., 2005, p. 102). Thus, extensive research should be conducted to back up the evidence that so many groups cite, but research into the other elements the authors mention, such as preferences and values, should be undertaken too, so that the solution addresses all of these issues, and not just the evidence issue.

If the ultimate goal of the proposal is to increase the validity of health care and patient survival, then research needs to look into what increased staffing levels mean to patient care, quality, and survival. They also need to research how much increasing the staffing levels will increase costs, and where funding will come from to cover those costs.