Patients deserve as much time and attention as a nurse can possibly provide but when a nurse is in charge of eight patients at once she or he can only spend a few minutes with each one. When a patient requires additional care, nurses are unable to provide it. Therapeutic care is ultimately compromised when nurses have a high case load. Nurses can be more attentive to each patient when case loads are low. When nurses spend more time with each patient, symptoms are noticed earlier, allowing for more rapid diagnoses and recovery times.
Health care administrators should consider lowering the nurse-to-patient ratio for the best interests of both...
Patient care is compromised when nurses do not have enough time or energy to devote to all patients, especially those requiring special attention or care. Employee satisfaction and patient satisfaction both suffer when nurses care for eight patients at once. When nurses are under undue stress, they are more prone to making medical errors. Medical errors can be costly as well as potentially fatal. For example, a nurse is more likely to confound patient charts, tabulate data incorrectly, or administer an incorrect medication when she or he is under stress. Similarly, a nurse who is under too much pressure is more…
