Nurse Staffing Case Study

1. What makes this problem important?

The issue of nurse staffing and patient safety is vital to the health of our patients and the longevity of out nursing licenses. No one wants to be the sentinel event that forces the change, so they leave making the problem of staffing worse. The departures cause inexperienced nurses to arrive and make the critical situation of staffing even more challenging. This is the environment we take our families and loved ones for care and their safety is at risk with this crisis.

2. Why does it matter? Patients’ lives are at risk and they could be out friends, family or ourselves. Are there important patient concerns? Their safety and the quality of care they receive in the poorly staffed emergency care environment. Staff concerns? Nurses risk their licenses daily when they practice in an environment with unsafe patient to nurse ratios. The staff becomes inundated with new nurses without experience who slow the flow of care down and lean on the overburdened experience nurse for help. This

It is important I do this project because … Patient and nurse safety matter. This is a fixable problem with solutions that can be done with the proper recognition and attention. Nurses should not have to practice in fear.

3. Challenges in taking on this topic include … Finding the research to support the topic and offer realistic solutions that could be practical and universally applied. How can this be fixed for all patients and nurses?

4. Early findings from the literature review suggest….High ratios contribute to an increase in mortality, fail to rescue and nurse burnout rate increase (Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski & Silber, 2002). Improving ratios can lead to improved patient care, safety, nurse job satisfaction and nurse retention. The literature supports what commons sense tells one about what is wrong with some of our emergency room environment. The literature is also demon stating it this extends far past my areas of