Nursing Home Staffing Report

Every day nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas. Challenges in these situations are becoming more and more complex due to increasing workload and sicker patients. When a nursing unit is understaffed not only are nurses more likely to become burnt out, but their patients are far less likely to receive the quality of care they deserve. The problem is that the Federal regulations require hospitals who participate in Medicare to “have ‘adequate’ numbers of licensed nurses (RN, LPN, CNA) to provide care to all patients as needed,” but the regulations

State-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios remains a controversial topic in healthcare. Sufficient nurse staffing is key to ensure adequate patient care, while scarce staffing effects patients’ safety and puts nurses at risk for burnout. Determining nurse-to-patient ratios in nursing facilities remains a challenge for the nursing profession. There are many factors to consider when determining staffing methods, such as cost, nurses’ satisfaction, patient outcomes and safety. Mandating ratios is one attempt at ensuring nurses’ workloads do not exceed what is needed for adequate patient care and safety. Throughout this paper, I will explore both the pros and cons of mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in order to resolve the question, does nurse to

The influence of nurse staffing ratios on quality of care has been observed in four studies. Hospitals using decreased levels of nursing staff faced a 7% escalation in 30-day mortality and a 7% escalation in failure-to-rescue. This data was reinforced by an additional study done by Zhu et al. in 2012 that recognized, while nurse-to-patient ratio lessened, patient outcomes

Large patient loads combined with a stressful work environment affects nurses’ abilities to provide quality healthcare. Patient safety should never be compromised. It is our responsibility to learn from research and improve our current nurse staffing ratios. Nurse staffing is key and affects all other outcomes. Without nurses administering the right treatment at the right time to the right patients, all other healthcare interventions are not effective. Improvement of nurse staffing levels will improve the quality of care our patients receive.

With a nurse shortage, patients are not getting the best quality care they should be getting. Archive stated that hospital nurse staffing, is a matter of major concern because of the effects it can have on patient safety and the quality care patients deserve. Nursing-sensitive outcomes is an indicator of the quality care and can be defined as variable patient or family caregiver state, condition, or perception responsive to nursing intervention. Some unfortunate patient outcomes potentially sensitive to nursing care are shock, urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, longer hospital stays, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, failure to rescue, and 30-day mortality. Research has focused on negative rather than the positive patient outcomes for the simple reason that adverse outcomes are more likely to be documented in the medical record. This is important evidence because it gives us conditions and results of what can happen if patients get lower quality care. Patients’ are not having enough time getting checked up by a nurse, and nurses would miss some diagnostics. Patients are getting sick because of the poor care they are receiving from nurses. The care patients can get is affected by a nurse shortage, “Nursing workload definitely affects the time that a nurse can allot to various tasks. Under a heavy workload, nurses may not have sufficient time to perform tasks that can have a direct effect on patient safety. A heavy nursing workload can influence the care provider’s decision to perform various procedures. A heavy workload may also reduce the time spent by nurses collaborating and communicating with physicians, therefore affecting the quality of nurse-physician collaboration” (ncbi). This is important because it tells us that nurses wouldn 't have enough time to perform tasks that can affect the patients’ care. If nurses are being overworked because of a nurse shortage, then patients’ would not have the best quality care they would need, which can be a

This semester, I was placed in a long-term care facility for my pre-graduation course. On my floor, I work with an RN, an RPN, and 6 PSWs. Our floor consists of 60 residents and 30 residents are assigned per nurse. The PSWs are divided into 6 teams and 10 residents are assigned per PSW. For the past 2 months that I have worked for facility X, there is one thing that I constantly notice; that is the shortage of staff on the unit. I see PSWs working double time just to compensate for the workload of another co-worker who was not there. I also observe how the staff rush their work and end up not delivering the suitable care the residents need. According to the PSW that I work with, she stated, “This is unfair for us who are here. I don’t even

Decision makers will need to determine how to best utilize nurses, technicians, and other professionals to close the gap in providing services to patients. Nurses require less time to train, are less expensive to train, cost less to employ, and can increase the efficiency and productivity of physicians who provide care to patients. The increase in the use of health care services as well as the increase in the number of venues where health care is provided has also increased the job opportunities for nurses and other members of the healthcare workforce. The demand for primary care services has stimulated the training of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse

According to Stanton, low-staffed hospitals resulted in higher incidences of poor patient outcomes. Such as, UTIs, pneumonia, and fall. However, poor patient outcomes not only result from short-staffed nurses, but can also result from inadequate nursing assistants as well. NAs play a great role in providing basic daily care of patients. These professionals are very crucial in the healthcare industry but sadly, there are NA shortages. According to Piotrowdki (2010) there is great NA shortage in nursing homes as well as in hospitals across many regions. This shortage eventually leads to fewer resources for nurses to rely on when providing basic patient

Research has shown that some clinical quality measures are strongly related to good nursing care (NorthWestern Memorial Hospital, 2014). They way that a nurse performs each and every activity has a substantial impact on quality of healthcare. This can also be seen in the understanding of patients that a good relationship with a compassionate, well-informed and capable nurse can help in the well-being and effectiveness of the care they

The problem description in this article identified is that when there are too many patients assigned to a nurse there will not be an effective and well done job by the nurses and the patient will not be save. According to (Christian Duffin (2012). The Safe Staffing for Older People’s Wards report argues that if a nurse is overseeing more than seven patients, care will not be safe. And also the this will also have a serious impact on the health of the nursing staff, it was stated that because nurses’ heavy workload is an issue practically everywhere,

Throughout the semester, I have learned so much about the different aspects of a long-term health care facility. From textbook readings, class lectures, case studies, to group projects, my knowledge and understanding of what it takes to run a long-term health care facility has grown immensely. With the percentage of the population above the age of 60 about to increase rapidly, long-term facilities will become more prevalent and important. The five main aspects I would focus on as an administrator in a long-term care facility are following regulations, making correct care plans for patients, ensuring there is enough qualified staff at all times, providing stimulating activities, and ensure a comfortable and home-like atmosphere for the residents.

that while nurses plays a very important role in improving the health care system of the country,

Hello, Mary. The goal of beneficence is to protect the well-being of the patients. In nursing, doing good and doing the right thing is the best policy. In our long-term care restraints is not an alternative. Instead of using restraints our facility provides patient care observers to be with the patient to ensure their safety. Educating the staff on alternatives is essential to reduce the use of restraints such as providing a quiet environment and fall precaution measures. Additionally, care must be individualized and we encourage visits from family and friends. The caregivers must give priority to respect for the dignity of the residents. I agree the family and care giving team must work together in the decision-making process. Have a good

There is a need for greater reimbursement for nurse staffing for health care organizations. Nurses make up the bulk of medical personnel and are the frontline caregivers and health care providers. I agree with many experts’ opinion that adequate nurse staffing results in favorable patient outcomes and must therefore be financially supported. Dunham-Taylor (2015), argues that “effective workforce management is a key factor contributing to organizational success” (Dunham-Taylor, 2015). Moreover, the author asserts that adequate nurse staffing leads to better patient outcomes, better reimbursement, positive patient satisfaction scores, greater workforce satisfaction, increase employee retention, financial success and organizational stability

Nurses play an essential role in the healthcare industry. The nurse workforce is made up of licensed nurses: registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), along with nurse aides. Registered nurses are responsible for assessments of patients’ needs, development of care plans, medication administration, and treatments, while licensed vocational nurses perform specific care under the delegation of the registered nurses and supervisions. Nursing aides perform activities of daily living (unskilled attention) to the patient. Adequate nursing staffing is essential to both patient care and outcomes, also to the retention of nurses while inadequate staffing creates problems for both the patients and