Nursing Ratios Brochure

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Hi,

Interesting topic! Let's look at each section through discussion and links for further expansion. I also attached two supporting articles.

RESPONSE:

a. The facts (explanation of what it means, actual ratios, staging progression of ratio proposed)

Establishing safe staffing ratios is a nationwide movement to protect patients. Nurses have requested the assistance of elected officials on the state and federal level to protect patients by holding hospitals accountable for the provision of adequate nurse staffing through legislative or regulatory means. Safe staffing ratios is the setting of minimum ratios of staff-patient for each type of care unit, requiring use of patient classification / patient acuity system before adjusting the legislated minimum ratios.

The minimum-staffing ratio represents the ratio that is deemed safe for providing quality care to patient.

In California, legislation mandated specific nurse to patient ratios (1: 5 respectively) based on patient acuity.

In 1999, for exmaple, legislation was enacted in CA calling for regulations to be adopted that would define the same unit specific nurse to patient ratios to be utilized in all nursing units in all California hospitals. Currently, a few states now require specific ratios in specialty areas such as intensive care and labor and delivery units, but none require ratios in every patient care unit in every hospital as required in the California regulations. The mandated ratios represent minimum requirements that may be adjusted based upon patient acuity. California hospitals have been required to utilized a patient classification system, described in regulations by the California Department of Health Services, since 1986. The system is intended to set nursing staffing levels that identify the nursing care requirements of individual patients, and indicate to the hospital the amount of nursing staff needed to provide the identified care by patient, by unit and by shift. The California staffing ratio legislation, first enacted in 1999 with subsequent amendments is enhanced by the continuation of the mandated use of a patient classification system. http://www.safestaffingsaveslives.org/WhatisANADoing/StateLegislation/StaffingPlansandRatios.aspx

For empirical findings of actual ratios please see chart of ratios at http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/IHSP_AB394_staffing_ratios.pdf, p. 48).

b. History

IN 1999, California passed Assembly Bill 394, which was the first comprehensive legislation in the United States to establish minimum staffing ratios for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) working in hospitals. AB 394 directs the California Department of Health Services (DHS) to establish "minimum, specific, and numerical licensed nurse-to-patient ratios by licensed nurse classification and by hospital ...