Nurse Staffing Ratios in the Emergency Department Essay

Abstract

The study investigates the relationship between nurse staffing ratios to patient outcomes in Emergency Departments. I will approach 54 registered nurses who are employed in different health care organizations and educational facilities. The study will adopt the descriptive correlation, grounded theory based on Delphi approach. The correlation is expected to be greater than the alpha coefficient of 0.05 hence leading me to accept the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between nurse staffing ratio and patient outcome in the emergency department. Hospital administrators are often faced with the challenge of determining the nursing staff ratio for quality health care while maintaining the budget. The study provides a peer review indicator for an administrator to assess nursing care.Nurse Staffing Ratios in the Emergency Department Essay

Background

The work of nurses in the Emergency Department involves assessment of perceived, actual or potential, sudden or urgent, and physical or psychosocial problems that are mainly episodic or acute (Hall, 2004; Wise, Fry, Duffield, Roche, & Buchanan, 2015). Besides dealing with acute and episodic patients, nurses have family problems. The unique dimension of emergency nursing consists of the limited availability of patient information and situations that deal with a wide range of ages (Hall, 2004). Emergency Departments lack established patient load limits, and nearly all patients present diseases that are either diagnosed or in the acute phase. The evolving nature of emergency nursing practices has transitioned into a complex system with the increased use of point of care testing and protocols in acute illness (Hall, 2004). The evolving and broad nature of emergency services means that emergency nurses’ workloads are also changing.Nurse Staffing Ratios in the Emergency Department Essay

The relationship between nursing care and the patient outcome can be interpreted in terms of nurse-patient ratio and nursing skills (Greene, Harrinton, & Hongsoo, 2009). Nurse-patient ratio concerned with nursing staff to the number of the patient while the nursing mix relates to the percentage of non-registered nurses to registered nurses. Studies have highlighted a positive relationship between patient outcome and nurse-patient ratio. Aiken, Clarke, Sermeus, Van den Heed and Vleugals, (2007) noted that 50% increment in hours of registered nurse per patient in a day decreased the vulnerability of urinary tract infection by 4. % and reduced risk of developing pneumonia (4.2%), Thrombosis (2.6%) and pulmonary compromise (1.8%).A high ratio of registered nurses is positively related to reduced patient falls, length of stay, patient complaints, and medication errors, as well as the development of decubiti (Aiken et al., 2007). Studies have also used organizational databases to demonstrate reduced infection rate, mortality rates and high quality due to increased number of registered nurses.Nurse Staffing Ratios in the Emergency Department Essay

Organizational data is readily available in hospital databases and highlights the effects on individual patients of inadequate staffing in the emergency setting through laboratory results and health reports (Aiken et al., 2007). The use of organizationally based data has supported the benefits of high registered nurse staffing ratio in producing positive patient outcomes. Hall (2004) asserts that patients’ outcomes may ensue when nurse staffing is below a certain threshold or when there are too many nurses who are unfamiliar with the unit. Hodge, Asch, Olson, Kravitz and Sauve (2002) found a positive correlation between nurse staff ratios to patient outcome. According to their study, high nurse ratio resulted to adjusted mortality, patient satisfaction, pain management, and reduced length of stay.Nurse Staffing Ratios in the Emergency Department Essay