Important of Adequate Nursing Staff

Abstract
Adequate nursing staff is critical factor for patient’s safety and health. Inadequate nursing staffing levels are known to influence on patient’s rate of complications, falls, medication errors and overall patient’s conditions. American Nurse Association found that 54 percent of nurses on medical unit report that nurses are not spending enough time with patients. Because nursing labor cost consumes the largest fraction of budget, many hospitals trying to save money by requiring nurse to work longer hours and care for more number of patients. This short-sight solution not only creates heavier work load to staffs but also threatens patient’s safety. There are no absolute answers to determine nurse to patient ration because it affected by variety situations and acuity of patient as well as units. However, since appropriate nursing staffing affects the patient and nurse mentally, physically and medically but also the financially, this issues must be addressed by Registered Nurses when one encounter with unsafe nurse-to-patient ratio.

Nursing Staffs for Patient’s Safety
When RN encounters with inadequate staffing, one must notify to direct supervisor because unsafe staffing is an important factor that threatens patient’s well-being. Management becomes accountable to provide adequate staffing for the nurses and the patients. Hospital faces the challenge to reconcile between their own needs and patient’s safety by providing enough nursing staffs. It would be easier if management incorporate collective factors into the staffing plan such as patient diagnoses, staff competency, daily censes, unit turnover and so on. Each organization should have their own guideline for staffing plan to ensure each patient will be cared by a nurse with appropriate skills. With well-organized strategy, organization can