Please write a paragraph responding to the discussion bellow. Add citations and references in alphabetical order.
A problem that exists in nursing that needs more studying is making evidence based standard of care that allows a maximum amount of patients an individual emergency room nurse can have. According to (Duffin, 2012), in California there is a minimum of 17 different nurse-to-patient ratio laws in place, which include a one to four ratio in the emergency department. “The Nurse Association argues that this reduces mortality levels and allows nurses to spend more time with patients” (Duffin, 2012, p.1). However, here in Florida, there is not such a law. I currently work in a busy thirty-two rooms and eighteen hallway bed emergency room that is basically split between us nurses with each of us assigned to seven beds. Luckily it is not always busy enough to fill all the beds but its been a few times that I had seven patients. When I’ve complained in the past, my nursing director said that is totally legal and there’s nothing we can do about it. I feel that if there was a national cut off number of patients to nurses that we nurses would have more time to evaluate our patients upon admission and be able to spend more time explaining discharge instructions. According to former ANA President Mary E. Foley, MS, RN, (ANA, 2002), she commented on the fact that ANA’s Principles for Nurse Staffing is in place to ensure quality care, individual nurses must be responsible and accountable for independent decision-making, and that the assessment by the care-giving RN must be acknowledged. Also, she mentions the fact that ANA advocates measuring nursing-sensitive patient outcomes in relation to staffing levels.
References:
ANA: nurse-to-patient ratios proposal will strengthen patient-care safety net, but broader solutions still needed. (2002). New Mexico Nurse, 47(2), 23. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=1069321&site=ehost-live&scope=site

WhatsApp us