NURS 6101 -week 5 Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare Essay

Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care
As the largest group of providers in the health care system, costs associated with nursing labor consume a considerable portion of the budget. However, nurse staffing ratios have a direct effect on quality of care and patient safety. Sufficient and safe staffing ratios are ideal for the retention of nurses and for the provision of safe and quality care. Inadequate staffing of nurses results in heavier patient loads, greater rates of nurse burnout and higher incidences of adverse patient outcomes. “How can a healthcare system function effectively without an adequate supply of frontline caregivers” (Schroeder, 2002)?NURS 6101 -week 5 Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare Essay

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Impact of Nurse Staffing on Health Care Delivery
One of the major contributors to staffing inadequacy of nurses is the nursing shortage. There are simply not enough nurses in the professional to compensate for the shortage present in the field. Hospitals that are frequently understaffed tend to experience the most prevalent rates of poor patient outcomes and high turnover rates of nurses. Other factors to consider include increasingly complex patient acuity, heavier patient loads and shortened lengths of stay. Patients require more complex care than ever, but nurses do not have the time to provide the quality care that the patients deserve. Nurses are expected to do more with less time and resources and as a result patients and nurses alike suffer.
According to Welton (2007), evidence-based practice suggests that more staffing of registered nurses is associated with a reduced rate of hospital mortality and fewer incidences of negative patient outcomes. The more time a nurse has to actively participate in direct patient care, the less likely the patient is to stay in the hospital for extended periods of time or experience unwanted outcomes. Patients and nurses deserve to be in an environment that is conducive to positives outcomes. Subsequently, increasing the ratio of nurses to patients will improve quality of care, safety, and overall job satisfaction of nurses.
Quality Improvement Strategies for Nurse Staffing  NURS 6101 -week 5 Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare Essay

Quality Improvement Implementation for Nurse Staffing
Conclusion
It is imperative that nurses are staffed appropriately to ensure safe, quality patient care is provided. The ultimate goal of staffing is improvement of patient care, safety and retaining nurses at the frontline. If we have any hope of quality patient care that is safe, affordable and accessible, we need to make a conscious effort to make sure nurses are there to provide it. It is very well known that patient outcomes are directly correlated to the type of nursing care, but the environment in which such care is provided, including staffing, is a contributing factor to the outcome as well. If nurses are certain they can work in an environment that is not a burden to them or their livelihoods, nursing could once again become an attractive profession. Staffing that is safe for everyone involved results in improved nursing performance, reduced turnover, staffing costs, patient outcomes and liability.NURS 6101 -week 5 Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare Essay