Nurse-to-patient ratios and quality nursing care are more complicated now than they were a few years ago. The balance between nurses to patients is affected by a variety of factors. Concerns about healthcare expenditures, an aging patient and nursing population, and competing initiatives contribute to the problem. If state legislators impose minimum nurse staffing ratios, the expense of hiring more nurses will place a burden on hospital finances. Inadequate nursing personnel can result in patient fatalities, resulting in additional legal issues and higher expenditures to compensate for worker turnover.
The healthcare system can use the PICOT system to address this issue, which is meant to make the nurse’s job easier while also reducing danger. PICOT’s fundamental concept is the mandatory execution of a policy that ensures an acceptable nurse-to-patient ratio. PICOT hopes to enhance patient stay and quality treatment during the recovery phase within a year. The PICOT question, thus, can be the following – at an intensive care hospital (P), does increase the nurse staffing rate (I) based on a required policy that assures an adequate nurse-to-patient ratio compared to the present filling model using a paired sample t-test (C) enhance the patient length of stay (O) over one year (T)?
To evaluate the findings of an evidence-based project proposal, a comparative statistical test can be utilized in combination with the chosen research. These tests are the most appropriate for evaluating nurse HR policies since they compare and contrast many factors (Siedlecki & Bena, 2021). A paired t-test is advised in this scenario for comparing and evaluating data on distinct variables.
The nursing personnel ratio directly impacts patient care quality and safety. In most hospitals, the quality of nursing care is directly connected to patient outcomes. It’s exemplary that these data were used to investigate the influence of altering patient-to-nurse ratios on patient outcomes, nurse satisfaction, and quality of care scores; if that’s the case, we’ll bet on it (Carlisle et al., 2020). The outcomes of this trial were good, according to data from the National Press Ganey Database, which included daily personnel records (Carlisle et al., 2020). According to the study’s findings, readily available indicators may be used to evaluate nursing personnel and outcomes in nursing departments that take into consideration the demands of nurses (Musy et al., 2020). Measurements might provide a fresh perspective on how to optimize the nurse-to-patient ratio. Overall, to avoid overburdening the nurses, staff rotation is required.
The influence of the number of qualified nurses and their assistants on the rapid response to patients with physiological abnormalities should also be investigated. From 2012 to 2015, data were collected from 32 general emergency departments in England. The study’s findings revealed that the number of qualified employees, but not helpers, influenced late response times (Smith et al., 2020). The lower the number of skilled nurses, the greater the chance of a patient dying while in the hospital.
A vast number of research on the link between the method of staff selection and their job results must be evaluated and summarized. Based on the generalization of facts, significant judgments are made. Many other studies analyzing numerous important staff outcomes may be found due to this method (Wynendaele et al., 2019). The findings indicated that there is a link between the patient-to-nurse ratio and the quality of their job. Furthermore, studies show that factors such as the mix of talents and working environment have an impact on the quality of medical care.
In research papers, sample methods are used to evaluate previous research, which is then submitted to statistical methodologies. Similarly, there was discussion about the constraints of utilizing a methodology that would never realize the requirement for widely used position algorithms at their most basic abstraction. The nurses’ analysis was also applied to the nursing environment. As a result, research procedures are constrained by the methods utilized to collect data.
Several key findings from the qualitative data should be emphasized. Many studies suggest that in the future, data at the unit level should be prioritized, innovative methodologies should be combined, and efforts should be made to establish comparability across diverse clinical settings and healthcare systems throughout the world (Carlisle et al., 2020). To determine the ideal nurse-to-patient ratio in terms of care outcomes, nurse-to-patient ratio research must be conducted. Hospitals will be able to prevent adverse effects on nurses and retain nursing personnel based on the findings of this research.
There is a linkage between the patient-to-nurse ratio and some personnel outcomes. Many additional variables must be taken into account to ensure that patients receive the best possible care. Measurements can reveal additional information on how to optimize nursing staffing ratios. To avoid overburdening the nurses, staff rotation is required. It is critical to distribute caregiving tasks to get support workers’ benefits. Direct and indirect care, as well as personal time and non-essential charges, should be clearly distinguished. Patient care is a priority for nurses, and certain tasks may be transferred to other qualified employees, freeing up the nurse’s time.
References
Carlisle, B., Perera, A., Stutzman, S. E., Brown-Cleere, S., Parwaiz, A., & Olson, D. M. (2020). Efficacy of using available data to examine nurse staffing ratios and quality of care metrics. The Journal of Neuroscience Nursing: Journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 52(2), 78–83.
Juvé-Udina, M.-E., González-Samartino, M., López-Jiménez, MM, Planas-Canals, M., Rodríguez-Fernández, H., Batuecas Duelt, IJ, Tapia-Pérez, M., Pons Prats, M., Fabrellas, N., & Adamuz, J. (2020). Acuity, nurse staffing and workforce, missed care and patient outcomes: A cluster-unit-level descriptive comparison. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(8), 2216–2229.
Musy, S. N., Endrich, O., Leichtle, A. B., Griffiths, P., Nakas, C. T., & Simon, M. (2021). The association between nurse staffing and inpatient mortality: A shift-level retrospective longitudinal study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 120(103950), 103950.
Siedlecki, S. L., & Bena, J. F. (2021). What you need to know about running and interpreting the t-test: A guide for the clinical nurse specialist. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 35(2), 56-61.
Wynendaele, H., Willems, R., & Trybou, J. (2019). Systematic review: Association between the patient-nurse ratio and nurse outcomes in acute care hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(5), 896–917.