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H.R. 4138, The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2007 (12 comments ↓)
H.R. 4138 would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to impose minimum nurse staffing ratios in Medicare participating hospitals.
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Visitor Comments
Beth
It is absolutely urgent that Congress pass this bill. Studies have born out that better staffing of nurses leads to better patient outcomes. Nurses everywhere have experienced the horror of not being able to care for their patients in a way that they know is safe and end to these types of situations.
gina
As a nursing student and someone who works in a large teaching hospital, I see the unsafe ratios everyday. I see nurses running around in a panic because they have so many patients that are sick they cannot possibly provide the best care to each of them. This is a necessary change.
Inga Dieterich
It is imperative that this bill include Nursing Homes, staffing levels have historically been bad and getting worse. Seems as if the emphasise is always on hospitals only, dont forget the desperate need in Nursing Home Reform.
shrimplate
We don't need this bill because patients can just bring their own nurses when they have to come to the hospital.
/snark
canoehead
If nurses or the government don't step in the ratios will be determined by how much money can be made- which means minimum staffing and minimum care.
Gina Breen
I am a registered nurse and have left direct patient care years ago due to the stress that short staffing had on my life as well as the detrimental effects that it can have on patient.
Recently my mother was taken to a well known emergenty in my town. She died there. I was never so shocked to see the state of the er and the lack of staff for the amount of patient that were there. Unfortunatly my mother was never assessed properly from the get go do to the nurses being overwhelmed with patient and trying to decide which patient took precedence. I am not saying my mother time was not here but the manner in which she passed away could have been more controlled and peacful for her. Again I feel this law is a necessary change needed in the health care system for many reasons such and nurse retention and patient outcomes. May be the hospitals could use some of their funds spent on wrongful death suits that may of been avoided if there was adequate staff on more nursing staff. Gina
Alice
I too left direct patient care after 20 years. I was burned out. Today I tell anyone I know who is going into, or has a loved one that is going into the hospital,to never be alone. Have someone there and question everything. What medication is that? What is it for? etc. You can never be too careful. It is imperative that hospitals be held accountable for the safety of their patients when it comes to RN staffing. The studies prove it!
Linda Fine
I can't do it...I can't do acute care any more due to the ridiculous nurse:patient ratios that nurses are asked to take on. If I don't feel like I can safely care for my patients, I get overly stressed and am more prone to making mistakes. I decided that it wasn't worth the risk, both to my license and to the lives of those I care for, to keep accepting insane assignments and left acute care for private duty. I am a strong clinician with >25 years' experience. I know there are many others like me. I believe a bill like this could make it possible for us to return to the acute care setting.
Carolyn
I have heard many nurses say that they are ready to get out of nursing because of the increased responsibility of taking care of greater number of patients during their shift. I have seen seasoned nurses retire and skilled ones give their notice and move to another facility looking for utopia (safe patient to staff ratio) they go from place to place, state to state, eventually end up disillusioned and starting a new career altogether.
Rebecca
I am a registered nurse of 20 years and have to agree that this bill is vital to improve patient outcomes and hopefully retain nurses. Recently I was a patient at our facility and was frightened (but not surprised) at the number of ways corners were being cut or omitted due to the shortage in staff. The average lay person would not realize there was anything wrong since their basic needs were being met, but policies were not being followed. I know these were not deliberate omissions, rather too much to do and not enough time. When you have all but given up any breaks and staying hours beyond your shift the only other thing left that can be sacrificed is quality patient care. My care was excellent (meeting my basic needs) but corners get cut when you don't have enough staff and this was evident witnessing a multitude of policy infractions some of which could lead to harm for the patient.
Katie
I have been a nurse for 36 years, and I have never seen it worse. There is no real nursing shortage, just tons of nurses that "won't take it anymore". I feel this bill is necessary because the hospitals will not impose limits on the number of patients a nurse must care for themselves. My administration accepts every patient that comes to the door, even if there are not enough staff to care for them. Their response is "minimal care is better than no care". They obviously do not understand that harming a patient is what minimal care can lead to, and of course it is not their license on the line. This would force them to follow safer guidelines. I feel more nurses would come back to work if this were the case.
Fire Nursing Administrators instead!
There is no nursing shortage! There are over 330,000 licensed inactive nurses with a considerable precentage of them out of the field because of conditions. Hospitals have turned this into a 3-ring circus of customer service games for profits putting patient safety at risk. Patients need to know the truth and see what a nurse has to do and deal with on her shift leaving only minutes a day on patient care! Quit saving dollars by dumping on nurses and killing the patients!
Hospitals need to be controlled!!!!