2008 Legislation/Education Committee
Fact Sheet
Download 2008 Resolution [PDF]
2008 House of Delegates Resolution: In Support of the American Nurses' Association "Safe Staffing Saves Lives" Campaign
- The 2003 National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) House of Delegates supported (pp. 4-5) mandatory patient: nurse staffing ratios to maximize patient safety and quality of care, and minimize professional burnout in practicing nurses.
- Staffing is an issue of professional concern because inappropriate staffing can threaten patients’ safety, RN’s [Registered Nurses’] health and safety, and the integrity of the professional’s commitment to patients’.
- Staffing also concerns RNs because the pressures put on them everyday by increasing patient intensity, increasing complexity of care and the fatigue they feel which increases over time.
- Safe staffing provides hospitals with the flexibility of tailoring nurse staffing to the specific needs of patients based on factors including how sick the patient is, the experience of the nursing staff, technology, and support services available to the nurses.
- Complications associated with inappropriate staffing include postoperative respiratory and/or cardiac complications, increased risk for pulmonary failure and re-intubation, and infectious complications (e,g, septicemia) (Clark et al., 2007.)
- In hospitals with high RN staffing, medical patients had lower rates of urinary tract infections, pneumonia, shock, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and decreased hospital stays (Stanton, 2004.)
- The proposed Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act would hold hospitals accountable for the development of valid, reliable unit-by-unit nurse staffing plans (ANA , 2008.)
What Can Nursing Students Do?
Resources:
American Nurses’ Association (2008). Principles of Delegation (quick view.)
American Nurses’ Association (2008). Safe Nurse Staffing: Quick Read Resources.
Buerhaus, P., Needleman, J., Mattke, S. & Stewart, M. (2002). Strengthening hospital nursing. Health Affairs, 21(5), 123-132.
Clark, P., Leddy, K., Drain, M., & Kaldenberg, D. (2007). State Nursing Shortages and Patient Satisfaction, More RNs- Better Patient Experiences. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 22(2), 119-127.
Needleman, J, Buerhaus, P., Mattke, S., Stewart, M. & Zelevinsky, K. (2002). Nursing staffing levels and the quality of care in hospitals. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(22), 1715-1722.
Stanton, M. (2004). Hospital nurse staffing and quality of care. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 14, 1-12.
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