Nurse staffing and the quality of patient care

For many years, adequate staffing of nurses has been linked to the positive outcomes of patients in healthcare s. It has been noticed thatnurse staffing has a direct influence to the length in which patients stay in hospital as well as the efficiency of their treatment (Thungjaroenkul, et al, 2007). In addition, it has been found that there is a decrease in the number of medical errors made concerning patients. Furthermore, adequate staffing has an impact on nurses because they become more motivated in their work, which increases their efficiency that translates to improved care to patients, leading to swift recovery and reduced patients’ mortality rates because they have the full attention of the nurses throughout their convalescence (Needleman, et al, 2002). On the other hand, when the ratio of nurses to patients is low this contributes low quality patient care, increased medical errors and high mortality rates of patients this is due to overwork and fatigue among the nurses, which reduces their efficiency.
In conclusion, it can be said that the level of nurse staffing does indeed have an impact on the quality of care that patients receive since patient to nurse ratio has a direct impact on the effectiveness of nurses, occurrences of medical errors and patient mortalities. Therefore, it is paramount despite the increased health care cost and the urge to offer quality care at a reduced cost, that the nurse to patient ratio be maintained at an adequate level to ensure efficiency and effectiveness is achieved.
References
Needleman, J., Buerhaus, P., Mattke, S., Stewart, M., and Zelevinsky, K. (2002). Nurse-staffing levels and the quality of care in hospitals. The New England Journal of Medicine, 346(22), 1715-22.
Thungjaroenkul, P., Cummings, G. G., and Embleton, A. (2007). The impact of nurse staffing on hospital costs and patient length of stay: A systematic review. Nursing Economics, 25(5), 255-65.