Essay Sample on Nurse-Patient Ratios: Achieving Improved Care & Economic Benefits

Introduction

The campaign for the safe-nurse to patient ratio is a global effort that aims at ensuring safe staffing for patients and nurses in different healthcare systems across the world. Different studies have shown that suitable staffing of nurses in different healthcare facilities aids in the achievement of economic and clinical improvement when it comes to patient care (Schwab, Meyer, Geffers, & Gastmeier, 2012). Some of the results of appropriate nurse-patient ratio include the enhancement patient satisfaction, reduction in the patient care costs through the reduction in the unintended readmissions, reduction or prevention in the nurse fatigue and the improvement in safety outcomes. Generally, establishing effective nurse-patient ratio enhances the services obtained from the healthcare system. Every government wants to ensure the nurse-patient ratio because it is one of the global concern in an attempt to enhance medical delivery (Schwab et al., 2012). In most cases, optimal staffing is important when it comes to the provision of the best care possible, as well as the acquisition of the maximum value from the nurses.

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In every study, the collection of data is essential in a bid to establish reliable and accurate results that can then be used in the decision-making processes. In other words, to substantiate the claims as well as the steps that need to be taken, there is the need to verify the information by using either the qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data involves collecting raw data or information from healthcare settings or from individuals who have medical experiences from different healthcare settings. The processes of data collection require the elaborate mechanism and research designs that will ensure that the acquisition of data is appropriate, and the data obtained are valid. To address the problem of nurse-patient ratio, it would be necessary to collect row data on the number of patients in different healthcare facilities and the analysis should be compared to the recommended standards required by the government or healthcare organizations. Also, the analysis needs to establish the nurse-patient ratio, and after that, the comparison needs to be made to the recommended record by the government and other healthcare organization. The quantitative research, when conducted appropriately, may reveal the actual ratio, the result that can then be used to enhance the formulation of policies by both the governmental and non-governmental organization. Therefore the presence of data followed by elaborate analysis can aid in addressing the problem of nurse-patient ratio.

In the process of quantitative analysis, the patient or customer surveys can enhance the processes of data collection as well as the establishment of an elaborate mechanism for reporting the data or result obtained (Cleary, Horsfall, & Hayter, 2014). Also, the leader and peer review interviews may help in the revelation of more information required when it comes to the measurement of the nurse-patient ratio. The collection of data in different healthcare facilities could enhance the acquisition of valid data that can then be used to establish accurate claims as far as the nurse-patient ratio is concerned. In most cases, patient or customer will always reveal accurate information going by their experiences as well as different encounters that they have with different medical facilities.

In addition to quantitative research, the analysis of the nurse-patient ratio will involve the acquisition of information from the peer-reviewed research studies that have been conducted in past studies. The qualitative research will involve the extraction of secondary data from medical research and articles from different online platforms (Cleary, Horsfall, & Hayter, 2014). The main goal of the research aiming at establishing the nurse-patient ratio information ensures that there is an adequate number of nurses in the medical facilities capable of taking care of the sick as well as individuals seeking medical support from diverse medical institutions. Also, the main goal of data collection and analysis on the nurse-patient ratio is to establish appropriate or an elaborate mechanism for determining the nurse-patient ratio.

The current practices in different medical facilities whereby few nurses are available for the increasing number of patients do not meet the goals that have been established by the medical organizations. Thus, the current does not meet the standard set by the medical organizations as well as other international medical organizations. The prescribed practices or laid down nurse-patient ratio are not being followed by different medical organizations or facilities (Cleary, Horsfall, & Hayter, 2014). Specifically, most organizations do not comply with the international nurse-patient ratio standards, perhaps due to the less number of trained nurses or because of the increasing number of patients in the hospitals and other medical facilities.

The data reviewed and aggregated indicates that the average nurse-patient ratio is still below the international standards and requirements by the governments as well as the international medical and health organizations. Lower nurse-patient ratio exposes patients to higher risks of inappropriate treatment and care. Many people may lose their lives due to lack of enough support and effective care from the medical facilities. The project is therefore essential in determining the current nurse-patient ration in an attempt to establish the correct or the recommended ratio. Going by the procedures laid down for the data collection and analysis, the project or the study lends itself to an evidenced-based practice approach or a quality improvement project.

References

Cleary, M., Horsfall, J., & Hayter, M. (2014). Data collection and sampling in qualitative research: does size matter?. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(3), 473-475. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.uws.edu.au/login?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.12163/pdf

Schwab, F., Meyer, E., Geffers, C., & Gastmeier, P. (2012). Understaffing, overcrowding, inappropriate nurse: ventilated patient ratio and nosocomial infections: which parameter is the best reflection of deficits?. Journal of Hospital Infection, 80(2), 133-139. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2011.11.014