The quality of nursing care is reliable upon many factors. When nurses accept assignments and responsibility of patient care, individual characteristics such as knowledge, competency, years of experience, fatigue, time management, the availability of resources and support and the culture and working conditions of the unit, can either aid or impede the safety and clinical outcomes of patient care. These all contribute to the quality of care a patient receives and sheer imbalance can lead to poor or deadly patient…
Clinical Question To evaluate the essence of inpatient nurse to patient staffing ratio The initiative indicates that there should be a minimum of nurses to patients This is designed with the aim of addressing the growing concerns that there has been harm on patients through inadequate staffing, thereby paving way to increase in complexity and severity of the illness during the care (American Nurses Association, 2014) Search Criteria/Results Search Criteria The research conducted ensured that extensive research was carried out on numerous databases such as PubMed, CINAHL and in different areas that related to nurse to patient ratio Search Results:…
Evaluating the statistics of the same study, Kane et al (2007) also explored what would happen in instances where additional patients were added to a RNs assignment. The study indicated that 1 additional patient was associated with an 8% increased chance of hospital mortality. This increase of 1 patient per RN also related to a 7% increase of hospital-acquired pneumonia, 8% increase of failure to rescue (assuming a code situation), a 53% increase in respiratory failure, a 45% increase in unplanned extubations and a 16% increase in cardio-pulmonary arrest (Kane et al., 2007). A concise review performed by Penoyer in 2010 demonstrated a positive association of proper nurse staffing in the ICU with better patient outcomes.…
Although Compassion Fatigue can be described as a type of burnout; the onset of compassion fatigue is somewhat different than the onset of burnout (Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, & Heaston, 2015). While Compassion Fatigue results from giving high levels of emotional energy over prolonged periods of time and is caused by empathy, it occurs suddenly (Figley, 1995). Burnout is not related to empathy but is caused by environmental factors such as problematic leadership, staffing shortages, and extremely high patient acuity and its onset is gradual (Hunsaker et al., 2015). The effects of burnout cause nurses to feel overwhelmed, helpless, and as though they are unable to perform their job duties (Stamm,…
But one of the nurse in recovery unit refused to help her and said that S.D’s husband can help her with the task. On further inquiry, S.D. reports that nurses in recovery unit worked 12 hour shifts compared to the 8 hour shifts that nurses in Labor unit worked. And long work hours increase the risk for reduced job performance, obesity, injuries, and fatigue-related errors could harm patients (Caruso & Claire, 2014, p.19). Fatigued nurses also endanger others during their commute to and from work (Caruso & Claire, 2014,…
The term compassion fatigue was first introduced in 1992 by Joinson, a nurse, to describe her work environment with emergency room personnel (Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll, 2015). Unknowingly, nurses and other health care workers experience secondary effects related to the tragic events and emotions that their patients endure. The most compelling debate in the reviewed literature was the similarity and distinct differences between burnout and compassion fatigue. The key similarity of burnout and compassion fatigue is that both issues chronically force nurses into demanding coping and adaptation measures (Boyle, 2011). In contrast to compassion fatigue, burnout is defined by workplace stressors such as staffing shortages, conflict among staff members, and intense workloads that with prolonged exposure can cause a nurse to withdraw and neglect responsibilities that can negatively affect patient outcomes (Boyle, 2015).…
The author's opinion is that "distancing oneself from one's patients and ignoring their suffering and their needs are symptoms of burnout in public service providers” In my opinion it is also a coping mechanism to deal with the overwhelming situations which they have not much control over and yet feel responsible for someone's life. There are also the invisible suicides so called because a prisoner will attack a guard or a tougher prisoner knowing he might be killed in the attempt. Or he might try to breakout, in which case he knows the guards will shoot. Many inmates are unable to cope with the physical threats of daily life in prison, feel overwhelming shame at having been raped or forced to commit sexual acts (this is not something they…
These factors combined with the emotional intensity of patient care put professional nurses at an elevated risk of emotional exhaustion, a syndrome referred to as burnout (Lyndon, 2016). Burnout may also result from heavy workloads, inefficiency, and other complications characteristic of advanced clinical practice (Hylton, 2015). Some of the most common symptoms of burnout include stress, compassion fatigue, depersonalization, and physical or emotional exhaustion, among others (Raftery, 2015). Burnout also shows through hardened attitudes, fatigue, and depression, among other characteristics, which may interfere with the caring process (Black,…
A great career that includes a competitive environment, educational opportunities, well paid salary and easy transitions yet also comes with a major risk. The risk of becoming fatigued to the point of complete burnout or worse, a nervous breakdown, is prevalent among nurses. The suck it up mentality of today’s workforce leaves little room for consideration of a nurse’s well-being. However, it is imperative that nursing leaders and management pay close attention to their employees health, physical and mental, and incorporate programs that facilitate a healthy work environment that raises morale and…
Mandating Nurse-Patient Ratios • Data shows that lowering the nurse-patient ratio similar to the California mandated ratios will result in lower mortality rates (Aiken et al., 2010). • When the workload is decreased nurses are more successful in identifying a change in patients’ health status, therefore able to intervene and provide a better outcome for the patient (Aiken et al., 2010). • Reports of job dissatisfaction and nurses’ burnout decreased when the nurse-patient ratio in other states were equaled to the California mandated ratios (Aiken et al., 2010). • Research shows that lowering the amount of workload for nurses’ results in fewer mistakes, improved nursing care, a supportive staff, and an overall better working environment (Aiken…
(2002). Massachusetts Nurse, 72(2), 1-6. Stimpfel, A. W., Sloane, D. M., & Aiken, L. H. (2012). The longer the shifts for hospital Nurses, the higher the levels of burnout and patient dissatisfaction. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 31(11), 2501–2509.…
Fatigue among nurses has been shown to cause decreased productivity, more sick day usage and higher turnover rates. High turnover increases the workload for nurses that remain resulting in higher patient death rates and reduced patient safety (University of Nevada, 2012.) A nurse suffering from burnout will have reduced empathy and be lead to neglect certain patients, this increases the chances that patients will receive substandard care. When a patient is avoided, the nurse fails to form a therapeutic relationship and is unable to identify the patient’s problems and needs. As this scenario plays out, the patient becomes apprehensive in asking for help.…
Safe Staffing Ratios on a Med-Surge Unit Angela Lyons Eastern Gateway Community College Abstract Nurses have an integral and important role in the health care system. In order to retain nurses and have quality patient care, acceptable nurse to patient ratios must be obtained. Three of the many benefits of adequate nurse to patient ratios are quality patient care, retention of nurses, and patient safety.…
Patients do not want to feel rushed by nurses. They want their needs to be met in a timely manner. The other source, "the Effects of Nurse Staffing on Quality of Care" aligns with the key point of nurse’s burnout. This source shows the effects of nurse’s burnout such as "chronic fatigue, poor sleep patterns, and job dissatisfaction. "…
The Role of Nursing It is said that the nursing profession is one of the most respected and trusted careers there are. From the beginning, a nurse’s role was to nurture and mend those that are sick, frail and even through the process of end of life, but it doesn’t just stop there. Nursing has come a long way and entails many more aspects than they are even given credit for. A nurse wears many hats and is required to perform duties outside of healing obvious wounds.…