Current Staffing Ratios in Hospitals - Assignment Example

Although there has been an influx of RNs born in foreign countries and nurses over the age of 50 returning to work, the fact is younger Americans do not consider joining the nursing profession. This presents policymakers with a big dilemma. It is a fact that the current staffing ratios and patient staffing requirements are inadequate. This paper will review this statement.

In a research jointly funded by the AHRQ, the Center for Medicare and Medical Services, the Institute of Nursing Research, and the Health Recourses and Service Administration done in 1993, over six million medical and surgical patients were reviewed. According to this research, it was found that in the 799 hospitals researched, higher RN staffing was inversely proportional to the adverse patient outcome and vice versa (Hospital nurse staffing, 2013). In addition, the probability of failure to rescue was higher in hospitals that had lower nurse staffing levels. Based on these findings, adverse patient events like pneumonia in hospitals with lower RNs to patient ratios were associated with a bigger financial burden. For instance, the cost of treating pneumonia increased by around $22,390 to $28,505 for the target audience researched. In line with this research, it is a fact that the current staffing ratios in our hospitals must be addressed not only to preserve or increase the quality of life of patients but also to reduce expenditure in our healthcare systems.