FLINT (WJRT) -
(03/05/13) - The Michigan House and Senate are considering bills that would set guidelines for nursing staffing levels. Nursing organizations think it's a great idea, but hospital administrators aren't supporting the measures.
The Michigan Nurses Association says the Safe Patient Care Act will solve nurse understaffing issues and save lives. Similar bills are being considered in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature. The bills say that within three years, hospitals will need to draw up staffing plans that would set nurse-to-patient ratios. For instance, in the operating room and in critical care, there would be at least one nurse for each patient. A typical medical-surgical unit would have one nurse for each four patients.
Unions that have nurses on the membership rolls are backing the measures.
"These bills I believe are designed not just because it's a labor issue, but it's a health care quality delivery issue," said Larry Roehrig, AFSCME Council 25 secretary-treasurer.
The MNA says in hospitals where nurses have fewer patients to care for, the infection rate goes down, as does the death rate.
"I think it's good legislation and I also think it recognizes that these nurses are not automatons," Roehrig said.
Nursing organizations often say their members are often overworked, and that can lead to mistakes. They say similar legislation in California has been a success.
"You don't have people put into jeopardy and have their skills be dulled by fatigue. There has to be a recognition that nurses are human.
The sponsors of the bills say they stand little chance of passing because both chamber of the legislature are controlled by Republicans. But they say at least this could start a dialog about nursing staffing levels.
The following is a statement from Covenant Healthcare of Saginaw:
Mandated staffing does not take into account the unique needs of individual patients and the variety of resources each hospital has to treat those patients. Ultimately, it impedes the ability for a hospital to align resources and provide appropriate care.
At Covenant, nursing leadership is continuously monitoring staffing in order to provide quality care that is appropriate for each patient's circumstances. Staff is adjusted with consideration for the number of patients, acuity, patient turnover, and for skill mix and expertise of the staff.
