Mass. Nurses File Bill Requiring Staffing Ratios
The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) has filed a bill in the Legislature that would set maximum patient limits for nurses and require hospitals to adjust patient assignments based on specific patient needs.
The Patient Safety Act will help nurses avoid mistakes and prevent serious complications and readmissions, according to a statement by the MNA, which has often cited the need for staffing ratios during labor negotiations with hospitals across the state.
There is no law governing staffing patterns at Bay State hospitals, giving hospitals the freedom to staff as they see fit. But the Patient Safety Act calls for a one nurse for every four patients in medical/surgical units, no more than three patients to a nurse in emergency departments, and a maximum of two patients per nurse in critical care units.
In addition, the bill would establish an acuity system employing a standardized formula for staffing based on how sick patients are in a particular unit.
The MNA cited numerous studied it said show that patient outcomes are directly related to hospital staffing patterns.
“The research is clear and unequivocal. The most important factor contributing to the health and safety of patients while they are in the hospital is the number of patients your nurse is assigned to care for during his or her shift,” said Donna Kelly-Williams, president of the MNA.
Hospital leaders in Massachusetts have generally opposed legislating staffing ratios, saying it is more effective for hospital administrators to make real-time staffing decisions based on patient volumes, which are always changing.
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