U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Oh) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Il.), co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families, have reintroduced a bill that would create minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios across the nation's hospitals.
The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act would set those minimum staffing requirements, study best practices for nurse staffing, and provide whistleblower protections to protect the right of nurses to advocate for the safety of their patients.
"Nurses work long hours doing vital work in our healthcare system, but too often they're stretched too thin, caring for too many patients with too little support," said Brown. "We can empower nurses to protect Ohio patients by ensuring nurses are adequately staffed and can advocate for their patients without fearing potential retaliation."
WHAT'S THE IMPACT
Currently, very few states have rules written into law that establish minimum staffing levels at hospitals. Lack of safe staffing rules can put patients at risk and often forces nurses to care for too many patients at one time without enough support, the lawmakers said.
One study showed that lower nurse-to-patient ratios are associated with lower mortality rates.
National Nurses United, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFSCME, SEIU, Alliance for Retired Americans, and AFL-CIO have all endorsed the legislation.
"Numerous studies have shown that safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios result in higher quality care for patients, lower health care costs, and an overall better workplace for nurses," said Schakowsky. "For years, I've talked to exhausted nurses who have said they go home at night, wondering if they forgot to turn a patient because they were stretched far too thin. The need for federal safe staffing standards is about nurses, patients, and everyone's lives."
NNU President Deborah Burger said the bill would bring nurses back to providing direct care at the bedside by ensuring patients receive proper, safe and optimal care in a timely fashion.
"The bill's introduction is a direct response to the escalating staffing crisis in hospitals across the country," said Burger. "Tens of thousands of nurses have spoken out, marched, and struck for safer patient care conditions over the last year, sounding a clarion call for action. Nurses know the quality of our healthcare system is on the line and depends on the passage of this bill."
THE LARGER TREND
The first U.S. law to mandate nurse staffing ratios for hospitals passed in California in 1999 and took effect in 2004, according to the Association of Health Care Journalists. After that, hospitals largely blocked efforts to expand ratio laws in other states, the report said. An exception was Massachusetts, which approved minimum ratios for intensive care.
A 2023 nurse.org survey showed 60% of nurses still love the profession. But 62% are concerned about the future.
The numbers were an improvement from a couple of years prior, but nurses are still reporting high levels of burnout, mental health issues and lack of support, among other hardships. About 39% of them said they were dissatisfied with their current job, though this answer varied based on education level and specialty.
Staffing issues and an ongoing nursing shortage continue to cause challenges for the nation's nursing workforce. A full 91% of respondents believe the nursing shortage is getting worse and that burnout, poor working conditions and inadequate pay are the primary causes.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.