With another legislative session underway, legislators will again debate whether nurse
staffing levels should be mandated by law. Often viewed as a labor issue, pitting
professional nursing organizations against employers and hospital associations, evidence
continues to mount that minimum nurse-to-patient ratios improve patient safety. In
addition, higher patient satisfaction and enhanced patient outcomes are associated
with higher nurse-to-patient ratios. Several years have passed since California became
the first—and, to date, only—state in the nation to enact nurse-to-patient ratio legislation.
Data gathered from the implementation of ratios in California may convince other state
legislatures to follow suit.
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References
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© 2018 National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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