Preview

A Research Brief on Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload for Two Teaching Hospitals in Kenya

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2948 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Research Brief on Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload for Two Teaching Hospitals in Kenya
Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload

A Research Brief on Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload for Two Teaching
Hospitals in Kenya
Kamau Simon Macharia
School of Science & Technology, Department of Nursing Sciences.
University of Kabianga
P O Box 5, Kapkatet 20214 Kenya
Tel 0722224577 Email: symomash@gmail.com

1

Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload

A Research Brief on Registered Nurses Assignment/Workload for Two Teaching Hospitals in Kenya
Abstract
Nursing is important in quality and safety of hospital care and in patients ' perceptions of their care. There seems to be a close association between patient safety, undergraduate nursing students ' learning with nurse staffing levels in Kenya. The Ministry of Health as well as the
Ministry of education does not yet support changing nurse workforce standards for teaching medical institutions. This research brief targets the nursing units of Kericho District Hospital &
Kapkatet District Hospital, teaching hospitals for University of Kabianga, School of Science and
Technology-Departments of: Nursing Sciences, Clinical Medicine and Environmental Health
Sciences. Purpose: There are a lot on staffing issues in research that could be applied in Kenya and staff might be interested in a staff-understandable review of what has been discovered.
Therefore this brief sought to: establish the relationship between nurse workload and nursesensitive patient safety outcome indicators. This review focuses on the staffing issue on the effect of workload on patient outcomes or staff outcomes. The search spanned period of between
2003 and 2013. Workload/assignment: meaning the number of patients that a staff member can care for and complete all care safely. Safe: avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them. Conclusion: Nurse managers ought to implement staffing processes that align staff skills and competencies with prioritized patient needs supported on a shift-to-shift


Bibliography: 1. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses 2005, Web Site
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Accreditation Audit Task 4
    • 2223 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Accreditation Audit Task 4

    Rather than focus on the discrepancies found within each unit, we will look at the trends that affect the hospital’s compliance with the Joint Commissions recommendations regarding patient care. Armed with the trends, we will then explore staffing patterns and how they relate to patient care in order to establish a plan that will assist our hospital to minimize patient safety issues as they relate to falls, pressure ulcers, pneumonia, and the general safety of our patients.…

    • 2223 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    NRS 451V Assig
    • 1288 Words
    • 4 Pages

    NRS 451V Assig

    When nurses are forced to work with high nurse to patient ratios, patients can develop a variety of infections, get injured, and can lead to death. Often at times patients are discharged home too soon without adequate education about how to manage their illness or injury (Raquel & Sean, 2011). Because of patients being discharged to soon, this causes them to return back to the hospital often sicker than they were before. Increase in rate of admissions, transfers, and discharges on hospital unit’s raises nurses’ workload. When nurses have fewer patients, they are able to provide high quality care (Raquel & Sean, 2011). A quantitative research was done based on knowledge of unit’s attribute and shift by shift nurse staffing levels. The researchers inspected 43 units of medical and surgical patient’s mortality in an infamous magnet hospital here in United States. The units and shifts staffing data from 2003 to 2006 were obtained and consolidated with patient data resulting in 3.2 million unit shifts for 197961 patients. The outcome of two staffing variables were scrutinize using a shift unit level: understaffing actual registered nurses staffing eight hours or more below target staffing levels generated by a patient classification system and high turnover which means unit admissions, transfers and discharges exceeds mean day shift by one standard deviation. Patient survival rate was analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression models with adjustment for clients, unit and shifts risk covariates was practiced. The risk adjust mortality was evaluated to staffing and turnover within the first 5 to 30 days after admission and during previous shifts. The result was dangerous ratios (Raquel & Sean, 2011).…

    • 1288 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Influence of Professional Practice and Magnet Designation in Healthcare Institutions
    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Influence of Professional Practice and Magnet Designation in Healthcare Institutions

    References: Clarke, S. P., & Aiken, L. H. (2006). More nursing, fewer deaths. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 15(1), 2-3. doi:10.1136/qshc.2005.017343…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Qlt1 Task 1
    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Qlt1 Task 1

    In any health care system, quality and safety of patient’s care is very important. According to my understanding, quality and safety of nursing care should include patient centred care, good communication, and teamwork. Also, a quality nursing care should be provided with dignity and respect, accountability, and advocacy.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Systematic Review
    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Systematic Review

    The purpose of a systematic review is to attempt to find, evaluate and synthesize high quality research relevant to the research question. A systematic review uses carefully developed data collection and sampling procedures that are put in place in advance as a protocol. (Polit, 2012). A systematic review must contain the following: a clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, an explicit search strategy, systematic coding and analysis of included studies, and a meta-analysis if possible. (Hemingway & Brereton, 2009). Systematic reviews are conducted by nurse researchers to avoid reaching incorrect or misleading conclusions that could arise from a biased study. Systematic reviews are perceived by many as the cornerstone of evidence-based practice. (Polit, 2012).…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Leaders and Managers in Health Care
    • 1026 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Leaders and Managers in Health Care

    Nurses follow a mission when providing care to patients who need support and healing. Many times over, the patients outnumber the nurses in many communities and institutions. When these occurrences happen, it puts stress on the nurses, their nursing care, and on the leaders and managers. "Nursing shortages and health care reform have had a strong impact on the creation of current and evolving types of patient care delivery models” (Huber, 2010). In rearranging patient care, adding health care professionals with multiple skills is likely to help the nurse provide better patient care. The new arrangement created an undesirable effect with nurses and on the care of patients. “Nurse staffing intensity, which is expressed as the ratio of RNs to patient census in hospitals, has been associated with lower mortality in hospitals” (Huber, 2010). With an increase in the nurse to patient ratio, the way nurses care for patients can be compromised with undesirable patient results.…

    • 1026 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management
    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management

    Nurse staffing ratios is a growing concern that is seen by nurses everywhere, and studies have shown it is a problem. Hospitals that have insufficient staffing ratios have poorer patient outcomes, increased patients deaths, nurse burnout, higher turnovers, dissatisfaction among employees and their patients. (American Nurses Association 2013) This has led to new laws and regulations that require adequate staffing that is based on the acuity of the patients. Nurse staffing is measured two different ways; hours spent on each patient daily and how many patients per nurse. The hours spent on patient care covers registered nurses, licensed practicing nurses, and nurse aides. Increasing staffing ratios is not an easy task and according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2004), can be due to a higher level of acuity patients being seen and a gap that is nationwide in the positions available and the number of qualified…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Safe Nurse to Patient Ratios
    • 2216 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Safe Nurse to Patient Ratios

    Currently there is no set approach used to determine how to decide nurse-to-patients ratios in health care. The two most common staffing methods used are staffing based on patient acuity and mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. The debate over how to best decide nurse-to-patient staffing ratios has been an ongoing issue. ANA President Barbara Blakeney(2012) stated “Inappropriate nurse staffing is the number one concern of nurses today. More than a decade of research has shown that RNs make the quality difference in patient care and that when RN care is insufficient, patient safety is compromised and the risk of death is increased” (p.1). Patient outcomes, nursing staff satisfaction, and cost are all things considered when evaluating the outcomes of the different staffing methods. There have been on going studies into the effects of both staffing methods on patient care. Research needs to continue to find a safe way to staff nursing facilities. Staffing by nurse-to-patient ratios or by patient…

    • 2216 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Nursing Sensitive Indicators
    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Nursing Sensitive Indicators

    Nursing-sensitive indicators can be an important tool in identifying patient care issues that could potentially arise during a hospital stay. By analyzing the data on specific nursing-sensitive indicators, the quality of patient care can be optimized and patient satisfaction can be improved. The American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) are two sources of information and guidelines for nurses and nurse managers to use in planning patient care and workloads for each nursing unit. The use of available resources, staffing by acuity and patient needs, appropriate referral indicators, and cooperation among colleagues are all necessary components in providing ethical, safe, and patient-centered care in the hospital setting. Care of the patient should always center on the individual needs, wishes and cultural practices, within the framework of evidence-based patient care interventions.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nurse -to - Patient Ratios
    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nurse -to - Patient Ratios

    Hospital administrators need to work collaboratively with recruiters, nursing directors, and managers, to improve and support the work environment for nurses. This can be accomplished by involving the bedside nurse, hiring high-quality nurses, maintain nurse-two-patient ratios and provide nurses with equipment or resources needed to keep them employed and provide quality care to patients. The American Nurses Association recommends "stepping systems can only be effective if the direct care nurses who work on a specific unit have input the staffing system" (American Nurses Association, 2013). Another recommendations from the ANA that are instrumental and supportive of nurses are architecture and the environment of the work place, technology equipment and support, the level of experience of nurses providing care, and consideration to the severity of patients, last available support services and resources (American Nurses Association, 2013).…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Nurse Staffing Ratios
    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Nurse Staffing Ratios

    Over the past number of years there has been a nursing shortage which has led to the need of more registered nurses in the hospital setting. This is due to the uprising acuity of patient care and a decrease in there overall hospital stay. In order for the patients to get safe and quality care, the staffing, education and experience of the nursing staff needs to be made a priority. Not only has the safety and quality of patient care suffered, the working conditions in hospitals have also got worse due to the hospitals not keeping up with increase demand of nurses (Welton, 2007). Hospitals that don’t have adequate staffing tend to have an increased rate of negative patient outcomes. Some of these negative outcomes that are potentially caused by the decrease in nursing care are shock, pneumonia, cardiac arrest and urinary tract infections (Stanton, 2004). This has led to state legislatures adding mandatory laws that promote adequate staffing regardless of the severity or acuity of the patients. The additional costs that are required to staff the hospitals with additional registered nurses are unfunded which means that staffing can be decreased in other work areas (Welton, 2007). This shortage is a problem that is affecting not only the patients, but also the staff. Nurse management and leadership play a significant role in finding a balance among all involved. Throughout this paper, the author will be discussing how the managers and leaders play a significant role in the issue of nurse staffing ratios in order to promote quality and safe care for the patients. Also, the author will discuss some tools and skills that are beneficial in supporting the nursing staff and the overall demands in the hospital…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Effects of Nurse Staffing on Patients Outcomes
    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Effects of Nurse Staffing on Patients Outcomes

    This study focuses on the issue of nursing staffing and its effects on the outcomes of the patients. To begin with, the tem nursing staffing will be defined and followed by a discussion of nursing staffing in relation to the nurses themselves. Nursing staffing levels and their effects on the patient outcomes will also be discussed with regards to morbidity and mortality besides other indicators of patient outcomes, the impact of nursing staffing levels to quality of care as well as an overview of past studies as far as the relationship between nursing staffing levels and the outcome of the patient is concerned.…

    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nurse Staffing In Health Care
    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page

    Nurse Staffing In Health Care

    There is a diverse range of aspects related to nursing staffing in health care organizations. Staffing levels in hospitals are likely to have a bearing on the assurance in the delivery of safe and reliable care. However, nursing staffing challenges have remained perennial prompting prolonged attention on the allocation of nurse staffing resources to facilitate patient safety (Weston et al., 2012). Nevertheless, focus on staffing levels has particularly increased with the prevailing shortage of nurses (Rochefort, et al., 2015). Furthermore, there have been changes in the manner nursing is approached. Traditionally, it would be assumed that well-trained practitioners were not prone to errors. Such was consistent with the traditional tendency…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nurse Patient Ratio
    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Nurse Patient Ratio

    The article Nurse-Patient Staffing Ratios in the American Journal of Nursing reported a seven percent increase in mortality for each additional patient added to a hospital nurses workload (Wallis, 2013, p. 21). When caring for a larger number of patients you are more likely to miss important signs and symptoms. It’s difficult to be thorough because there is not enough time to properly assess each patient. When patients aren’t properly assessed it’s easy to fail to notice the early warning signs that a patient may be starting to go downhill. So, instead of noticing a slight change and reacting to it, the nurse caring for a large patient load may not realize there is problem until the patient has already coded or is about to code. Wallis found that “besides the occupational hazards caused by understaffing numerous studies show a correlation between inadequate nurse staffing and poor patient outcomes. High nurse to patient ratios are associated with an increase in medical errors, as well as patient infections, bedsores, pneumonia, MRSA, cardiac arrest, and accidental death” (Wallis, 2013, p. 21). As the charge nurse on my unit I was involved in codes that should have never taken place on the floor. The nurse’s lack of attention to the patient because of high nurse patient ratios resulted in the patient coding on the unit. It was hospital policy that each code that happened on the floor be thoroughly reviewed. In some cases it was determined that the patient should have been moved to Intermediate care or ICU as much as 24 hours earlier. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “examined the relationship between mortality and day to day, shift to shift variations in unit level staffing. The study found that the risk of death increased two percent each time a patient was exposed to shifts with below target RN staffing (Dorning,…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Nurse Staffing
    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Nurse Staffing

    Clarke, S. (2003). Patient safety series, part 2 of 2: Balancing staffing and safety. Nursing…

    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More

Related Topics