🚀 go-pugleaf

Here is a press release from the American Nurses Association.
I downloaded the press release from the U.S. Newswire BBS
in Maryland at (410) 363-0834.
I do not work for or belong to the association.


 American Nurses Association Points to Investigators Findings that
Cite Staffing Problems as Cause of Florida Hospital's Errors

 Contact: Joan Meehan, 202-651-7020 or Sara Foer, 202-651-7023,
          both of the American Nurses Association

   WASHINGTON, April 11  -- Investigators' findings that
staffing problems contributed to errors where one patient died
and another lost a limb at a Florida hospital are not a surprise,
but a tragic confirmation of nurses' fears about deteriorating
safety and quality conditions in some hospitals, said the American
Nurses Association (ANA).
   "How many people have to suffer?  How many people have to die or
be maimed needlessly before we address this crisis of declining
safety and quality in our health care system?" said ANA President
Virginia Trotter Betts, J.D., M.S.N., R.N.
   According to published reports by the Associated Press and St.
Petersburg Times, state and federal investigators cite staffing
problems, including allowing unsupervised staff with minimal
training to treat critically ill patients, and overloading nursing
supervising with other jobs that left them unable to supervise, as
factors that contributed to recent mistakes at Tampa's University
Community Hospital.
   Media reports cite hiring additional nursing staff in the
operating room, reducing the number of surgeries performed at the
hospital, and implementing new quality assurance procedures among
the actions included in the corrective plan the University
Community Hospital submitted to federal regulators.
   On March 31, approximately 25,000 registered nurses (RNs),
participated in the first "Nurses March on Washington" to draw
attention to unsafe patient care in some of the nation's hospitals.
Nurses from all 50 states came to Washington to inform the public
and Congress that patient care is being compromised  1. when
hospitals pay more attention to profits than patients, and 2. by
the lack of an effective quality oversight mechanism for the
hospital industry.
   In February, ANA released findings from a survey of 1,835 nurses
nationwide that point to a reduction in RNs in hospitals causing
unsafe conditions for some patients and massive workloads for the
RNs who remain.  More than two-thirds of the respondents said
the number of RNs employed in their facilities had been cut
back (whether by layoffs or attrition) in the past 12 months.
Increased use of unlicensed assistive personnel, minimally skilled
workers with as little as 4-6 weeks of training, to provide
direct patient care, was reported by 44 percent of respondents.
   Because of the reduction of RNs and the increased workloads of
those who remain, increases in the number of errors reported by
nursing and non-nursing staff were reported by 17.5 percent of
respondents to the patient safety question.
   "Hospital industry leaders claim that nurses are trying to scare
the public, and they remain adamant that patient care has not
suffered," said Betts.  "Tell that to the families of patients who
have lost life and limb.  Hospital leaders are hypocritical when
they say that patients need to make informed choices about
hspitals, while they know that critical information about staffing
is not publicly available and they fight to keep it from being so."
   Nursing organizations are not the only ones tracking this
growing problem.  According to a recent Wall Street Journal
article, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations, the hospital industry's own self-regulatory body, is
getting four or five calls a day related to safety problems and
nurse staffing up from five or six a month a year ago.
   "For what the American public pays for health care, I believe
they have a right to receive quality care from professional
registered nurses and they should be assured that there are
adequate numbers of RNs throughout the health care system to
provide that care," said Betts.  "Appropriate RN staffing would go
far to prevent further untoward outcomes and to help reassure the
public about the safety of hospitals."
   RNs marched on Washington not only to sound the alarm, but also
to offer solutions to this growing problem that is impacting the
lives of patients.
   "Congress must pass legislation mandating that health care
institutions know the licensure, experience and expertise of their
employees and that information must be made available to the people
of their communities so that they can make informed choices,"
stated Betts at the March 31 rally.  "Congress must pass quality
enforcement measures before one more federal dollar is paid
for patient care.  We must have legislation that allows nurses
to speak out when dangerous conditions exist for patients without
fear of losing their jobs," she said.
   ANA cosponsored the March on Washington as part of its "Every
Patient Deserves a Nurse" campaign, a three-year program to educate
the public about the link between RN staffing levels and quality
care.  A brochure also named, "Every Patient Deserves a Nurse,"
shows consumers how to evaluate nursing care at a hospital and how
to effectively report unsafe or poor nursing care.  A  single copy
is available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to ANA
Communications Dept., 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Ste. 100 W.,
Washington, D.C. 20024.

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-- 
Nigel Allen          ndallen@io.org