The Massachusetts Nurses Association is considering a 2018 ballot initiative to address hospital staffing, according to a State House News Service report published by The Sun.
The consideration arrives after MNA released its annual survey of registered nurses working in the state's healthcare facilities to Massachusetts House members Thursday. Boston-based independent research firm Anderson Robbins Research conducted "The State of Nursing in Massachusetts" survey between April 5 and April 25.
In the survey, 77 percent of nurses cited unsafe patient assignments as their most significant challenge, the union said in a news release. The survey also found 39 percent of nurses said their facility's staffing situation has worsened during the past four years, while 21 percent said it has improved. Additionally, 29 percent of RNs reported patient deaths "directly attributable to having too many patients to care for at one time," and 87 percent of RNs reported they lack time "to properly comfort and care for patients and families due to unsafe patient assignments," the union said.
While the MNA is considering a 2018 ballot initiative to set staffing limits or limit the number of patients a nurse cares for at one time, the union has not filed or backed legislation on the matter this session. If the MNA pursues the ballot question, state lawmakers would be able to review the proposed language and act, or the bill could be settled with a ballot law. However, legislature leaders have not indicated great interest in the matter, the report states.
The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association did not immediately respond to an email request from Becker's Hospital Review seeking comment.