According to a survey of registered nurses in Massachusetts, commissioned by the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United, nearly 80 percent of the state's RNs say the quality of care provided in hospitals is suffering because of unsafe staffing levels.
Further, surveyed RNs reported unsafe patient assignments have led to negative results for their patients, such as the following:
• 82 percent reported not having the time to properly comfort and care for patients and their families
• 51 percent reported longer hospital stays
• 46 percent reported injury and harm to patients
• 23 percent reported patient deaths attributable to having too many patients to care for
Survey results are based on responses from a randomly selected representative sample of Massachusetts registered nurses compiled between May 8 and May 15.
The Massachusetts Hospital Association said the survey is "not credible," according to a Boston Herald report, and said it is "troubling that the union, to advance its political agenda, would issue such unsubstantiated safety claims that run counter to the publicly available data and evidence."
A bill currently in front of the state legislature, The Patient Safety Act, would establish safe maximum limits on nurses' patient assignments, according to the MNA. A similar ballot question could appear on the ballot in November as well.
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