Nurses in TV ads argue pros, cons of mandated staffing ratios in Massachusetts hospitals

Television ads from both sides of the proposed November ballot initiative to mandate nurse staffing ratios in Massachusetts hospitals feature arguments from nurses, The Boston Globe reported.

One ad from opponents of the proposed mandate features a nurse saying a "one-size-fits-all to nursing" is "not good for patients."

A different ad, from the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which sponsored the proposed ballot measure, features a nurse saying, "Patient limits mean more time with your nurse and better care for you."

Question 1, proposed by the union, calls for one nurse to be responsible for no more than four pediatric patients and no more than five psychiatric patients at a given time. Different guidelines would apply with sicker patients, according to the Boston Globe. Staffing ratios would also differ by unit. A penalty of up to $25,000 for each violation would apply to hospitals.

Supporters of the initiative, including the MNA, are part of a group called the Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care, while opponents of the initiative, including hospitals, are part of a group called the Coalition to Protect Patient Safety.

The Coalition to Protect Patient Safety has already spent more than $2 million on ads, with the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association as one of the primary funders, the Boston Globe reported. More ads from the group are expected in the next couple of months.

Kate Norton, a spokesperson for the union's ballot campaign, has described the opponents' ads as having "a disingenuous quality, because we know the hospital executives are behind it," while Dan Cence, a spokesperson for the coalition that opposes Question 1, said its intention "is to educate people, to educate the voters about the dramatic negative effects this ballot question could have."

 

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Massachusetts nurse staffing regulations did not reduce patient mortality, complications in ICUs, Beth Israel study finds

 

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