Unsafe Staffing (Page 4)

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, North Memorial, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

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Nurses at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale are on the front lines of a battle for safe staffing and safe care that could have a major impact on MNA members and patients throughout the state.

North Memorial management wants to cut nursing staff to dangerously low levels by increasing the number of patients each nurse cares for in the majority of units in the hospital. Nurses are fighting the plan at every step of the way.

“Our patients deserve the best possible care,” said North Memorial MNA Co-Chair Mary Turner.
… Read more about: North Memorial Medical Center nurses protest unsafe staffing plan  »

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In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

On Thursday, October 17, MNA nurses are taking their concerns directly to management at Sanford hospitals.  At Bagley, nurses are concerned they’re being asked to cover more patient assignments for each nurse and doctor.  At Thief River Falls, nurses are concerned their own health insurance benefits are being cut.  In Bemidji, nurses are concerned that untrained staff are monitoring patients on telemetry equipment.
… Read more about: Bagley nurses deliver message to hospital management  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

Dirty money concept.For the second time this month, financial experts are predicting a tough year ahead for the non-profit hospital industry.  First, Standard & Poor’s rating services analyst said profit ratios will be down in 2013 (link here)  Now, Moody’s Investors Service is saying expenses outpaced revenue last year as patient revenue slipped by half a percent (found here).  What’s more, both reports say that efficiencies in hospital business were actualized last year and won’t produce any more savings in the future.  In other words, hospitals got lean and can’t get leaner.

Add to that the paralyzing fear many hospital CEOs are feeling over the effects of the Affordable Care Act, reduced payments from many insurance companies (such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield), and reduced government dollars for patients who are readmitted. 
… Read more about: Hospitals bleeding money?  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

Minnesota nurses are staffing the State Fair again to speak to the same people they care for every day.  Patients in Minnesota are at risk, and their safety stands to improve if they’re know how their hospitals are measuring up.  Thanks to the work nurses did during the last legislative session, consumers will have more information before deciding where to go for care, and, once they access that, they’ll see the real situation of safety in hospitals.fair5

Nurses are reminding fairgoers that they already have a website where they can check hospital quality for a number of different outcomes. 
… Read more about: Minnesota State Fair: Safety on a stick  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHospitals are bending over backward to increase their patient satisfaction scores, and, especially now, as it may affect their ability to bill patients.  Hospitals are adding room service, suites, and even “care guides” to help patients meet health and recovery goals.

The answer to patient satisfaction isn’t a new piano in the lobby, it’s right inside each patient’s room.  It’s the nurse.  Nurses say they’re often asked, “can you just sit with me a while?” by a patient.  Or the patient will even ask a nurse who’s charting if he or she can just turn around and face them while they have to also look at the computer. 
… Read more about: Patient satisfaction is easy. Talk to a nurse.  »

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In: Activism, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Patient Safety, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

Bravo to Theresa Brown, RN, for writing an eye-opening Op-Ed, exposing the dangers faced by patients when not enough nurses are on duty.  The New York Times published her opinion on Sun., Aug. 18, which puts this issue front and center, where it should be.   Read the OpEd here.  
We encourage you to read the entire piece, along with the Comments Section AND participate in the online discussion.
Brown mentions only one piece of legislation being considered by Congress to address the issue of poor staffing levels, but it is important to know that efforts are being led by nursing communities (including National Nurses United) to advance other bills on the federal and state levels as well.
… Read more about: When No One is On Call  »

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In: Nurses, Standards of Care, Unsafe Staffing

NurseERNext fall, patients will be able to report adverse events in a limited time.  They’ll be able to initiate an investigation with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality if they feel they were given the wrong medication or suffered a negative patient outcome.  The report will then go to the RAND Corporation and the ECRI Institute, which investigates medical errors.

While originally supportive of the idea, the American Hospital Association touted the empowerment of patients when the idea was originally proposed last year.  Original story is here.

Now that the program is about to begin comes the warning that patients don’t have the background to assess what’s an adverse event and may merely complain when they’re not satisfied. 
… Read more about: What if patients determined an adverse event?  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

Dear Brett and Judith,
The 20,000 nurses across the state of Minnesota in the United States proudly hail our courageous sisters and brothers of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.  You are boldly calling for a solution to the unnecessary risk to patients you witness every day in the 160 hospitals throughout NSW.

We are with you in your strike; we are with you at the table; we are with you in the halls of your government as you demand the ratios the vulnerable patients of Australia deserve.

Carry on, knowing you have the support of colleagues around the world.
… Read more about: Letter to Australia’s nurses  »