Unsafe Medical Staffing Contributes To Rising Mortality Rates

Unsafe staffing ratios contribute to workplace injuries, burnout, and can drive healthcare workers out of the industry altogether. More importantly, when our healthcare workers are overwhelmed, they have a harder time doing their jobs. A study from Lancet shows that for every additional patient a nurse cares for, a patient’s risk of dying increases by as much as 7%.

Patients and healthcare workers alike need safe staffing ratios to save lives. Staffing decisions that overburden healthcare workers come at a cost to patients’ safety. Scientific study and common sense show that healthcare workers need adequate time and resources to safely care for their patients.

For every additional patient a nurse cares for, a patient’s risk of dying increases by as much as 7%.
Photo: Adobe Stock / stokkete
For every additional patient a nurse cares for, a patient’s risk of dying increases by as much as 7%.

For 70 years, The Joint Commission has advocated for “quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare,” and implemented a number of patient safety initiatives and quality metrics.

However, The Joint Commission’s quality standards do not guarantee adequate patient to worker staffing ratios for any discipline, the Department for Professional Employees reports.

The Joint Commission has advocated for “quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare.
Photo: Adobe Stock / spotmatikphoto
The Joint Commission has advocated for “quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare.”

With this evidence that safe staffing improves patient care and decreases mortality, Florida nurse Blake Lynch, BSN, RN, known on social media as “Nurse Blake” has called on The Joint Commission to:

  1. immediately require safe staffing ratios for all levels and settings of care, with noncompliance to these ratios being held as a barrier to accreditation
  2. Immediately develop a task force that includes currently practicing clinical providers of all disciplines to determine appropriate staffing ratios for each discipline and care setting based on existing research and clinical experience
  3. Develop and make publicly available an annual report, based on payroll data, of individual hospitals’ compliance with mandated ratios
  4. Develop and disseminate objective and peer-reviewed research on the impact of staffing ratios on workers and patients for all healthcare disciplines
  5. Transparently partner with any and all relevant organizations (state, federal, and professional) to achieve these goals and ensure the prioritization of patient safety over stakeholder profit.
Help us ask The Joint Commission to advocate for for safe staffing ratios for all levels and settings of care!
Photo: Adobe Stock / LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS
Help us ask The Joint Commission to advocate for for safe staffing ratios for all levels and settings of care!

The failures of the Joint Commission’s accreditation process are putting lives at risk. If this organization is to advocate for patient safety, they must also advocate for safe, evidence-based staffing ratios for hospital workers and care providers of all disciplines.

Help us demand accountability from the organizations that protect us. Click below to sign the petition and tell The Joint Commission to require safe staffing ratios for organizations seeking accreditation and certification!

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