Nurse Staffing Mandates Debated at Hospitals

Over the weekend, Ben Sutherly, staff writer for the Dayton Daily News, reported on the different viewpoints hospital administrators and nurses have on nurse staffing mandates in the state of Ohio and around the country. Mr. Sutherly cites the work of renowned nursing workforce scholar and INQRI NAC member, Linda Aiken, to support the argument that nurse staffing levels should be mandated at the state level. Dr. Aiken's research found that there would be 14% fewer surgical deaths in Pennsylvania if the state were to adopt nurse staffing mandates that are similar to those in California, the only state that has mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. However, Mr. Sutherly also presents the case for hospitals as they argue that the quality of the health care workforce is much more important than having a minimum nurse-to-patient ratio in order to provide the highest quality of care.

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