Name and describe two methods/approaches to the staffing of nurses in an acute care hospital

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Correct answers should include two of the following points.
o Reliance on professional judgement and expertise to identify staffing requirements (e.g., when a workload becomes too great, identify the need for more staff when there are temporary changes or upward trends in patient acuity that require adjustment)
o Patient classification systems and workload measurement systems
o classification scheme to predict the demand for care
o classified into groups such as acuity of illness or critical elements required
o established hours of care for the types of patients in the setting
o calculate the staffing requirements
o not considered consistent, reliable, or useful by many, since they show trends in acuity but not in workload
o Decision frameworks used to formulate staff mix and staffing plans
o Use of standardized ratios: nurse-to-patient
o While ratios may be used as a general guideline in facilities, mandatory ratios have not yet been established in Canada.
o In acute care hospitals there are a variety of specialty units that have needs for more nursing hours per patient than general medical/surgical units.
o Many believe that mandatory ratios do not allow for flexibility in responding to shortages.
o Dynamic and shared decision making
o involve front-line nurses working in collaboration with nurse managers to make decisions based on characteristics of patients and nurse competencies or characteristics
o decisions made based on the group of patients/clients and the nurses available