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This June, Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced legislation that would establish a federal minimum of nurse-to-patient ratios at all hospitals and offer whistleblower protection, giving nurses the right to seek enforcement of staffing standards.

Aimed at decreasing mortality rates and preventing medical errors, the legislation would require that hospitals and direct care nurses work together to develop safe staffing plans. The bill would also require that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services consider staffing requirements for licensed practical nurses and that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommend any changes for additional reimbursement needed because of the bill.

“Nurses are overworked and hospitals are understaffed, leading to disastrous results for patients everywhere,” said Schakowsky in a statement. “By creating a workplace in which nurses are asked to do the impossible, we drive nurses away and jeopardize the quality of patient care. The bill is a common-sense solution to improve the quality of patient care and address the nursing crisis in our hospitals.”

The legislation would establish a federal minimum standard in all hospitals for direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. The impetus behind the bill is to improve patient care while helping to restrict the nursing shortage that has left hospitals across the country dangerously understaffed.

It would also provide whistleblower protection and give nurses the ability to speak out for enforcement of safe staffing standards.

A recent study reported in the March 17, 2011 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that “when the nursing workload is high, nurses’ surveillance of patients is impaired, and the risk of adverse events increases.” Other studies found that understaffing was a factor in one out of every four unexpected hospital deaths or injuries caused by errors and result in higher incidences of cardiac arrest, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and complications.

The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2011 is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the National Nurses United, the American Federation of Government Employees, the United Steelworkers, and the American Federation of Teachers.

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