To: A.

Donald McEachin
From: Alexis Reyes (Student Nurse)
Date: 10/13/18
Subject: H.R. 2392 Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality
Care Act of 2017

Nurse staffing standards is one of the biggest issues faced in the day to day of
hospital care. There is a vast shortage of nurses here in the United Sates, but that
should not mean that nurses take on more patients then they can handle. It is not
only unfair for nurses, but it puts the patients at a safety risk. I believe that
supporting the H.R. 2392 Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and
Quality Care Act of 2017 will allow for better, safer healthcare.

In the hospital, each unit has an average amount of patients for each nurse. With the
shortage of nursing staff, nurses are forced to pick up more patients in order for
every patient to get care. On an every day shift, that could look like a nurse having
an average of three patients to care for. If predicaments occur then that patient load
doubles to six patients because a nurse calls out or is sent to work on another unit.
Each unit varies on patient load, but for some more intensive care units three to six
patients can be appalling to hear not only for the nurse and her license, but for the
patient’s safety for the rest of that shift. This problem is not something that happens
every so often. It happens multiple times a week and for some units on a daily basis.
This bill could help to end these safety and staffing issues from occurring.

 There is a 7% increase in patient mortality every time a nurse gets another

patient added to their patient load (Aiken, Clark, Sloane etc., 2002).
 Appropriate nurse staffing can lead to an increase in patient safety, less time
in the hospital and improvement of the hospital as a whole ( Aiken, Sloane,
Cimiotti, etc., 2010).

Recommendation: Your vote to help pass bill H.R. 2392 Nurse Staffing Standards
for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 will lead to overall better
healthcare here in Virginia and the United States. This is a huge problem nurses
have to deal with consistently in the job when their main priority should be focused
on caring safely for the patients. I recommend that setting consistent, unit specific
laws set for nurse to patient ratios will also help with nurse satisfaction leading to
less of a nursing shortage.

In order to safely and efficiently take care of patients, nurses need to be able to take
care of themselves as well. This is nearly impossible when nurses are given unsafe
loads of patients to care for. The H.R. 2392 Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital
Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 I believe will really change hospital care
for the better.
Reference:

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. H. (2002, October

23/30). Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and

Job Dissatisfaction. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from

https://www.nysna.org/sites/default/files/attach/398/2013/12/Aiken et

al_Hospital RN Staffing & Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout & Job

Dissatisfaction_2002 JAMA-1.pdf

Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Cimiotti, J. P., Clarke, S. P., L. F., Seago, J., . . . Smith, H. L.

(2010). Implications of the California Nurse Staffing Mandate for Other

States. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from

https://www.nysna.org/sites/default/files/attach/ajax/2013/12/Aiken

post-CA staffing HSR_article.pdf