Medical DevicesHospital-Acquired Infections Tied To Nurse Staffing Ratios
The public was well-served today with the release of a report by the New
York State Department of Health (DOH) about hospital-acquired infection
rates at specific facilities in New York State.
But more information is needed about how to correct these problems, such
the high rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections identified
in the report. These types of infections are directly related to the
number
of patients assigned to each registered nurse.
When researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
investigated an outbreak of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream
infections (CVC-BSI) at a Veterans Administration Hospital, they found
that
the high rate of infection corresponded to an increase in the number of
patients per nurse. Their study, published in Infection Control and
Hospital Epidemiology, said that "a high patient-to-nurse ratio [is] and
independent risk factor for CVC-BSI occurring in the ICU."
The DOH infection report tells us what is happening. Reporting
patient-to-nurse ratios would tell us why it"s happening. This vital
information is needed if the state is to help facilities reduce their
infection rates.
The New York State Nurses Association is promoting legislation that would
require hospitals to report the number of nursing staff they have
available
to patients every day during every shift. The bill overwhelming passed the
Assembly this year and last year. For text of the bill, see
here.
New Yorkers deserve to know patient-to-nurse ratios in their local
hospitals.
The New York State Nurses Association