To: Tim Kaine

From: Maryum Abdul

Date March 25, 2018
Subject: S.1063 - Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017

In the years since the Affordable Care Act was passed there has been an increase in number of healthcare
needs in America. With this increase in healthcare needs there has been an increased need in the amount
of healthcare staff required to meet the demands of providing quality care. Many healthcare providers
specifically, nurses have been tasked with having to manage high nurse to patient ratios in the hospital
setting. Thankfully, we have legislation in place to promote patient quality care and establish guidelines
for safe nurse to patient ratios and I proudly support the proposed amendment to S.1063 The Nurse
Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. When providing healthcare, the
primary goal is to ensure patient safety and quality of care. The proposed amendment will protect nurses’
autonomy by giving them the right to use their professional judgement to advocate for themselves and
refuse unsafe assignments without actions taken against them by the hospital. The amended bill will also
require hospitals to implement and submit staffing plans that comply with minimum staffing regulations.

 Registered nurses make up the largest group of health care professionals in the United States and
adequate nurse staffing has been associated with higher patient and nurse satisfaction as well as
higher quality of care provided to patients (Everhart, Neff, Al-Amin, Nogle, & Weech-
Maldonado, 2013).
 In hospitals with high RN staffing, patients had lower rates of UTIs, pneumonia, shock, upper
gastrointestinal bleeding, and longer hospital stay when compared to patients in hospitals with
low RN staffing (Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care, Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality Archive, 2017).
 In the area of patient safety studies have shown that appropriate nurse staffing resulted in a
reduction in medication errors and patient mortality as well as lower incidents of falls, pressure
ulcers, and healthcare-associated infections (Lippincott Nursing Education, 2016).

Recommendation: Vote to pass bill S.1063 - Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and
Quality Care Act of 2017. Quality care starts with having the essential amount of nursing staff to provide
the needs of patients. When staffing is appropriate patient outcomes such as reduced error, reduced
patient harm from falls and hospital acquired infections as well as decreased extended hospital stays can
be achieved. With critical staffing ratios the need for nurses will continue to rise as retention decreases
due to nurse fatigue. I recommend that hospitals follow regulations that ensure safe and practical patient
assignments for nurses. Patient’s safety and care is the number one priority when they are admitted in the
hospital setting. I will continue to support S.1063 - Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety
and Quality Care Act of 2017 in hopes that nurse staffing continues to improve, and patient and nurse
satisfaction outcomes are positive.
 References
Everhart, D., Neff, D., Al-Amin, M., Nogle, J., & Weech-Maldonado, R. (2013). The Effects of Nurse

Staffing on Hospital Financial Performance: Competitive Versus Less Competitive Markets.

Health Care Management Review, 38(2), 146–155.

http://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0b013e318257292b

Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care | AHRQ Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2018, from

https://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/factsheets/services/nursestaffing/nursestaff.html

Nursing Education, L. (2016, November 10). The Importance of the Optimal Nurse-to-Patient Ratio.

Retrieved March 24, 2018, from

http://nursingeducation.lww.com/blog.entry.html/2016/11/10/the_importance_ofth-GCAE.html