Contemporary Issues Project – Part I

NAME Contemporary Issues Project .doc

Contemporary Issues Project

The quality of nursing care is one of the main issues of concern for the contemporary politicians . This statement has been proved on March 17 , when the Quality Nursing Care Act of 2005 (H .R . 1372 , was introduced in the U .S . House of Representatives by Reps . Lois Capps (D-CA ) and Robert Simmons (R-CT . This document was designed for to regulate the nurse-to patient ratios in the U .S hospitals , and to ensure the proper level of medical care

The shortage in nurses has

been a nationwide problem for decades already . Lots of the hospitals prefer to employ as little nurses as possible , stretching their workforce for as much patients , as they get Such a situation was described in Jill Furillo 's article about the nurse-to patient ratios in California hospitals . She noted that the hospital officials insisted that the patient from the critical care units were transferred to the transitional units or medical-surgical wards , were the nurse-to-patient ratios were much lower . The state of health of such patients was not better than that of those who received medical help in the critical care units it was just done for to keep the required nurse-to patient ratio in the critical care units . The author stated that this practice was simply unsafe

The Quality Nursing Care Act of 2005 was designed for to protect the patients and nurses from the consequences of such unsafe practices . The document we are going to discuss is aimed for to ensure the appropriate level of nursing care in the participating hospitals , to correct the nurse-patient ratios , and to provide the appropriate working conditions for the registered nurses working in American hospitals NAME Contemporary Issues Project .doc

The Quality Nursing Care Act of 2005 requires that the quantity of nurse in the hospitals should be defined considering all of the following factors

the number of patients and the level and variability of intensity of care to be provided

account for architecture and geography of the environment and available technology

reflect the level of preparation and experience of those providing care

reflect staffing levels recommended by specialty nursing organizations

provide that an RN not be forced to "float " to a particular unit without prior training or orientation (ANA Applauds Introduction of Nurse Staffing Bill in U .S . House of Representatives , 2005

For to ensure the implementation of this principles into practice , the participating hospitals are required to post daily on a clearly visible place a document , which specifies how many licensed and unlicensed nurses are employed in each health care unit . The hospitals are also required to collect data about the patient outcomes that are nursing sensitive , operational outcomes , and patient complaints related to staffing levels

The penalties for the participating hospitals that fail to respond to all of the requirements are money penalties , up to 10 ,000 for each violation found , and publication of the name of the hospital and the character of the violation on the Internet...