Nursing World | ANA Press Release: Letter to '20/20'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 1, 1999

Letter to '20/20'

Nancy Snyderman, MD
ABC's "20/20"
147 Columbus Ave., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10023-5900
FAX: (212) 456-2969

Dear Dr. Snyderman:

On behalf of the American Nurses Association, I commend you and the staff of "20/20" for your story, "Disappearing Nurses" (11/26). The segment was a realistic portrayal of the dire state of nurse staffing and its impact on the quality of patient care. As illustrated in the segment, "inappropriate" staffing may mean too few registered nurses, lack of appropriate training or orientation for a RN assigned to the unit or inappropriate use of unlicensed personnel. The bottom line, however, is that some hospitals are choosing to put profits ahead of patient care. As the American Hospital Association's own report shows, patients know that good nursing care equals quality care. Patients are concerned that hospitals are rationing nursing care, experimenting with new, untested staffing models, and ignoring the concerns of experienced professional registered nurses.

Nurses are the best value in health care. More than a decade of research shows that nurse staffing levels and skill mix make a difference in the outcomes of hospitalized patients. Studies show that when there are more nurses, there are lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay, lower costs, and fewer complications.

Health plans, hospitals, and providers must work together to make care decisions that are driven by health-outcomes data. This is why ANA continues to press for hospitals to collect and share information about the quality impact of professional nursing care.

Ensuring safe, quality patient care is a priority for ANA, and appropriate nurse staffing is a critical component to achieving quality care. Therefore, we encourage patients and their families to assert their right to receive care from a qualified registered nurse.

ANA recommends that patients and families use the following tips to ensure the safety and quality of care:

S – Say you want a registered nurse caring for you at the bedside.

A – Ask what other personnel will be caring for you and how, so you'll know what to expect.

F – Firmly insist that an RN assess your condition at least once per shift and provide you with medications.

E – Express any serious concerns immediately to the Director of Nursing or Director of Patient Care Services.

Finally, consumers can join the ANA in our fight to win patient protection legislation both at the state and federal levels that would:

make public information about the numbers and qualifications of nursing staff and patient outcomes
provide "whistle-blower" protection, to advocate for nurses and other health care providers who speak out about unsafe patient care conditions.

For more information about these bills, access our website at http://www.NursingWorld.org.

Once again, thank you for shedding light on this dangerous trend. This visibility will go far to help inform and educate both policy-makers and the public about the problem and the need to work together to solve it.

Sincerely,

Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN

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ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million registered nurses through its 53 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.