ANA Responds to Chicago Tribune

ANA President Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN, CS, ANP, has written a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune in response to a series on hospital infections that was published July 21-23, 2002.

July 24, 2002

Chicago Tribune
Op-Ed Page
435 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

Dear Editor:

The American Nurses Association (ANA) would like to respond to the recent three-part series on "unhealthy hospitals," written by Chicago Tribune reporter Michael J. Berens. ANA applauds his efforts to underscore the importance of appropriate infection control procedures – an issue on which ANA and its members have been on the front lines for many years. However, like the question of medical errors, hospital-acquired infections are indicative of the larger, systemic problems eroding the quality of patient care.

In the early 1990s, many providers of health care services reduced their RN staffs under the premise of saving money. The result is that RNs everywhere are trying to do more with less. Fewer nurses are forced to treat more patients. The problems caused by nurse staffing cutbacks are exacerbated by additional cutbacks specifically in the area of infection control. As Mr. Berens' series states, "Hospitals are required to have professional staffs devoted to tracking and reducing infections, but rampant payroll cutbacks have gutted those efforts." These actions have a domino effect on the health outcomes of patients. Mr. Berens also refers to the recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found a direct link between increased nursing care and lower rates of urinary tract infections and pneumonia, and fewer deaths from pneumonia and the blood infection sepsis.

An important first step in addressing some of the problems raised in Mr. Berens' series, is to lift the veil of secrecy that has surrounded these issues for too long. ANA and its member nurses continue to be on the forefront of the movement to enact whistle-blower and patient safety legislation on both the state and federal levels. This type of legislation sheds much needed light on hospital staffing practices and patient outcomes; gives consumers access to important data they need to make informed choices; and protects nurses who speak out on behalf of patient care. ANA also is pushing for federal legislation that would mandate quality "report cards," so that hospitals and other health care systems would be required to publicly report about RN staffing levels, risk-adjusted patient mortality rates, infection rates, and other safety and quality issues.

In his series, Mr. Berens states that "For every death linked to an infection, thousands of patients are successfully treated each year. And many hospitals battle infections with diligence and the latest technology." ANA and its member nurses couldn't agree more. And, working together, we believe even more can be done to ensure the highest possible level of patient care.

Sincerely,

Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN, CS, ANP
President
American Nurses Association

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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses through its constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

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