Introduction
It can be said that the scope of the professional activity of medical workers is not limited only to hospital practice. Present legislation directly affects the safety, quality, and accessibility of services provided by medical specialists. It is why healthcare workers should study the laws in force and those that are only proposed. The author of this paper aims to research and provide an overview of The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017.
Significant Points of the Bill
The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 proposes the implementation of several measures. One of these measures introduces a specific plan in hospitals according to which a certain minimum of nurses is assigned to each patient (“S.1063,” 2017). The required number of nurses is determined by the patient’s condition and unit (“S.1063,” 2017). The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to cover hospital costs for expanding nursing staff and monitor and publish statistics related to nursing (“S.1063,” 2017). The bill also proposes to provide more autonomy and rights in the workplace for nurses and protects them from discrimination by the hospital administration (“S.1063,” 2017). The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 provides registered nurses with allowances and expanded access to career development programs.
Other Relevant Facts
Several institutional health care problems have prompted the proposal for this bill. They are “higher acuity levels among patients” and the deterioration in the quality and safety of the provided nursing care services caused by health system reforms. The reason for the introduction of the very “nurse-to-patient ratios” based staffing standards and plan was due to the successful implementation of a similar concept in California in 2014 (“S.1063,” 2017). The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 was “read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions” (“S.1063,” 2017, para. 1). The bill still has the status of being introduced in the Senate.
Supporters and Opponents
Several supporters and opponents of the bill were identified during the study of the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. Members from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions are the key supporters, namely senators Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, Bernard Sanders, and Kamala D. Harris (“S.1063,” 2017). They support the promotion of the bill because it was found that “implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in California has led to improved patient outcomes and nurse retention” (“S.1063,” 2017, para. 6). Senators want to improve healthcare services by making them more accessible and efficient. It is important to mention another category of supporters, which is nurses. They are interested because the bill promises to extend and protect their rights in the workplace. Opponents are hospital administration because, with the nursing staff’s expansion and the establishment of additional preceptorship and mentorship projects, there will be an increase in the hospital administration’s workload.
Key Stakeholders and Their Positions
There are three major stakeholders associated with making the bill. They are legislators with Sherrod Brown in charge, and his cosponsors from the Democratic Party, which were mentioned above (“S.1063,” 2017). Their position is to promote “quality care and improving the delivery of health care services to patients in health care facilities in the United States” (“S.1063,” 2017, para. 3). Nurses are also stakeholders who require the federal government to address the issue of “registered nurse shortage in the United States” that causes many nursing specialists to experience work overload and leave the nursing sector of direct patient care (“S.1063,” 2017, para. 7). The third key stakeholder is the Department of Health and Human Services that wants to ensure legal transparency in nursing and effectively reallocate financial resources between hospitals.
The Expected Impact of the Bill
The proposed staffing plan seems promising for many nursing professionals. The principle of “minimum nurse-to-patient ratios” will oblige hospitals to expand their nursing staff, which will lead to a more equal and fair distribution of workload and responsibilities (“S.1063,” 2017, para. 16). It means that nurses will have more resources and time, which will contribute to the improvement of the safety of patients and the quality of services. Moreover, the bill gives nurses greater autonomy and legal security and guarantees, thereby protecting their professional reputation and patients’ health. The bill will also make nurse preceptorship and mentorship more accessible, which will allow many registered nurses to improve their professional skills and nursing careers.
What Can Nurses Do?
It is safe to say that this bill will only benefit nurses. Nurses can facilitate the passage of the bill in several ways. It is evident that some members of the Senate and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions are already on the side of nurses. It means that they need to get the attention of the President and the House of Representatives. It can be done through activism both in real life by rallying and on social media, through, for example, hashtag activism.
Conclusion
The author of this paper analyzes in detail The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. The main provisions of the bill, its background, and other relevant facts were studied and reviewed. The author has identified supporters and opponents, key stakeholders, and their positions. The author also provided suggestions about the expected impact of the bill and actions that nurses can take.
References
S.1063 – nurse staffing standards for hospital patient safety and quality care act of 2017. Web.