The nurse-to-patient staffing ratio is a critical subject for delivering healthcare services to patients. The ratio determines the outcome of the clinical services, and it makes it easy to weigh the model in which healthcare services should be regulated (Griffiths et al., 2018). Some legislative models empower nurses to create staffing frameworks specific to each workstation. This paper presents an evaluation plan on whether or not staffing of nurses based on mandatory policies securing adequate ratios can lead to the improved patient length of stay.
Expected Outcome for the Evidence-Based Practice Project Proposal
When it comes to nurse staffing, the number of workers in healthcare setting influence the failure rates or success in response to patients with abnormal vital signs or any other critical condition. The expected outcome is that the research will have concrete findings that can be useful to combat nurse staffing issues. There is an expectation that increasing the nurse-to-patient ratio decreases the risk of adverse effects of patients admitted to hospitals (McNett et al., 2021). From the proposal, the content will be useful to have a rationale for why the number of nurses in a given hospital setting determines the outcome of the clinical delivery of healthcare services.
Data Collection Tools Associated with the Research Design
Various data collection tools can be useful for correlational research. The first option is using questionnaire whereby respondents give answers to questions provided in the forms. Second is the use of the audio recorder to capture important concepts that are gotten from interviews. Collecting data by interviews gives the respondent primary information, which ensures there is no manipulation of data during presentation and analysis (Jain, 2021). The last data collection tool that fits this research design is the use of hospital care records. The reason is that health care has new ways of collecting data electronically. Therefore, a researcher can rely on the information systems used in hospitals to analyze and present on the problem being researched. For example, these records can show the rate of nurse turnover and the occupancy of the clinic or hospital where the latter used to work (Griffiths et al., 2018). This must be obtained under legal measures to ensure the nursing ethics are not breached.
The most effective data collection tool, in this case, is the use of questionnaires to healthcare workers and also the patients who have experienced insufficient clinical care when hospitalized. The tool is important because it gives broad information and the extent to which nurse-to-patient ratio is impactful on the clinical care of patients (Kouatly et al., 2018). The reliability of questionnaire forms is that the researcher can ask uniform set of questions, and anything in contention can be checked during a pilot study. Questionnaire forms can be valid because the researcher may ask closed questions that limit the respondents’ answers. The accuracy of the data can be ascertained by comparing answers given with the reports on staffing of nurses. Thus, the nurse staffing issue would be easy to investigate based on the above metrics.
Statistical Test for the Project
The appropriate statistical test to use for this study is the Pearson correlation coefficient. The test is suitable because it determines the relationship between nurse staffing ratios and the improvement of patients’ length of stay. The Pearson test shows the degree to which the variables coincide with each other (Xu & Deng, 2018). The changes in nurse staffing ratios correspond to the alteration of improved patient length of stay. Through the test, it is easy to ascertain the rate at which adding or reducing the nurses in a given hospital setting will affect the chances of patients improving from the conditions.
Methods to Apply to Data Collection Tool
The suitable methods to apply to the questionnaire are multiple choice questions, dichotomous questions, scaling questions, and open questions requiring yes or no answers. The outcome will be measured by the number of patients who show improvement under care that has enough nursing staff compared with the low nurse-to-patient setting (Griffiths et al., 2018). Through the responses given, it will be possible to know what effect does reducing or adding nursing staff has to do with patient recovery in a short time. The answers to questions shall be the checklist when determining the outcome of the matter.
Strategies Applicable if Results are Uncertain
A raft of strategies is applicable if the study results do not meet the expectations. First, the researcher should have a comprehensive analysis of what failed during the process. It means the methodologies used should be checked to ascertain whether every metric was followed and to what extent the researcher utilized logic and intelligence when collecting data (Wynendaele et al., 2019). The other strategy is to restructure the questions to be more patient-centered and not nurse staffing. That will enable candid feedback based on the outcome to patients rather than the nursing experiences in clinical care.
Plans After Implementation
The first plan is the utilization of interprofessional reflective practice as it ensures there is interrogation of the efficacy of the daily evidence-based practice (EBP). In that case, the nursing paraphernalia can show the strengths and weaknesses of a given clinical framework in hospitals (Xu & Deng, 2018). This empowers healthcare professionals to enact in a desirable way to combat any adverse changes. The other plan is to evaluate performance through a broad-based approach that identifies a range of EBP impacts (Xu & Deng, 2018). In that way, it would be easy to make decisions that can prevent the escalation of problems relating to the nurse-to-patient ratio in relation to improved patient care.
References
Griffiths, P., Recio-Saucedo, A., Dall’Ora, C., Briggs, J., Maruotti, A., & Meredith, P. et al. (2018). The association between nurse staffing and omissions in nursing care: A systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(7), 1474-1487. Web.
Jain, N. (2021). Survey versus interviews: Comparing data collection tools for exploratory research. The Qualitative Report, 6(2), 22-27. Web.
Kouatly, I., Nassar, N., Nizam, M., & Badr, L. (2018). Evidence on nurse staffing ratios and patient outcomes in a low‐income country: Implications for future research and practice. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 15(5), 353-360. Web.
McNett, M., Tucker, S., Thomas, B., Gorsuch, P., & Gallagher-Ford, L. (2021). Use of implementation science to advance nurse-led evidence-based practices in clinical settings. Nurse Leader, 8(3), 12-23. Web.
Wynendaele, H., Trybou, J., & Willems, R. (2019). Systematic review: Patient-nurse ratio and nurse outcomes in acute care hospitals. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1), 10742. Web.
Xu, H., & Deng, Y. (2018). Dependent evidence combination based on Shearman coefficient and Pearson coefficient. IEEE Access, 6(9), 11634-11640. Web.