Selected Bill
- Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019.
- A guide to appropriate nurse-patient ratio (GovTrack, 2021).
- A recommendation to the HHS department.
- Has a significant impact on nursing practice.
- Quality healthcare for more citizens.
The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019 is a Bill recommended to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Sponsors of the Bill expect it to provide a framework for an appropriate nurse-patient ratio (GovTrack, 2021). Subsequently, the Bill will lead to more citizens receiving quality healthcare. Therefore, the Bill has significance for nursing practice in the provision of quality and sustainable patient care.
Purpose Statement
- Perpetual shortage of nursing personnel.
- Increased number of patients in health facilities.
- Considerable low numbers of Caregivers
- Leading to compromised quality of healthcare.
- Refine health practitioners’ skills and knowledge (Olley et al., 2019).
The Bill seeks to address the perpetual nursing shortage problem on account of increased patient volumes against the relatively constant low numbers of nursing staff. Compromised quality of healthcare is the product of the shortage of healthcare practitioners. Subsequently, it is necessary to refine the competencies of additional healthcare practitioners (Olley et al., 2019).
Overview of the Bill
- The Bill number: R. 2581 – 116th Congress (2019-2020).
- Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019
- Sponsor: Representative Janice D. Schakowsky from Illinois
- Introduced to House of Representatives – 05/08/2019.
- Referred to the sub-committee on health – 05/09/2019.
The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019, Bill number R. 2581 – 116th Congress (2019-2020), was introduced to the 116th congress House of Representatives on May 8, 2019. By September 8, 2019, the Bill had been referred to the House of Representatives Sub-committee on Health for deliberation. Representative Janice D. Schakowsky from Illinois sponsored the Bill seeking to amend the Public Health Services Act for establishing deliberate registered nurse-to-patient ratio requirements in hospitals.
Stakeholders in The Area of Concern
- Safe and quality healthcare for patients.
- Nurses with the added workload in patient care.
- Expansion of the roles for some nurses.
- Mangers of healthcare institutions
- Government agencies and community members.
The Bill will entrench measures to ensure patients receive safe and quality healthcare through an appropriate nurse-to-patient ratio. Additionally, a sufficient number of nurses will reduce the workload in the delivery of patient care. Moreover, managers of healthcare institutions will have no difficulties in appropriating resources for quality patient care. Government agencies will design appropriate policies to augment the success of Bill’s provisions while community members will receive prompt healthcare (Marć et al., 2019).
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to the Bill
- Refine the health outcomes for patients (Fawaz et al., 2018).
- Improve health practitioners’ work experience.
- However, lacks transition guidelines, and financial considerations.
- Technological advancements augment the adequate nursing workforce.
- Deficiency of enforcement framework follow-up.
The ability to improve the healthcare outcomes of patients and transform nurses’ work experience constitutes the power of the Bill. However, the Bill does not provide guidelines for transition into the new policy within the implementation period. Additionally, financial considerations for low-income facilities are absent in the Bill. Technological advancement in healthcare coupled with an appropriate number of nurses in healthcare facilities presents a perfect opportunity to improve the quality of patient care. Nonetheless, the lack of an enforcement follow-up framework threatens the success of the Bill in refining the quality of healthcare.
Effect of Bill Provisions on Stakeholders
- Adequate attendance to patients’ healthcare demands.
- Increased financial demands for healthcare institutions.
- Improvement of public health status in States (GovTrack, 2021).
- Federal enforcement of Bill’s Provisions.
- Quality healthcare for communities.
The Bill entrenches the capacity of healthcare institutions to meet patients’ care demands through appropriate staffing adequately. Additionally, States will improve the condition of public health within their jurisdictions. Federal agencies such as the Centre of Medicaid and Medicare services will enforce Bill’s Provisions for quality patient care. Communities have the more significant benefit of accessing safe and quality healthcare.
The Nurse as a Change Agent
- Lobby the Congress and Policy Makers
- Join professional Associations (Woo et al., 2017).
- Undertake research for evidence-based practice
- Streamlining of the policy-making process.
- Establishment of policies for nurse and patient benefit.
The masters-prepared nurse can draft memoranda to petition policymakers and the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation and policies that ensure the delivery of quality care to all citizens regardless of age, religious affiliation, race, ethnic background, or social-economic status. Moreover, the nurse can join professional associations with evidence-based research to guide the general nurses on clinical-decision making (Woo et al., 2017). Therefore, the masters-prepared nurse has immense potential to be a change agent in providing high-quality and cost-effective patient care.
Conclusion
- Legislations contribute to policy changes.
- Healthcare policies impact nursing practice.
- Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019
- Has the capacity to improve healthcare quality.
- Refine the nurses’ work experience.
A significant proportion of policy changes are products of policy changes. Consequently, the policy changes have a far-reaching impact on nursing practice. The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2019 is a welcomed Bill, timely, and appropriate to refine the nurses’ work experience with improved quality of patient care. Therefore, master-prepared nurses are responsible for lobbying policymakers to design guidelines that benefit nurses and patients. Additionally, should conduct evidence-based research to support advocacy and guide the nursing profession in delivering optimal patient care.
References
Fawaz, M. A., Hamdan-Mansour, A. M., & Tassi, A. (2018). Challenges facing nursing education in the advanced healthcare environment. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 9, 105-110.
GovTrack. (2021). H.R. 2581 — 116th Congress: Nurse staffing standards for hospital patient safety and quality care act of 2019.
Marć, M., Bartosiewicz, A., Burzyńska, J., Chmiel, Z., & Januszewicz, P. (2019). A nursing shortage – A prospect of global and local policies. International Nursing Review, 66(1), 9-16.
Olley, R., Edwards, I., Avery, M., & Cooper, H. (2019). Systematic review of the evidence related to mandated nurse staffing ratios in acute hospitals. Australian Health Review, 43(3), 288-293.
Woo, B. F. Y., Lee, J. X. Y., & Tam, W. W. S. (2017). The impact of the advanced practice nursing role on quality of care, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost in the emergency and critical care settings: A systematic review. Human Resources for Health, 15(63).