Since the beginning of my nursing practice I have had a range of patients from two in a shift to twelve in a shift. Finding the time to care for our patients being smaller and smaller as the ratio grows larger. With Ontario not having a mandated ratio for nurse to patient, hospitals are not held accountable if the floor is short nurses.

Nurse to patient ratios are optimal in ensuring effective care by reducing medication errors and improving overall patient outcomes. “Hospitals that have lower nurse – patient ratios are associated with improved patient safety and higher quality of care.” (Rowdan et al., 2024)

For example, in Rowdan et al (2024) they found that hospitals with lower nurse-patient ratios had lower mortality rates and less medical complications. However hospitals in Ontario still struggle with staffing from shortages, budgets and administrative issues. 

The action campaign we are trying to reach is for hospitals to mandate ratios of nurse to patient in each department. With a maximum of 1:4 ratio for nurse to patient, to help improve patient care, lift morale in hospitals and decrease burnout in nurses. 

In conclusion, we ask that you take a moment to sign our petition to help invest in yourself and your colleagues. Building safer hospital settings for our nursing staff and our patients.