If your nurse has eight patients during their shift which can easily happen on a medical-surgical floor, is 7.5 minutes per hour enough time to provide safe, effective care?
7.5 minutes per hour includes charting, gathering equipment and supplies, calling doctors for orders, and every duty a nurse has on the shift. 7.5 minutes per hour does not allow for any meal or restroom breaks and also doesn't include time for report at the start and end of shifts. It doesn't allow for anything else.
7.5 minutes doesn't allow for time to comfort a frightened, distraught, or confused patient....but we try to do it anyway.
It doesn't allow for what patients need and deserve....but we try to do it anyway.
Burnout and mental health issues are very serious and concerning in healthcare workers.
"Relationship of Psychiatric Symptom Domains to Functional Outcome Measures and Suicidality
The relationship of psychiatric symptom domains (PTSD, anxiety, depression, and insomnia) to functional outcome measures and thoughts of suicide or self-harm were similarly characterized (Fig. 3C and Supplemental 3C). Across all participants, PTSD symptom severity was significantly related to the likelihood of leaving one’s current field, trouble completing work tasks, and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In addition, older age had a significant positive relationship to the likelihood of leaving one’s current field, and depression symptoms were significantly and positively related to thoughts of self-harm or suicide. However, based on subgroup analyses, the relationship of PTSD symptoms to the increased likelihood of leaving one’s current field was driven most strongly by nurses (β = 0.41, p < 0.01) and LEO + fire (β = 0.74, p < 0.05), while the relationship of PTSD to occupational functioning was driven most strongly by physicians (β = 0.67, p < 0.05) and EMS (β = 0.43, p < 0.01). Interestingly, for LEO + fire, anxiety symptoms were strongly and positively associated with thoughts of suicide or self-harm (β = 1.2, p < 0.001) but strongly and negatively associated with thoughts of leaving one’s field (β = 0.91, p < 0.01)."
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-021-07252-z
You cannot drive a broken down car with an empty gas tank, we all understand that. Allied Healthcare Workers are driving by will and often by the need to provide financially. We are truly trapped and victimized.
We are hearing of errors in the news. We all know that machines and computers malfunction, so why wouldn't we expect that from human beings as well? If there's an omission, a late medication, or even an error, is it any wonder why? The current configuration of Healthcare in the US is not sustainable, functional, or successful.
Healthcare workers want to help people and want to do it without sacrificing their own welfare. We must take care of ourselves to provide care to others, that's the first rule of triage. We are boxed into a corner, let's get ourselves and our patients out of it. Although more reform is needed, national legislation of ratio caps is a strong start.