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In March, California started allowing medical facilities to temporarily waive nurse-to-patient ratio rules to help hospitals deal with staffing issues stemming from the #COVID19 pandemic. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2021-02-07/icu-nurses-say-relaxed-staffing-levels-are-affecting-patient-care
In March, California started allowing medical facilities to temporarily waive nurse-to-patient ratio rules to help hospitals deal with staffing issues stemming from the #COVID19 pandemic. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2021-02-07/icu-nurses-say-relaxed-staffing-levels-are-affecting-patient-care
2) Hospitals taking advantage of the waiver beyond its initially designated two-week period had to submit requests to the state, in addition to other requirements listed in #California’s Suspension of Regulatory Enforcement of Hospital Requirements. https://canhrnews.com/suspension-of-regulatory-enforcement-of-hospital-requirements/
3) The state issued an update on the temporary measures in June, telling hospitals quite clearly that if they were unable to resume regular staff levels ASAP, they should resort to other options, such as hiring temporary workers.
4) Nearly a year later, that waiver seems to have become much more than temporary at some San Diego hospitals. According to workers, demands made by their employers are unrealistic & unreasonable, hampering their ability to provide adequate patient care. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2021-02-07/icu-nurses-say-relaxed-staffing-levels-are-affecting-patient-care
5) At Kaiser Permanente’s Zion Medical Center in San Diego, ICU nurses are on the front lines of the battle against #COVID19. Normally, the maximum patient load is two patients per ICU nurse. With the “temporary waiver,” each @KPSanDiego ICU nurse covers AT LEAST three patients.
6) Zion ICU nurses are feeling the physical and potentially unhealthy effects of the current crushing workload. Lunch breaks are a thing of the past; there’s hardly time to grab a sip of water. For these nurses, bathroom visits are a precious luxury that they often can’t afford.
7) But it’s not just the workers who are paying the price. An increased patient load for ICU nurses means a constant battle to meet the numerous, specialized needs of seriously ill patients, many of whom suffer from #COVID19.
https://www.nursinguniforms.net/blog/10-ways-overworked-nurses-are-hurting-hospitals
https://www.nursinguniforms.net/blog/10-ways-overworked-nurses-are-hurting-hospitals
8) Hospitals such as Zion are taking unfair advantage of a temporary waiver issued by the state NEARLY A YEAR AGO. These facilities have had many months to address staffing shortages by hiring extra help. They’ve neglected to do so, at the expense of their patients AND nurses.
9) If hospitals such as @KPSanDiego continue to ignore the desperate pleas for help from their overworked ICU nurses, San Diego medical facilities will face not only a dangerous staffing shortage, but the possibility of other worrisome consequences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2657/
10) ICU nurses with an increased patient load are suffering physically and emotionally. They’re struggling through long, exhausting shifts, racing from patient to patient. These tips
are helpful for nurses, but it’s up to hospitals to hire enough staff. https://nursejournal.org/resources/tips-for-avoiding-nurse-burnout/
are helpful for nurses, but it’s up to hospitals to hire enough staff. https://nursejournal.org/resources/tips-for-avoiding-nurse-burnout/
11) The unreasonable, unfair expectations of hospitals such as Zion is exacting a toll on ICU nurses AND patients. The solution is NOT to maintain an increased patient load. The obvious answer: hire more help or risk losing the valuable, hard-working ICU nurses you already have.
