Question

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), hospitals that routinely staff with 1:8 nurse-to-patient ratios experience five additional deaths per 1,000 patients than those staffing with 1:4 ratios (2002). If the local hospital has decided to follow the 1:4 nurse-to-patient ratio, how many patients can they treat if they have 120 nurses?

Answer 1

120 nurses × 4 patients = 480 patients total

Answer 2

They can treat 480 patients if they have 120 nurses?

Explanation:

The firt part of the problem gives no relevant information, because we are not asked of how many deaths the particular ratio policy produces,

A ratio is a proportion between two quantities. 1: 4 nurse patient indicate a nurse can treat 4 patients. There fore, using arule of three we have

1 nurse/ 4 patients * x patients / 120 nurses

x patients = 120 * 4 = 480 patients.