Question

A health-care organization has achieved a decrease in RN hours in the total nursing care hours per patient-day (NCH/PPD). What is a potential outcome of this change?

1) Decreased client satisfaction
2) Decreased client fall rate
3) Increased interprofessional collaboration
4)ecreased numbers of errors

Answer 1

A decrease in RN hours per patient-day could potentially result in decreased client satisfaction due to reduced presence of experienced registered nurses, increased workload on the remaining RNs, and challenges in maintaining high-quality patient care.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a healthcare organization experiences a decrease in RN hours per total nursing care hours per patient-day (NCH/PPD), it signifies a reduction in the proportion of nursing care provided by registered nurses compared to other nursing staff. This change could potentially lead to decreased client satisfaction, as registered nurses are typically more experienced than other nursing staff and play a critical role in ensuring high-quality patient care. The reduction in RN hours might affect the overall patient experience due to possible increased workload on fewer RNs, potentially leading to longer response times to patient needs, less personalized care, and ultimately a decrease in patient satisfaction.

Additionally, the economic analysis provided illustrates a decreasing supply of nurses between 2020 and 2030, leading to higher salaries, but uncertain effects on the overall number of nurses in the equilibrium. Such economic pressures can exacerbate staffing challenges and may indirectly contribute to patient care outcomes.