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How Nursing Workload Impacts Patients Safety
Giovannia I. Blackwood
Chamberlain University College of Nursing
NR103: Transition to the Nursing Profession
Professor: Dr. Nadine Cesaire
October 14th, 2024
How Nursing Workload Impacts Patients Safety
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) stated that 67% (288) of nurses reported that six or more patients were assigned to them exceeding the number of patients they could safely take care of. (Laseter, et al., 2021). The relationship between nursing workload and patient safety has become a critical area of concern. Lasater, et al (2021), mentioned that Registered Nurses (RN) workloads are related to patient mortality. Understanding the complex connection between nursing workload and patient safety is essential for developing effective strategies to enhance care delivery and improve health outcomes. This paper discusses the nursing workload and patient safety, the effects of high nursing workload on patient care in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the medication administration, and the implications this has on nurses’ workloads and the safety of the patients.
Nurses Workload and Patient Safety
Nurses are often interrupted from their duties to fulfill a physician’s need for them to continue seeing patients, instead of the physician calling the telephone help line. Assigning nurses to do extra work on top of what they are already assigned to do. (Browne & Braden, 2020). When nurses get distracted from their primary duties this can increase stress which can also increase chances to make a mistake. Physicians need to make sure the use the assistance provided to them instead of adding extra duties to their nurses. That way they can focus on patient care.
High Nursing Workload on Patient Care in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
ICU requires higher level of nurses staffing than other specialties due to the demands these
patients have in the ICU. Ten nurses were interviewed stating that high workload influenced
their well-being both physically and philosophically (Banda, et al. 2022). Nurses in the ICU are the
ones in charge of taking care of difficult patients’ needs and taking care of patients that are
seriously ill, both at the same time. Having more patients than nurses can result in fatigued and
stressed nurses making them less capable of providing thorough care to these critically ill patients.
Having nurses in the ICU with an overload of work can delay them to monitor vital signs, to
administrate, and to decline emergency responses in a unit where every minute counts.
Furthermore, addressing high nursing workload is important for a positive and effective patient
care in a critical setting like the ICU.
Medication Administration, and The Implications This has on Nurses’ Workloads and The Safety of The Patients.
To safely administer medication to patients we got to make sure we follow the “right
five” right patient, right medication, right dose, right route and right time in conjunction with
the knowledge of the management of prescription and a good pharmacology training in
nursing students. (Muller de Magalhaes, et al., 2019). The administration of medication is the
most critical aspect of nursing since it directly impacts nurses’ workload and the safety of the
patients. The process of administrating medication requires not only comprehension of
pharmacology but also prescription management, that can be challenging in a fast-paced
clinical setting. High workload can be the cause of cognitive overload, increasing the risk of
medication error that can have consequences for the patient well-being.
Conclusion
In summary, we can say that they need to be a balance on nurses’ workload to make sure patients are kept safe. The Intensive Care Unit is affected by their nurses being overloaded with patients, when they should be enough patient to nurses ration to avoid any mistake and risking patient safety. Moreover, the administration of medication to our patients requires nurses to be knowledgeable about the management of prescription making sure that the nurses are well trained in pharmacology. Keeping our hospitals with the right number of nurses can help decrease the nurses to feel overwhelmed by the extra job they have to pick up. Making sure that the nurses are kept focused and free from distractions due to increased workload.
Ensuring manageable patient loads will improve job satisfaction for our nurses and patient safety, enhancing the overall quality of patient care.
References
Banda, Z., Simbota, M., & Mula, C. (2022). Nurses’ perceptions on the effects of high
nursing workload on patient care in an intensive care unit of a referral hospital in Malawi: A qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 21(1).
Browne, J., & Braden, C. J. (2020). Nursing turbulence in critical care: Relationships with nursing workload and patient safety.
American Journal of Critical Care,
29(3), 182–191.
Magalhães, A. M., Kreling, A., Chaves, E. H., Pasin, S. S., & Castilho, B. M. (2019). Medication administration – nursing workload and Patient Safety in clinical wards.
Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem,
72(1), 183–189.
