Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Patient assignments can lead to dissatisfaction among nursing staff, especially when they're not consistent, objective, and quantifiable. This dissatisfaction can create barriers to the adaptability and teamwork that are so critical to good patient care. In 2016, three RNs on a complex 23-bed medical-surgical unit at Durham VA Health Care System identified a recurring complaint by nursing staff that patient assignments were inconsistent and unequal. An average of five RNs and one charge nurse were assigned five patients per nurse per shift. The nursing assignment system included placing patients in one of two categories: "standard patient" or "involved care" patient. The problem was the subjectivity of these terms; they had no supporting evidence. The result was frustrated nurses, which prompted the unit to develop a process improvement project. [To read more, follow this link.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Improving Workload & Workflows (Safe & Appropriate Staffing).
