Nurses on the unit are discussing their current staffing pattern ...

[tfester]

Nurses on the unit are discussing their current staffing pattern on the day shift, how it relates to legislation in California, and relevant research about this subject.
 
  Which of the following statements by the nurse indicates that further education regarding this subject is required?
  1. These research studies can positively impact our ability to provide safe and effective client care.
  2. Plenty of meaningful research studies have already been done on this subject, and they all validate the need for very specific nurse-to-client ratios.
  3. Research studies are currently being conducted to determine how staffing patterns affect specific client outcome data.
  4. It will be interesting to examine the results of the studies to see how well specific nursing interventions affect client outcomes.

Question 2

The nurse managers are discussing the various staffing methodoligies that can be used to develop a staffing plan. Which of the following statements about these concepts is the most accurate?
 
  1. The industrial engineering methodolgy seems to be based mostly on the nurse manager's insight and experience about what will work best for the unit.
  2. The management engineering methodolgy uses only work sampling and time-and-motion studies to help determine a staffing plan.
  3. It's really difficult to rely totally on the industrial engineering methodology because sometimes we need to use some subjective information to staff our units well.
  4. Descriptive methodology uses an expert panel to examine staffing patterns throughout the organization.

[pikon]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 2

Rationale: The premise for the current California-based legislation is not based on an adequate amount of meaningful research. The concept of minimum nurse-to-client ratios is good, but not enough research has been performed to provide a strong conclusion about specific ratios. Research is currently being conducted to identify specific data that can be analyzed to better identify appropriate nurse-to-client ratios. The research is also being used to identify how specific nursing interventions affect client outcomes. The research will ultimately positively impact the nurses' ability to provide safe and effective client care.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 3

Rationale: The descriptive methodology relies heavily on the nurse manager's subjective feelings, intuition, and previous experience. The industrial engineering methodology is not well suited to a staffing needs of nurses. It was developed for use by industries. This methodology is based entirely on objective measurements. This methodology uses time-and-motion studies and work sampling to understand how long it takes to perform a task. The management engineering methodology uses a staffing index model and includes the use of an expert panel of nursing leaders. The expert panel examines staffing patterns throughout the organization. This is a meld of subjective feelings about staffing and objective measurements. This methodology seems to work best for developing a staffing plan for nurses.