Hospital Cutbacks In Nursing Staff Deadly To Patients

A study done by The Chicago Tribune reports that hospitals across the country have quietly been eliminating their highest paid, best trained and most experienced nurses. This has led to numerous patient deaths directly due to overworked and under trained nursing staffs.

The author says that since 1995 at least 1720 hospital patients have been accidentally killed and 9584 others injured by nurses who are committing errors due to staff reductions and poor training. Because the process of reporting medical errors is so inadequate, the above figures likely only represent the tip of the iceberg.

In what is becoming a national trend among hospitals, even those that are doing well financially, the more educated, better trained registered nurses are being replaced with lesser trained, lower salaried practical nurses and aides. The reason? To increase or maintain profitability, even at the sacrifice of patient safety.

According to the study, the American Hospital Association (AHA) was warned by their president Dick Davidson in 1996 that the public was beginning to notice the "thinness" of nurse staffing.

Davidson said at the time that "Patients suffered, literally, because medications and vital, comforting services were delayed, confused or forgotten."

In commentary, we find it appalling that hospitals are cutting nursing staff as a way to increase profits. When patient safety becomes secondary to the bottom line, serious doubts arise about the intelligence and integrity of the people making those decisions. There is no greater responsibility in any health care system than the safety of the patient.