Improving Nurse-Patient Ratio Based on Lewin’s Change Theory of Nursing

NDNQI: Term Paper Assignment
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NDNQI: Term Paper Assignment
Background
The nurse-patient ratio is a fundamental consideration for nursing managers in their routine duties of managing care and ensuring quality health outcomes for patients. According to Carlisle et al. (2020), it has gained significant attention as a critical determinant of the sensitive outcomes in the nursing practice. The author defines the nurse-patient ratio as the nurse population within a healthcare facility or department providing patient care. A balance between the number of patients and the available nurses significantly influences patient and nurse satisfaction and the quality of care received by the patients (Carlisle et al., 2020). The ratio often varies from one unit to another, with the specialty areas being the most sensitive ones, demanding a high nurse-patient ratio to reduce the number of patients a nurse cares for and improve the personalization of services. For instance, adding one nurse to the ICU translates to approximately 9% and 24% reduction in the hospital-linked mortality and hospitalization period (Carlisle et al., 2020). Such an aspect reveals that the nursing-to-patient ratio impacts the care provision and engagement, influencing nursing quality indicators rate of patient falls, hospital-acquired infections, hospitalization durations, and other health outcomes. As a result, addressing this aspect eliminates care-related mistakes and burnout that adversely affect these indicators, leading to improved outcomes.
Revision of Literature Review, Research Question and Hypothesis, and Research Study Design
The literature review demonstrates that Lewin’s Change Theory of Nursing can guide the changes in the nurse-patient ratio through its driving and restraining forces. Barrow et al. (2020) indicate that for change to occur, stakeholders must recognize aspects that require alterations and maintenance to trigger an equilibrium in the health settings. Such aspects occur through Lewin’s approach’s unfreezing, moving/changing, and refreezing steps. This process confirms the likelihood of nursing managers changing the status quo and affecting the staffing ratio to improve the health outcomes or indicators.
Research Question
How do the nurse managers improve the nurse-patient ratio based on Lewin’s Change Theory of Nursing?