Nurses are opposed to government-mandated ratios. They see the rigid ratios as an infringement on their autonomy to use their own judgement, along with that of their peers on a unit, to determine what is best for patients under their collective care.
That’s the clear theme of a new advertisement that began airing on Massachusetts television stations last week.
View the ad here.
“The government does not know what it takes to care for a patient. We’re the ones that do,” said Amanda Ford, a Registered Nurse at Lowell General Hospital who is featured in the ads. “This ballot measure would be disastrous.”
This measure would cost the Massachusetts healthcare system more than $1.3 billion dollars in the first year, and more than $900 million each year thereafter, according to
an independent study by MassInsight and BW Research Partners. Hospitals will be forced to cut vital health programs, such as cancer screenings, opioid treatments, mental health services, early childhood intervention, domestic violence programs and pre- or post-natal care.
“There are no scientific studies or reports that demonstrate the effectiveness of government mandated, one-size-fits-all nurse staffing ratio for improving quality of care, patient outcomes, or professional nursing practice," said Donna Glynn, president of the American Nurses Association Massachusetts and a Nurse Scientist for the VA Boston Healthcare System. “In fact, no studies evaluating nurse staffing ratios reported a magic number as the single factor to affect patient outcomes or job satisfaction. This ballot question is ignoring scientific fact around what is best for nursing practice, decision making and quality patient care.”