Ratios are important in the health organization in that they show the efficiency and utilization of the assets used in the organization (National Nurses United). In addition, ratios are used to point out the relationship between some variables which in are used to evaluate health organization effectiveness and performance regarding patient’s outcome, asset utilization and public evaluation (National Nurses United). For instance, proper staff ratio in health organizations regarding nurses available and the patients to be attended to by caregivers is one such area where ratios can be used. Maintaining adequate staffs in health organization will determine the improved and quality care and health services to the patients. Proper nurse staffing will reduce the patients’ mortality rate commendably. It is of great benefit to the hospital when it ensures a required number of competent nurses are available as this will improve the treatment of patients and also ensures nurse retention which in turn reduces the hospital cost of hiring nurses due to nurse turnover (Aiken et al.). On the other hand, when there is an understaffing of nurses in the health organization the health and the conditions of the patients are put at risk and also the nurses’ turnover will also increase. When nurses are not enough in the hospital to care for the patients nurses will work for long hours and will feel exhausted and hence cannot discharge their services as expected and the patient's treatment will be compromised (Aiken et al.). Increasing the nurses' workload will make them decide to leave the organization and look for a better hospital in which they will be cared for. As such, when the organization concentrates their effort on ensuring proper staffing of its employees it radically cut the cost of hiring new nurses (Department for Professional Employees). Hiring new nurses will entail the use of more financial resources compared to financial resources needed for nurse retention.
This clearly illustrates that maintaining adequate nurse staffs in a health care organization is vital for the success and improved performance of the health care organization besides also improving job satisfaction to nurses themselves (Department for Professional Employees).
Works Cited
Aiken, L. H., Sermeus, W., Van den Heede, K., Sloane, D. M., Busse, R., McKee, M., & Tishelman, C. (2012). Patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of hospital care: cross sectional surveys of nurses and patients in 12 countries in Europe and the United States. Bmj, 344, e1717.
National Nurses United. "RATIOS: Evaluation." National Nurses United. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/pages/scientific-research-linking-safe-nurse-staffing-to-patient-safety>.
