Emergency Room Staffing: Nurse Shortage

hed a friend at 10:00 in the evening to theoverdue waits even with critical undiagnosed
nearest hospital due to unbearable chest pain. Butconditions. Recently, a 19 year old woman died on
at the emergency department, you were greetedthe Kings County Hospital Center Psychiatric
with a number for patients waiting to be attendedEmergency Department floor. The incident was
to. It took 30 minutes before your friend wasrecorded by the hospital's camera. It took an hour
taken care of by the emergency nurses.before someone took notice of the woman, but
You wonder, what is this shortage aboutthe patient was already dead. The hospital was
emergency nurses? Aren't there enough peoplesaid to be understaffed.
who would like to take care of sick peopleDifferent measures are being taken to resolve
anymore?the crisis in emergency departments and avoid
According to a study conducted by theunfortunate events like this. Most resolutions are
researchers from Cambridge Health Alliance asbeing directed to the Congress. Some of the
reported in Health Affairs, wait times went up anproposed means to be taken are:
average of 4.1 percent per year for all patients.1. Quickly approving the $50 million in extra funding
Unfortunately for heart attack patients, the waitfor hospitals that provide uncompensated care to
stretched to 11.2 percent every year. Blacks,uninsured patients.
Hispanics, women and patients in urban hospitals2. Significantly increase a funding for disaster
have longer wait times that others.preparedness in hospitals.
So how long exactly are these percentages? For3. Establish an agency in the Department of Health
patients diagnosed with heart attacks, the waitingand Human Services for emergency and trauma
time in 1997 was 8 minutes, but in 2004 it rosecare, and create a demonstration program to
to 20 minutes. Patients who needed attentionpromote a coordinated regional approach to
within 15 minutes, according to the nurses whoemergency care
evaluated them, have to wait 10 minutes back inDr. Andre Wilson, Chief of Emergency Medicine in
1997. But in 2004, it went up to 14 minutes.William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak in Michigan
Emergency room wait in urban hospitals was 30released a study on the effect of the straight
minutes. While non-urban hospital emergencyback approach in reducing emergency room wait
room wait is within 15 minutes.time. On this approach, the patients are
So why are the numbers increasing?immediately moved from the triage to an
Emergency visits rose by 78 percent from 1995emergency room treatment area without going
to 2003. But the number of the emergencythrough the waiting room. There is need for the
departments to accommodate this rise fell bypatient to go though with the minimal registration
12.4 percent from 1995 to 2003. The number ofprocedure and have the patient chart available
patients rushing in to the emergency departmentimmediately. With this procedure, the Beaumont
to get medical attention can be attributed to theHospital was said to have the satisfaction rating
fact that there is an increase of underinsured andfrom their patients increased. This also thought to
uninsured patients. The aging American populationincrease the hospital's revenues.
is also a factor.Hospitals are taking measures on reducing the
According to the EMTALA or the Emergencystaffing shortages their emergency department
Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act,are increasing. Emergency room nurses are much
everyone has the right to be seen and attendedin demand nowadays to cope with the increasing
to in the emergency department, whether theynumber of sick patients requiring medical attention.
are able to pay or not. This served as safeguardwe could have as many emergency room nurses,
for the underinsured and uninsured citizens.but the key issue is how to provide health care
There were several accounts of patients dying infor everybody available at all times with minimal
the emergency room waiting area because ofamount of wait.