Patient care suffering, nurses say

Ontario nurses say that a steadily increasing workload, cutbacks and lack of management direction are harming the quality of patient care in the province.

The study (Canadian Nurse 2003;99[3]:23-6) is based on written comments from about 2750 nurses during a survey of 8263 Ontario RNs. “We were surprised at how many nurses felt compelled to leave notes at the end of the survey,” says Judith Shamian, executive director of the Office of Nursing Policy at Health Canada and one of the report's authors.

Over 50% of respondents who provided written comments were concerned about intensifying workloads, as the number of nurses drops and patient acuity increases. The nurses also stated that they are performing more non-nursing duties because of cuts within other professions, such as speech therapy and physiotherapy.

The survey was part of an international study of the impact of hospital organization and staffing on patient outcomes. The authors conclude that nurses feel burned out due to workload and overtime, and are dissatisfied with the work they are doing.

The respondents also feel restrained by cutbacks, and they are tired of change and frustrated with restructuring. Many feel their input is ignored by hospital administrators, and there is a growing dissatisfaction with nurse management. — Natalie Dunleavy, Ottawa