Why do staffing numbers differ from hospital to hospital and unit to unit?
Staffing numbers vary because patient care needs differ and can change minute to minute, hour to hour. Staffing has to be closely watched and adjusted from time to time based on the changes in the needs of the patients. The plan is based on averages. There are times when more staff will be needed and times less staff will be needed. Activity on a patient care unit changes constantly and, therefore, patient needs change constantly. For example, admissions, transfers and discharges occur on a regular basis, changing the make-up of a unit, and patients may become sicker during a day and need more than expected nursing care. Nurse staffing is frequently evaluated and readjusted to make sure patients are properly cared for. The staffing plans, therefore, are not meant to compare one hospital to another or one unit to another, but are a planned baseline from which patient care needs are adjusted.
