Nurses Believe Staff Shortages Cause Patient Risk, Poll Finds

One third of California nurses say they believe hospital understaffing puts patient safety at risk, according to a Service Employees International Union poll released today. Forty-two percent of general medical and surgical nurses reported staffing levels that are "less than adequate" to "protect patients," as did 32% of labor and delivery nurses. Twenty percent of medical-surgical nurses said missed or delayed treatments occur "regularly." Registered nurse Susan Franks of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard said, "Patients should be certain that when they're in a hospital emergency room, they'll receive safe care" (SEIU release, 1/11).