A tool kit specifically designed for staff nurses to assist in providing the information you need to implement the law in your hospital.  

Staffing by Patient Acuity Law (PA095-0401)

"Staffing should be based on achieving quality of patient care indices, meeting organizational outcomes, and ensuring that the quality of a nurses' work life is appropriate"  (ANA, 2005)

FACTS ABOUT THE LAW:

Staffing Plan

    *Every hospital will implement a staffing plan recommended by a committee of nurses, comprised of at
      least 50% direct care staff nurses
    *The plan must take into consideration
          o the complexity of care
          o the complexity of nursing judgment required
          o patient acuity & the number of patients
          o ongoing assessments of a unit's acuity level and staffing need
          o unexpected patient needs
          o time for documentation!
          o staffing flexibility by unit
          o The plan must be posted in a location that is in a conspicuous & accessible location

Nursing Care Committee/Staffing Committee

    * 50% of members must be in direct care
    * There must be broad representation
    * There should be guidelines for rotating representatives
    * Committee minutes are required to be written and stored for 5 years
    * Recommendations from the committee must be given significant regard in the adoption &
       implementation of the plan
    * The process for submitting committee's recommendations to administration must be outlined in the
       plan
    * A process must be described for providing feedback to the committee regarding unresolved or
       ongoing issues
    * Any identified issues must be addressed at the next meeting
    * Nursing Performance and Quality data must be reviewed by the staffing committee on a semi-annual
       basis.


Click here for a fast FACT SHEET on staffing by acuity legislation!