Alexandra Robbins Analysis

n her Nytimes Op-ed article “we need more nurses” Writer Alexandra Robbins reveals

that while nurses plays a very important role in improving the health care system of the country,

most hospitals and medical establishments are understaffed with nurses. nurses are often one

the least recognized group of people who are long due overstretched with the service they

provide.Inadequate staffing has become one of the major problems across the country, with the

exception of state of California, no other state has set up a standard minimum nurse to patient

ratio.many studies has shown that when more patients are assigned to a nurse, the higher for

the risk of death, infection,complication, falls and longer hospital stay. the author quoted

hence when nurse are understaffed, the

patient centered safety culture is broken, health care provided in safe manner and safe

environment is essential for patients wellbeing, but when the nurse/patient ratio is compromised,

the nurses are unable to perform quality care and often leads to deterioration of health standard

for the public leading to more mortality and morbidity.

She also highlights that profit motivation becomes the main driving engine for the

corporate driven hospitals and the health care system thus compromising on the patient safety.

So with the understaffing of nurses, some of the common health care needs of individuals and

communities lay threatened. The very first need of the individual to get a standard quality health

care is being compromised. how could one expect to receive proper treatment in hospital when

your nurse has more than 8 patients to care for which could lead to higher chances of

negligence due to sheer exhaustion from over worked nurses. The possibility of patient-

procedure- equipment related accidents would be higher. The problem of understaffing could be looked from the perspective of

In Peplau’s theory (1952) focuses on the interpersonal relationship between nurse and

the patient and the patient’s family. the patient is the one with the need while nursing is a

therapeutic process and this relationship is affected by both nurse’s and the patient’s perception

and his notion ( George,2011) this kind of collaboration builds relationship and trust, both the

nurse and patient mutually define and understand the problems and find solution. this theory

could be applied only when there is enough time for nurse to build that trust, with the gross

understaffed nurses, it becomes even harder to establish such relationship. the communication

between individual patient and the nurses on the floor is reduced when the nurses has so many

patients to look after. interpersonal relationship is harder to build when the ration between nurse

and patient is