Oregon Nurses Association has provided a means by which nurses at Providence Home Health and Hospice can report when nurse staffing on their unit/shift is insufficient and/or unsafe. The report is part of the ethical obligation of nurses to report when provision of “safe patient care” is not supported.
When a nurse is faced with staffing which is imminently or potentially unsafe according to the various causes of unsafe staffing, it is intended that the nurse
a) Notify someone in the chain of command,
b) Ask for additional staff, and
c) Ask for a response in a reasonable period of time, e.g., minutes, hours.
At the end of the shift, or within two business days, the nurse completes the form.