Legislative Worksheet (SBAR Format) – How a Bill Becomes a Law

Legislative Worksheet (SBAR Format) –
How a Bill Becomes a Law
SITUATION: IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE LEGISLATED?
Long working Hours for nurses in the hospitals
 Identify the problem/concern: Nurses have to work for long hours in the hospitals.
In most of the cases, they work for extended shifts resulting in loss of fatigue which may lead
to medical mistakes. Due to long working hours, there are increased levels of patient
dissatisfaction and burnouts amongst the nurses. It also causes loss of sleep, an inability of
recovering between the shifts and daytime sleepiness amongst them. As a result, the nurses
report decision regrets and occurrence of negative emotions when the real outcomes vary
from the desired outcomes (Gooch, 2019). This problem is also related to inadequate staffing.
Due to the availability of less nursing staff in the hospitals, nurses have to work for more
than 12 hours in a stretch.
 State your proposal/idea. The daily working hours for nurses should be limited along with
the number of working days. Their shifts should not exceed beyond 8 hours. Besides this,
their work processes and workspace should be designed in such a way which makes them
more efficient and less prone to a commission of errors. • More nursing staff should be
appointed in the hospitals so that the existing staff does not have to work for prolonged
hours.The appointment of nursing staff should be proportional to the number of patients
in each hospital and laws should be enacted regarding the issue (Science Daily, 2019).
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BACKGROUND: DO YOUR RESEARCH
 Include studies, reports, personal experience, or anecdotal stories related to your
proposal. As per a study conducted by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System, 12
hours working hours for nurses proved to be troublesome for them in staying awake during their
working hours. It caused the reduction of their sleep time and increased the chances of
committing errors to about three times. It also indicated that those nurses who worked for 12.5
hours or more commit the most significant errors during their shifts (On Course Learning
Corporation, 2018).
 Has there been similar legislation introduced and/or passed in other states? If so, include
it. California has enacted the Nursing Staffing Standard for Patient Safety and Quality
Care Act 2013 which states the minimum staffing ratios of nurses. The state has proposed
a plan for formulating an appropriate ratio of nurses for each unit proportionate to the
number of patients along with restricted mandatory overtime shifts (Shin, Koh, Kim, Lee
& Song, 2018).
ASSESSMENT: FINANCES AND STAKEHOLDERS
 Identify financial impact if any (e.g., added costs, cost savings, increased revenue): There
would be a positive economic effect on the hospitals if this act is enacted. It would also
improve the rating of the hospitals. It would also increase the revenue of the hospitals as
nurses working in shorter shifts would be more alert and efficient in taking care of their
patients.
© 2013. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.