“Nursing Ratios Save Lives:” New Study Recommends Ontario Government Mandate Safe Nurse Staffing Levels in Hospitals

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new academic study says implementing nurse-to-patient ratios in Ontario’s hospitals would save lives, improve overall patient care and help address a long-standing staffing crisis.

Nurse-patient ratios: saving lives and rebuilding nurses’ morale has been co-authored by Dr. Margaret Keith and Dr. Jim Brophy, who since 2017 have produced four studies on working conditions in Ontario’s health care system. The study was commissioned by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions – the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (OCHU-CUPE), which represents nearly 50,000 staff.

“The evidence shows that nurse-patient ratios save lives,” said Dr. Brophy, a researcher affiliated with the University of Windsor. “Assigning nurses a manageable workload ensures patients receive appropriate care, which in a high-stakes hospital environment can mean the difference between life and death.”

Dr. Brophy will present the findings at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday at 10 a.m. He will be joined by Michael Hurley, president of OCHU-CUPE, and Rachel Fleming, a registered practical nurse represented by the union.

The study is based on existing research on staffing levels in hospitals, and in-depth interview examination of nurse staffing standards in places like California, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and two provinces in Australia.

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