How to Measure the Nursing Hours per Patient Day Rate - Essay Example

"How to Measure the Nursing Hours per Patient Day Rate" is a great example of a paper on care. 
Modern health care organizations give more emphasis on developing effective nursing standards. However, nurse staffing is still a matter of major concern as it determines the patient safety and quality of health care. This paper will critically evaluate how an increase in the total number of hired nurses will shift health care economics and decision making.

In the opinion of Dunham-Taylor and Pinczuk (2006), in order to clearly understand the shifts in health care economics and decision-making, it is essential to discuss Nursing Hours per Patient Day (NHPPD) (p.127). For the calculation of NHPPD, one must

1. identify the total number of nurses on duty on any given day and calculate their total nursing hours
2. divide the total nursing hours by the total number of patients for the same period of time

For instance, assume that two nurses work in a health care setting that has 10 patients and each nurse spends 7 hours for work.

Total nursing hours (2×7) = 14

Total patients = 10

Then, the NHPPD is, 14/10 = 1.4

Generally, a low NHPPD indicates a decline either in the total number of nurses or in nursing hours. Therefore, it is precise that the NHPPD can be raised by either an increase in the total number of nurses or an increase in nursing hours (‘Safe staffing’). In general practice, health care does not increase the normal work hours as it may impose additional stress on nurses and which would in turn result in low health care quality. Hence, nurse hiring and thereby increase in nurse supply is the only possible strategy to increase the NHPPD which is a direct measure of health care quality. According to Feldstein (1966), when the total number of hired nurses increases, it would make changes in health care production, costs, and supply. To justify, health care would incur extra costs while hiring nurses. However, the process of nurse hiring assists the health care to increase the supply of nurses, and therefore this practice may result in increased health care production. The effective supply of nurses and thereby increased health care production would meet the costs incurred in the process of nurse hires.

     Zuzelo (2010, p. 349) strongly opines that every health care must have a budgeted NHPPD. This policy may aid health care to ensure that adequate staff is employed and patient needs are timely and effectively met. The Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) is responsible for dealing with the staff requirements of health care. On-time evaluation of NHPPD is essential for formulating different managerial decisions that would promote health care quality. Majority of the modern health care organizations rely on health care economics to design strategies on nurse hires. In the case of a community clinic, the CNE can easily assess the patient status and estimate the number of nursing staff to be appointed to perform flawless health care activities.

In total, health care economics is important in planning effective health care promotion. NHPPD rate and thereby health care quality can be improved by hiring nurses. At the same time, the nurse hiring process notably influences health care production, costs, and supply.