Using Computer Simulation to Study Nurse-to-Patient Ratios in an Emergency Department

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Informatics
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Effective nurse staffing is crucial for efficient emergency department (ED) operations.
• Understanding the relationship between nurse-to-patient ratios and patient flow is essential for optimizing care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of varying nurse-to-patient ratios on patient length of stay (LOS) within simulated ED environments.
• To quantify the impact of staffing levels on ED patient throughput and care delays.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiple 24-hour computer simulations to model emergency care scenarios.
• Evaluated the influence of different minimum nurse-to-patient ratios on ED LOS, encompassing both waiting time and bedside time.

Main Results:

• A direct correlation was observed between increased patient-to-nurse ratios and extended ED LOS.
• Significant impacts on mean bedside times were identified as nurse-to-patient ratios were altered.

Conclusions:

• Computer simulations indicate that higher patient loads per nurse exacerbate delays in emergency care.
• Optimizing nurse-to-patient ratios is critical for reducing patient bedside times and improving ED efficiency.