Expanding the Parameters for Excellence in Patient Assignments: Is Leveraging an Evidence-Data-Based Acuity Methodology Realistic?

Finding the balance of equitable assignments continues to be a challenge for health care organizations seeking to leverage evidence-based leadership practices. Ratios and subjective acuity strategies for nurse-patient staffing continue to be the dominant approach in health care organizations. In addition to ratio-based assignments and acuity-based assignment models driven by financial targets, more emphasis on using evidence-based leadership strategies to manage and create science for effective staffing is needed. In particular, nurse leaders are challenged to increase the sophistication of management of patient turnover (admissions, discharges, and transfers) and integrate tools from Lean methodologies and quality management strategies to determine the effectiveness of nurse-patient staffing.