How can the provincial government end hallway nursing?
Ontario lags other provinces when it comes to the ratio of RNs providing care, with just 669 RNs per 100,000 people compared with an average of 828 RNs in the rest of Canada. In fact, Ontario has the lowest RN-to-population ratio in the country. We must rebalance the nursing workforce to improve outcomes andsafety for patients. The research is clear – when RNs provide care in hospitals, there are fewer readmissions and patients have fewer complications such as falls,infections, pneumonia, cardiac arrests, medication errors and pressure ulcers. More RNs reduce the number of patients and their length of stays, so that those who need hospital care aren't stranded on gurneys in a hallway.
