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Improving The Nurse Patient Assignment Process On A Medical Surgical Unit, Kevin K. Mcewan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Nurse patient assignments on an adult medical surgical unit at a community hospital are often accomplished with inconsistent processes and rationales. Each charge nurse utilizes individualized processes to determine which patients will be best teamed-up and assigned to the available nurses. There are frequently no acuity measurements system or set criteria by which the number or types of patients can or should be assigned to any given nurse, nor are staff skill or competency considered in the assignment process.

Project Design: A pilot project was conducted on a medical/surgical unit. The project utilized the American Association of Critical Care …