Responsible nursing staff sizing as an essential strategy to ensure safety and quality of care

Abstract

The editorial argues that the levels of sick people should not be based solely on the proportion of professionals per patient, but rather consider the increasing complexity of care in our health services. The specialization of care units, the growth of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses will increase the demands for care and the workload of nurses. In this context, the authors propose a multidimensional approach to people planning, integrating quantitative, qualitative, organizational and political aspects. In addition to the number of professionals, we emphasize the importance of competencies, experience, organizational conditions, availability of resources and the regulatory framework as factors that influence the quality of care and patient safety. It is concluded that the management of sick people must respond to the specific characteristics of each health environment to guarantee safe, efficient and high-quality care.