Statement by Sandra Feldman
President, American Federation of Teachers / AFT Healthcare
on Nurse Workloads and Patient Deaths

There is now indisputable evidence that lives can be saved when nurses have smaller workloads. The recent University of Pennsylvania research confirms what nurses have said all along—fewer patients die when nurses are not forced to take on heavier patient workloads. This particular study is a breakthrough because it specifically found that the risk of death was reduced significantly if a nurse had four surgical patients rather than six or eight. Faced with this credible research that confirms what nurses know from their own experience, states must now pass laws that will set nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. AFT Healthcare’s campaign, "Set Limits, Save Lives," has called for such staffing limits, and we will continue to fight for this to protect patients and improve the quality of healthcare nationwide.