What's The Minimum Staffing/Logistics For Running A Hospital?

Question

Specifically, a hospital serving a local population of 200-400 people, and assuming departments include ER, ICU, dentistry, maternity, outpatient, pharmaceutical, radiology, and general surgery. What would the physician to nurse ratio be? Could a physician cross departments for efficiency (i.e. unused ICU staff doubling as GP for outpatients)? Money is of no concern, and administration is run by the physicians themselves.

Answer 1

Well, as for this the hospital management has to take into consideration the nurse patient ratio in various departments. For example in the ICU department the nurse patient ratio is ideally supposed to be. 1:1, maternity 1:1, OPD 1:50, in theatre rooms there should be adequate number of nurses, i.e the scrub nurse and the circulating nurses to assist in the process of surgery. Depending on the number of beds in the facility, the number of nurses should be adequate to ensure that nurses should not overwork. They are supposed to work for a maximum of 40 hours a week. There should be a balance in the number of nurses in the Evening off duty, Morning off duty, and the night duty ti ensure continuity of patient care. At least each department should have a physician consultant. During high patient turn out in some departments, other physicians can come in and help the situation. It is not bad for them to cross departments.