Nurses working in an inner-city neighborhood characterized by high levels of violence are concerned with the low levels of security presence in their department. Security levels have recently been decreased, and the nurses question why this has occurred. Which of the following would be an appropriate action?

Choice A reason: While promoting teamwork among healthcare providers is important, it is not the primary reason for maintaining a low nurse-to-patient ratio. Teamwork is a byproduct of adequate staffing, which allows nurses to collaborate effectively.

Choice B reason: Increasing adverse events is the opposite of what a low nurse-to-patient ratio aims to achieve. Research shows that higher nurse-to-patient ratios are associated with increased adverse events.

Choice C reason: A low nurse-to-patient ratio does not contribute to the duplication of services. Instead, it ensures that nurses can provide adequate attention and care to each patient, which can reduce the need for redundant services.

Choice D reason: Nursing research has validated that a low nurse-to-patient ratio improves client outcomes. Studies have shown that lower ratios are associated with reduced mortality, medication errors, ulcers, restraint use, infections, pneumonia, and improved intervention times.

Choice A reason: Immediate access to staffing schedules is a benefit for administrative purposes but is not directly related to the use of point-of-care devices for patient care.

Choice B reason: Immediate documentation of care is a key advantage of point-of-care devices, allowing for real-time recording of patient information, which can improve care quality and efficiency.

Choice C reason: Comparison of patient data with previous data is important for ongoing patient assessment but is not the primary rationale for the use of point-of-care devices.

Choice D reason: While point-of-care devices can potentially reduce medication errors, this choice is not as directly related to the immediate documentation of care as Choice B is.