Posted: May 1st, 2025

Health & Medical Question

Your Persuasive Research Paper’s first draft will be due on Wednesday of Week 15. This week, you’ll perfect the APA formatting of your paper, including the title page at the beginning and the References page at the end. Additionally, you’ll draft the first 3 sections of your paper corresponding to the argument method you’ve selected:

Are patient-nurse ratios a reason for nursing burnout?

Toulmin: The Claim section plus at least 1 Data and 1 Warrant section.

• Rogerian: The Introduction, the Opposing View section, and the Statement of Validity section.

Classic: The Introduction, the Statement of Background section, and the Proposition section.

Here’s a template for an APA 7 Student paper You can use this template or start your own from a blank document using this template as a reference.

Requirements

Your essay should:

• Be a Persuasive Research Paper that uses one of the three argument methods above
• Be double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12pt font, with 1-inch margins, correct page number placement and indentations
• Have a Cover page, in APA style
• Have a References page, in APA style, with at least 3 correctly formatted sources

Have in-text citations for any sources used

Have all three sections listed above for the type of argument you’ve chosen.

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Annotated Bibliography: Are patient-nurse ratios a reason for nursing burnout?
Vanessa Martinez
Prof. Joshua Commander
Nightingale College
English 311-30
July 26, 2024
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Annotated Bibliography: Are patient-nurse ratios a reason for nursing burnout?
Article 1:
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., French, R., Anusiewicz, C. V., Martin, B., Reneau,
K., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Is hospital nurse staffing legislation in the
public’s interest? Medical Care, 59(5). https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000001519
Summary
The study by Lasater et al. (2021) in the journal Medical Care investigates the impact of
hospital nurse staffing legislation on nurse burnout, patient safety, and satisfaction in New York
State. The results of this work indicated the correlation between the levels of patient-nurse
staffing and the level of nurse burnout, patients’ outcomes, and the level of satisfaction among
the staff. The study establishes the significance of sufficient staffing in improving the quality of
health care and nurses’ work conditions’ work.
Evaluation
The study by Lasater et al., published in Medical Care in 2021, offers modern data about
the impact of nurse staffing ratios on burnout rates and patient outcomes, making the study
highly applicable and topical in modern healthcare discussions. The authors’ credentials, such as
Dr. Linda Aiken and Dr. Matthew McHugh, who are professionals in nursing and health care
policy, provide the study with credibility. Their approach is sound; they employ much data to
substantiate their assertions on the advantages of enhanced staffing ratios, which makes their
conclusions more credible. The publication’s tone is neutral, with no emotional tones that may be
associated with the given research, which is evident in statements that link staffing levels to
nurse and patient outcomes, making it evidence-based and factual.
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This source is quite valuable for the research paper as it presents the results of the
hypothesis that a better patient-to-nurse ratio could assist in the elimination of burnout among
nurses. It will be used to lobby for policy changes that will help enhance the number of nurses
recruited in health facilities. The findings and conclusion part will contain information gathered
from New York State. One of the possible limitations of this source could be the transference of
the study’s findings to other geographical or institutional contexts where more data or other
studies might be required to underpin the conclusions made.
Reflection
This source contributes well to the research on how patient-nurse ratios affect nursing
burnout by presenting research data to back legislative and policy changes to enhance staffing
ratios. In the persuasive research paper, this source will be central in advocating for policy
changes to facilitate setting safer staffing levels to address nurse burnout. One possible limitation
of using this source might be the potential to convincingly connect the specific results obtained
in New York State to national or international contexts that might be needed for comparison or
further substantiation of the findings, depending on the given research question.
Article 2:
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., French, R., Martin, B., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M.
D. (2021). Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing
legislation: An observational study. BMJ Open, 11(12). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen2021-052899
Summary
The National Institute of Nursing Research published a report in 2021 that looks at a
study that assessed the patient-to-nurse staffing ratios in New York’s hospitals and their effects
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on the patient and nurses. The research evidence shows that improved staffing levels can
decrease mortality and readmission rates and, hence, that proper staffing improves the quality of
care and decreases healthcare costs. The report also focuses on the significance of the effective
management of nursing human resources, particularly staffing, to enhance the quality of care and
the satisfaction of the nurses.
Evaluation
This report was published in 2021, which makes it a current source of information
regarding the impact of patient-to-nurse ratios on the delivery of health care and the nurses
themselves. This is because the source is from a government research institution, and thus, the
information given is accurate. Furthermore, the report is grounded on a study that employs
quantitative research and data to correlate nursing staff ratios with other healthcare performance
indicators, including mortality and readmission rates. There are no indications of bias in the
report, and the language used is formal and factual, enhancing the report’s credibility. An
example from the text is: “It is imperative to have optimal staffing ratios not only for patient
safety but also for containing the overall cost of healthcare,” which is a direct quote from the
research and has a factual representation.
Reflection
This source is helpful for my research paper as it answers the central question of staffing
ratios and their effect on nurse burnout and patient safety. My intention for this report is to
establish a solid background for advocating legislative changes concerning nurse staffing. One
area for improvement might be that the study concentrates on New York hospitals only, which
means that the findings can only be generalized to other geographical locations or healthcare
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structures if further supporting research is needed. However, its rigorous methodology and the
support of a federal research institution suggest a more general applicability of the findings.
Article 3:
PSNet. (2019). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job
dissatisfaction. Psnet.ahrq.gov. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/hospital-nurse-staffing-andpatient-mortality-nurse-burnout-and-job-dissatisfaction
Summary
The article from PSNet, published in 2019, focuses on how hospital nurse staffing is
connected to factors such as patient mortality, burned-out nurses, and dissatisfied nurses. The
study, conducted on 168 hospitals in Pennsylvania, shows that the increase in the nurse-topatient ratios is associated with higher rates of burnout and job dissatisfaction among nurses,
which in turn leads to adverse effects on patient safety and the quality of the care provided. It is
particularly noteworthy that the study emphasizes the importance of appropriate staffing levels of
nurses for the preservation of patient and nurse health.
Evaluation
The PSNet 2019 is a bit old, but it still provides valuable insights into the effects of nurse
staffing ratios. The information remains relevant as it focuses on nurse burnout, which is still a
problem affecting healthcare systems worldwide. The fact that the source presents data in a
detailed manner and covers many hospitals increases the source’s reliability and the conclusions
made. The language used in the article is straightforward and does not contain any rhetorical
elements; the authors aim to report the study’s results. For example, it says, ‘Increased nurse-topatient ratios leads to stress and burnout among the nurses, which in turn affects their job
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satisfaction and the quality of patient care,’ which is a straightforward correlation between
staffing and health care results without using emotive language.
Reflection
This source is helpful in my research because it supports my paper’s argument with
quantitative data about the relationship between nurse staffing ratios, burnout, and patient safety.
I intend this study to expose the drawbacks of understaffing and support policy and management
changes in healthcare organizations. The main limitation of using this source could be that it
presents data only from the state of Pennsylvania, which may not be generalizable to other areas
or countries. However, its comprehensive coverage and the applicability of its conclusions to my
research question make it a solid source to build broader arguments about the necessity of
enhancing nurse staffing standards.