BILL REQ. #:  S-4560.1 

Read first time 01/22/08.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing a process to promote evidence-based nurse staffing in hospitals; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   Recognizing that research evidence demonstrates that registered nurses play a critical role in patient safety and quality of care, and in order to protect patients and to promote evidence-based nurse staffing, the legislature intends to establish a mechanism whereby direct care nurses and hospital management shall participate in a joint process to identify and apply best practices related to patient safety and nurse retention, including nurse staffing.