Advocate for nurses
In the fast-paced environment of the health care setting, the quality of patient care needs to be the No. 1 priority. However, the reality of an unregulated nurse-to-patient ratio and nurse burnout has threatened the lives of many patients and the well-being of countless health care professionals.
Nurses should not be assigned to more than four patients in a unit; two patients in critical care. According to the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, over 20 years ago a mandate was created that stated nurses in adult medical-surgical units can care for no more than five patients at one time to advocate for patient safety and the protection of nurses in California.
With the population of Texas continuing to grow, there needs to be regulation by law on the number of patients our nurses are taking care of.
Nurses feel overworked by treating too many patients than is safe. Often, they battle with mental health, such as experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression.
The Infusion Nurses Society describes the three key components to burnout as “emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.” Let’s stop the “burn out.”
Traci Paine, Dallas
Patients pay for mistakes
My wife’s recent experience is a painful reminder of how broken our health care system is. After her primary care doctor ordered lab work, a breathing test and referred her to a specialist, what followed was pure chaos.
The specialist’s office claimed they never received the test results. The doctor’s office insisted they had faxed them. After multiple follow-ups and wasted time, the results were re-sent.
Worse, when my wife asked about the breathing test results, they said they had no record of her even taking it — despite her having spent time, effort and money to do exactly that. Now they want her to come back and retake the test. Meanwhile, insurance was likely billed for a service that mysteriously disappeared.
Who holds these offices accountable? Patients, already in pain and struggling for care, are forced to chase basic tasks that should have been handled properly the first time. Every mistake costs the patient — in health, in time and in money — while the system shrugs it off.
This is not an isolated incident. It’s the everyday reality for far too many Americans. We deserve much better.
Ramesh Hegde, Frisco
Trump’s name-calling
We’ve long been aware of President Donald Trump’s penchant for name-calling and personal insults as a strategy of intimidation. Recently, after apparently disagreeing with fellow Republican and Texan Karl Rove’s (largely favorable) remarks in a Fox interview, he called Rove a “total loser,” and said he’s “been wrong about almost everything.” No. GOP strategist Rove was right about George W. Bush’s ability to be elected president.
Trump refused to answer a question from a Wall Street Journal reporter on Air Force One, saying he didn’t want to waste his time because The Journal had “gone to hell” and was a “rotten newspaper,” then repeated the charge: a “rotten newspaper.”
Only a small man has to prop himself up by name-calling and insults to make himself feel bigger.
Carolyn Barta, North Dallas
Remove biases, please
Thank you, Stephen Buckley, for the information concerning the choosing of how letters to the editor get printed. Quality is a great trait to look for in a letter. Sadly, I’m not impressed with the two editors’ left-leaning choices. Fact checking should rely on truths, not rely on biases.
“Opinion that’s supported by research” is good but, 60 letters a week with 90% left-leaning means 54 left-biased letters and 6 right-biased letters a week. This is the same ratio with 90% negative spin of Trump news items from the mainstream media.
“Avoid insults or mean-spiritedness” is also good. So, how did this line in a recent letter, “Fascist comes closer to defining Trump and his followers than conservative,” get by the editors?
Constructive criticism and proposing a solution are good. Overall, when selecting letters, the editors need to remove their left-leaning biases.
Stephen Buckley, please continue your efforts.
Donald Jones, Wylie
Celebrate letter writers
I appreciate this information from the public editor, and I think everyone has missed the point. We should celebrate that people care enough to write so many letters, that there is a process to decide which will get published and this subject garnered enough attention to have this addressed in one of Buckley’s columns.
I sometimes think I’m the only one who walks outside to pick up the paper each morning and sit first thing with a cup of coffee until I have read the whole paper. It’s a lovely way to start the day. The early morning is quiet and cool.
It’s nice to know that whether it’s the paper version or the electronic one, people care about what others write and I think it’s especially great when there is a response to a letter writer.
I also think that those who write in are some of the most clever, smart and funniest (at times) folks around. I also look forward to the journalism students’ letters. If there was one wish, it would be nice to see more of those.
It’s great that there are so many people who care enough to write and read the letters to the editor. I know the column addressed the process. I just thought there was another important point not to be missed.
Perri Brackett, Lewisville
Stars writer delivers
Hats off (pun intended) to Lia Assimakopoulos, alone in Winnipeg late Wednesday night, for writing in a rushed short time three Dallas Stars articles totaling an estimated 56 column inches for Thursday’s morning newspaper.
Ed Kominski, Weatherford
