Healthcare dominates as an issue of top concern for Saskatchewan people, with registered nurse care seen as integral to service delivery according to a province wide public opinion survey. The survey was conducted by Praxis Analytics in October (2013) on behalf of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN).
SUN annually conducts public research to gauge how people feel about the services provided by registered nurses in healthcare delivery, and about the system as a whole. “We know our members are critical to high quality safe patient care,” says SUN President, Tracy Zambory. “This survey is about taking the pulse of healthcare in Saskatchewan and is an important tool that helps us [SUN] identify public concerns and opportunities for improvement.”
Some highlights from the 2013 survey:
Registered nurse care viewed as key to health service delivery
Healthcare remains the top every day issue, for most people in the province, with more than four (4) out of five (5) respondents identifying registered nurses as being important to service delivery. However, over two-thirds of respondents indicated there are too few registered nurses working in their communities at present.
“This speaks volumes to the importance of investing in sustainable healthcare reform and the role the public sees registered nurses must play in this,” says Zambory. “A big part of maintaining confidence in our health system, no matter where you live in the province, is making sure we have safe registered nurse staffing levels.”
Public places high value on registered nurses’ capabilities
Approximately six (6) in ten (10) survey respondents supported a team approach to healthcare delivery and appeared comfortable accessing care not led by their family doctor with registered nurses being their alternative team leader of choice.
Nearly four (4) out of five (5) respondents agree that registered nurses are experts at delivering health care and more than six (6) in ten (10) say registered nurses have skills no other provider can offer.
“There is a huge amount of trust in the expert care registered nurses are providing patients; who truly do see them [registered nurses] as partners in their own care management,” notes Zambory. “We need to view registered nurses as part of the solution to address mounting healthcare pressures in the province; the public certainly do.”
The survey, which ran from September 30 to October 13, 2013, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.22 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level.
SUN represents almost 9,000 Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs), Registered Nurse(Nurse Practitioner)s (RN(NP)s) and graduates in the province.
The term “registered nurse” used in the survey refers to both Registered Nurses (RN) and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN).
View the complete survey here.
