HI SCR119

Hawaii State Center for Nursing is requested to conduct a study compiling recommended safe patient staffing ratios for various hospital units and health care settings.

The study must use staffing standards from HB 1865 and SB 2763 (2026) as the foundational framework, incorporating recommendations from 10 professional nursing organizations including critical-care, emergency, obstetric, surgical, oncology, psychiatric, and pediatric nursing associations.

Study findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation must be submitted to the Legislature and Department of Health and published on a publicly available online dashboard no later than 20 days before the 2027 Regular Session.

The resolution cites a 2025 Legislative Reference Bureau report showing improved patient outcomes with higher nurse staffing ratios, including shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, reduced infections, and fewer medication errors.

Hawaii health care facilities are urged to implement safe patient staffing ratios reflecting the standards compiled by the Hawaii State Center for Nursing.