ICU Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios

In Massachusetts, all hospitals that operate intensive care units are required to report their quarterly ICU-registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratios to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, effective with the first quarter of 2016 (January to March). HPC Regulation 95 CMR 8.00 to Implement the ICU Nurse Staffing Law was signed into law by then Governor Patrick on June 30, 2014.

Hospitals with ICUs must report the following information quarterly:
• Type of ICU
• Average daily patient census
• Average daily nurse census
• Average daily staff nurse-to-patient ratio

The law provides in part that “in all intensive care units the patient assignment for the registered nurse shall be 1:1 or 1:2 depending on the stability of the patient as assessed by the acuity tool and by the staff nurses in the unit, including the nurse manager or the nurse manager’s designee when needed to resolve a disagreement.”  The law became effective on September 28, 2014.

Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s ICU Staffing

Read more about the ICU nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

Reporting PeriodName of ICUType of ICUAverage Daily Patient CensusAverage Daily Staff Nurse CensusAverage Daily Staff Nurse-to-Patient Ratio
Apr – Jun 2020 (Q2/2020)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg6.1323.8961 Nurse to 1.574 ICU Patients
Resumed reporting 5/25/20-6/30/20
Jul – Sep 2020 (Q3/2020)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg4.2833.4541 Nurse to 1.240 ICU Patients
Oct – Dec 2020 (Q4/2020)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.3263.8141 Nurse to 1.396 ICU Patients
Jan – Mar 2021 (Q1/2021)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.8444.0981 Nurse to 1.426 ICU Patients
Apr – Jun 2021 (Q2/2021)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.6594.1271 Nurse to 1.371 ICU Patients
Jul – Sep 2021 (Q3/2021)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.2724.0661 Nurse to 1.297 ICU Patients
Oct – Dec 2021 (Q4/2021)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg6.6524.4621 Nurse to 1.491 ICU Patients
Jan – Mar 2022 (Q1/2022)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg6.0674.4711 Nurse to 1.357 ICU Patients
Apr – Jun 2022 (Q2/2022)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg4.9123.1051 Nurse to 1.582 ICU Patients
Jul – Sep 2022 (Q3/2022)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.1743.4091 Nurse to 1.518 ICU Patients
Oct – Dec 2022 (Q4/2022)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg6.4244.1161 Nurse to 1.561 ICU Patients
Jan – Mar 2023 (Q1/2023)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.6674.5331 Nurse to 1.250 ICU Patients
Apr – Jun 2023 (Q2/2023)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg4.3414.1081 Nurse to 1.057 ICU Patients
July – Sep 2023 (Q3/2023)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.3043.3551 Nurse to 1.581 ICU Patients
Oct – Dec 2023 (Q4/2023)Critical Care UnitGeneral Med/Surg5.2394.9341 Nurse to 1.062 ICU Patients