One in four nurses believe patient deaths are due to nurses having too many patients to care for at one time, according to survey results released Wednesday by supporters of strict limits on nurse staffing levels. The survey results show patient safety is "erratic, unpredictable and subject to many pressures in the health-care system, most not even related to the actual patients and their needs," according to state Rep. Denise Garlick, a Needham Democrat and a registered nurse. Nurses say high patient loads are the cause of poor care levels, preventable medical errors, readmissions and patient deaths, Garlick said at a Statehouse press conference, where she was joined by six House members, Sens. Marc Pacheco and Jamie Eldridge, and Massachusetts Nurses Association members.
