Opinion: Safe patient limits make sense

If you or a loved one has ever been a hospital patient, you know what it feels like to helplessly wait for a nurse to check on your progress, discuss your symptoms, administer your medicines, contact your doctor, or deliver any number of other critical caregiving tasks. You know when you hear the words “I’ll be back soon,” that it might really mean hours — depending on a nurse caseload that could exceed 10 or 15 patients who are just as uncomfortable as you.