Safe assignment acuity tool
| Registered nurse (RN) | Patient care technician (PCT) | Patient acuity and staffing ratio |
| Multiple every 1-hour medications | Frequent bed alarms | Red acuity |
| Every 1–2 hour assessments/interventions | Confused patient | Unstable patients with declining trajectory |
| Patient being considered for ICU | Every hour toileting | PCT to patient ratio: 4:1 |
| Unstable vital signs | Maximum assistance for turns | RN to patient ratio: 3:1 with 1 red |
| Serious declining trajectory | Frequent turns | |
| Receiving more than 4 units of blood products a shift | ||
| Will need 2–3 units of blood over next shift | Every 2-hour toileting | Yellow acuity |
| Every 2 hour medications and assessments | Patient request one to one feeds | Stable patients with improved trajectory |
| Stable trajectory | Moderately safety risk | PCT to patient ratio: 5:1 |
| 2–4 active medical issues being treated | RN to patient ratio: 3:1, 4:1 if 1 or 2 yellow per RN judgement | |
| Uncontrolled behavioural/psychiatric issues | ||
| Multiple RN tasks | ||
| Multiple upcoming tests/procedures a shift | ||
| Every 4-hour medications | Minimal assistance needed every 2 hours | Green acuity |
| Every 4-hour assessments/ interventions | Mostly independent | Stable patients |
| Improving trajectory | Low safety risks | PCT to patient ratio 6 or 7:1 |
| 1–2 active medical issues being treated | RN to patient ratio 4:1 | |
| Minimal RN tasks |