Nurse staffing found to impact quality of care.
The size and mix of nurses in a hospitals throughout the country make a difference in the quality of care provided to patients, according to a Department of Health and Human Services study released last month. The study, Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in Hospitals, found a consistent relationship between nurse staffing and outcomes for four medical conditions--urinary tract infections, pneumonia, shock, upper gastrointestinal bleeding--and length-of-stay.
D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D006302:Health Services Research; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States