title: Research evidence linking staffing and patient outcomes.
abstract: When nurses say that low overall staffing numbers and low proportions of RNs adversely influence patient outcomes, the basis for that claim is stronger than individual impression and opinion. There is research evidence supporting it. A recent study commissioned by the American Nurses Association (ANA) confirmed the relationship between low staffing and poor patient outcomes. These results add to the evidence of prior studies in which a strong inverse relationship between nurse staffing and adverse patient events has been found. In this article, a synopsis of the ANA study is presented and a suggestion regarding how to build on the study's methods and findings is made.
authors.affiliation: sarahjo.brown@valley.net
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D006302:Health Services Research; D009726:Nurses; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling