title: Mandated nurse staffing ratios in California: a comparison of staffing and nursing-sensitive outcomes pre- and postregulation.
abstract: This article examines the impact of mandated nursing ratios in California on key measures of nursing quality among adults in acute care hospitals. This study is a follow-up and extension of our first analysis exploring nurse staffing and nursing-sensitive outcomes comparing 2002 pre-ratios regulation data to 2004 postratios regulation data. For the current study we used postregulation ratios data from 2004 and 2006 to assess trends in staffing and outcomes. Findings for nurse staffing affirmed the trends noted in 2005 and indicated that changes in nurse staffing were consistent with expected increases in the proportion of licensed staff per patient. This report includes an exploratory examination of the relationship between staffing and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. However anticipated improvements in nursing-sensitive patient outcomes were not observed. This report contributes to the growing understanding of the impacts of regulatory staffing mandates on hospital operations and patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Cedars-Sinai Health System, Burns & Allen Research Institute, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burnes Bolton
authors.forename: Carolyn E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Donaldson
authors.forename: Diane Storer
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Meenu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandhu
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fridman
authors.forename: Harriet Udin
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Aronow
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002140:California; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data