title: Hospital staffing and health care-associated infections: a systematic review of the literature.
abstract: In the past 10 years, many researchers have examined relationships between hospital staffing and patients' risk of health care-associated infection (HAI). To gain understanding of this evidence base, a systematic review was conducted, and 42 articles were audited. The most common infection studied was bloodstream infection (n=18; 43%). The majority of researchers examined nurse staffing (n=38; 90%); of these, only 7 (18%) did not find a statistically significant association between nurse staffing variable(s) and HAI rates. Use of nonpermanent staff was associated with increased rates of HAI in 4 studies (P<.05). Three studies addressed infection control professional staffing with mixed results. Physician staffing was not found to be associated with patients' HAI risk (n=2). The methods employed and operational definitions used for both staffing and HAI varied; despite this variability, trends were apparent. Research characterizing effective staffing for infection control departments is needed.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, New York 10032, USA. ps2024@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Patricia W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pogorzelska
authors.forename: Laureen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kunches
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Hirschhorn