title: Closing wards during summer time and its effects on patients' outcomes.
abstract: Closure of wards (units) during the summer is a management practice introduced in some Italian hospitals to deal with the national nursing shortage and seasonal staffing patterns. The authors discuss a cross-sectional comparative study that they conducted to assess the effects of this management practice on patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Udine University, Viale Ungheria 20, 33100 Udine, Italy. alvisa.palese@uniud.it
authors.forename: Alvisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palese
authors.forename: Orietta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Masala
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capitanio
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Regattin
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deroma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006271:Health Facility Closure; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D012621:Seasons