title: Nurse staffing in critical access hospitals: structural factors linked to quality care.
abstract: Evidence links the amount of registered nurse care to improved patient outcomes in large hospitals, but little is known about registered nurse staffing in small critical access hospitals, which comprise 30% of all US hospitals. Our study findings show that the unique work environment of critical access hospitals means registered nurses are often overextended, reassigned from inpatient care, and/or interrupted creating potential safety and quality risks. Further research is needed to understand what critical access hospitals consider "safe" levels of nurse staffing and what processes are implemented to mitigate these risks.
authors: Community-Based Health, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA. mecramer@unmc.edu
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Cramer
authors: Katherine J
authors: KJ
authors: Jones
authors: Melody
authors: M
authors: Hertzog
mesh_terms: D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009329:Nebraska; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011787:Quality of Health Care