[Number of nurses and adverse events: the results of a study].
Number of nurses and adverse events: the results of a study. Introduction. Adverse events may be related to an higher workload and a lower nurse staffing level compared to patients needs.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between adverse events and lower nurse staffing level compared to patients workload, measured with the Nursing Activity Score (NAS).


METHODS
The daily workload of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of San Gerardo Hospital (Monza) from December 15, 2009 to May 9, 2010 was measured with the NAS. The scores were correlated with the number of nurses on shift over 24 hours, the bed occupancy rate and the adverse events occurred.


RESULTS
Out of a population of 240 patients for a follow-up period of 145 days, 45 adverse events were observed. In the days with events the difference between ideal and actual nurses requirement amounted to -7.68% (±8.84). On days without events, the difference was 0.44% (±7.96) (p value 0.0001). In the days with events patients received less minutes of care than needed -110.66 (±127), and on days without events an excess of minutes of care 6.40 (±115) minutes /patient. The average NAS score of patients with events was 81.88 (±10.00); 73.54 (±13.83) of those without events (p=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
In the period observed adverse events occurred mainly when the difference between patients workload according to NAS and minutes of care provided by nurses on shift was higher.
Universita degli Studi di Milano, Bicocca.
Alberto
A
Lucchini
Milva
M
Peruta
Raffaella
R
Canella
Stefano
S
Elli
Giorgia
G
Sanvito
Cristina
C
De Angelis
Veronica
V
Villani
Stefania
S
Vanini
Barbara
B
Rolli
Herman
H
Bondi
Roberto
R
Gariboldi
Simona
S
Vimercati
Domenica
D
Sartori
Anna Maria
AM
Raimondi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult