title: Unequal staffing: A snapshot of nurse staffing in critical care units in New South Wales, Australia.
abstract: A growing body of research provides evidence of the link between nurse-to-patient ratios (NTPRs) and skill mix with adverse patient outcomes. This paper reports an investigation into nurse staffing patterns, skill mix and patient movement in critical care units in NSW, Australia. A 'snapshot' of staffing patterns and patient movement over 1 week in October 2012 was obtained by use of a cross-sectional design using retrospective survey and administrative data. A wide variation was found in NTPRs, skill mix and the number of nursing staff vacancies in coronary care and high dependency units. These variations suggest that the quality of patient care may vary between facilities in New South Wales.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2. Buskerud University College, Kongsberg, Norway.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003422:Critical Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D009517:New South Wales; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: critical care; nurse-to-patient ratios; patient movement; skill mix