title: [Relationship between nurse staffing and nursing outcomes: a narrative review of literature].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The measurement of nursing sensitive outcomes represents a fundamental element in "Health Management" in order to assess the suitability and quality of care given, particoulaly in hospitals for the acutely ill.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To highlight how some variables connected with nurse-staffing can determine the quality of processes and the care outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A narrative review of international literature has been carried out on investigating possible correlation between nurse-staffing characteristics and care outcomes regarding patients, taking into account primary and secondary sources, written either in English or Italian, without time limits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bibliographical research strategies used, have brought about the restitution of no. 4244 articles were retrived, of these 56 were analyzed. Articles were categorized into 3 specific areas: 1) Which aspects determine the efficacy and quality of nursing care; 2) The direct effects of nursing care on care outcomes; 3) The indirect effects of nursing care on care outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results confirm the existence of a noticeable relationship between the main components of nurse-staffing and the direct and indirect outcomes on patients health. Longitudinal studies shound be carried out highlighting the results obtained up till now even more and assist in accurately measuring the importance of possible predictive variables on care outcomes correlated to nursing care.
authors.affiliation: Researcher in nursing Science, University of L'Aquila.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petrucci
authors.affiliation: Nurse, Presidio Ospedaliero di Tivoli - Azienda Sanitaria Locale RMG.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Calandro
authors.affiliation: Infermiera Esperta - Fondazione Policlinico "Tor Vergata" di Roma.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tresulti
authors.affiliation: Infermiere - Presidio Ospedaliero Penne - Azienda Sanitaria Locale Pescara.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldacchini
authors.affiliation: Professore Associato in Scienze Infermieristiche - Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica, Sanità Pubblica, Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente - Università degli Studi dell'Aquila. Correspondence: loreto.lancia@cc.univaq.it.
authors.forename: Loreto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lancia
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009729:Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000078329:Workforce