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Anyone who cares for hospitalized patients intuitively understands the correlation between staffing by registered nurses (RNs) and patient outcomes. However, robust studies demonstrating this association are lacking.
Researchers at a large tertiary academic U.S. medical center retrospectively studied approximately 200,000 admissions and 175,000 8-hour nursing shifts in 43 hospital units from 2003 through 2006 (pediatric, labor and delivery, behavioral health, and inpatient rehabilitation units were excluded). RN staffing was within 8 hours of the target level for 84% of shifts. A significant albeit small association (hazard ratio, 1.02) was noted between higher mortality and exposure to unit shifts during which RN staffing was ≥8 hours below…