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Philadelphia (EMBARGOED UNTIL May 11, 2021 at 6:30 PM EST) -A new study published in
The Lancet today showed that a policy establishing minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals in Queensland, Australia saved lives, prevented readmissions, shortened hospital stays, and reduced costs.
The study, by the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and the Queensland University of Technology School of Nursing, evaluated legislation enacted in 2016 as a safety measure. The new policy limited the average number of patients per nurse to four, similar to pending legislation in New York and Illinois. The positive results in Queensland should inform policies in the U.S. and elsewhere, said lead-author Matthew McHugh, PhD, the Independence Chair for Nursing Education and CHOPR Director.
Higher ratios of nurses to patients lead to fewer deaths and readmissions, as well as shorter hospital stays and cost savings for providers, according to researchers.
The findings come from a large study in Australia and prompted calls for the “important lessons” from the research to be considered by those involved in drawing up healthcare workforce strategies.
“We hope that our data convinces people of the need for minimum nurse-to-patient ratios”
Matthew McHugh
The study, involving 55 hospitals in Queensland, suggests that a recent state policy to introduce a minimum ratio of one nurse to four patients for day shifts has successfully improved patient care.
More nurses lead to fewer patient deaths, shorter hospital stays: Study
By IANS |
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Sydney, May 12 : A minimum ratio of one nurse to four patients for day shifts can successfully improve patient care, with a 7 per cent drop in the chance of death and readmission, and 3 per cent reduction in length of stay for every one less patient a nurse has on their workload, according to a study across 55 hospitals in Queensland, Australia.
In 2016, 27 public hospitals in Queensland were required to instate a minimum of one dedicated nurse for every four patients during day shifts and one for every seven patients for night shifts on medical-surgical wards.
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Minimum nurse to patient ratios in hospitals across parts of Australia have reduced the risk of death by seven per cent (PA)
New research examining the effect of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios has found it reduces the risks of those in care dying by up to 11 per cent.
The study, published in The Lancet, also said fewer patients were readmitted and they had shorter stays in hospital.
It compared 400,000 patients and 17,000 nurses working in 27 hospitals in Queensland, Australia to 28 other hospitals. The state has a policy of just one nurse to every four patients during the day and one to seven at night, in a bid to improve safety and standards of care.
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Nurses may be pandemic heroes, but COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on their mental health and changed the profession perhaps forever. Our five nursing legends survey the damage from the frontlines.
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