A study conducted across 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, with a 7% drop in the chance of death and readmission and a 3% reduction in length of stay for every one less patient a nurse has on their workload. These reductions resulted in the cost savings.
The study compared 27 hospitals where the policy was implemented with 28 hospitals where it wasn’t.
“Despite some evidence that more nurses in hospitals could benefit patient safety, similar policies have not been widely implemented across the globe, partly due to an absence of data on the long-term effects and costs, as well as limited resources,” the study authors said.
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A study across 55 hospitals in Queensland, Australia 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, with a 7% drop in the chance of death and readmission, and 3% reduction in length of stay for every one less patient a nurse has on their workload.
The study of more than 400,000 patients and 17,000 nurses in 27 hospitals that implemented the policy and 28 comparison hospitals is published in
The Lancet. It is the first prospective evaluation of the health policy aimed at boosting nurse numbers in hospitals to ensure a minimum safe standard and suggests that savings made from shorter hospital stays and fewer readmissions were double the cost of hiring more staff.
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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.