Linking Economics and Quality

Abstract

The evidence linking nurse staffing with patient outcomes has been established; however, incorporating the evidence into practice is lagging. This article describes a practice/academic collaborative initiated to promote the translation of staffing research into decision-making through the development of an evidence-based staffing tool. Reports of previous research on nurse staffing and patient and financial outcomes are summarized, and aspects of the 2 phases of the collaborative to date are discussed. In the initial phase, a pilot research study on nurse staffing and patient outcomes in medical-surgical units support previous findings that higher nurse staffing results in positive patient outcomes. The focus in the current phase is expansion of the pilot research and the development of a decision-making staffing tool based on the additional staffing research. Identifying the critical data elements and sources of the data are major challenges to achieving the project objectives. Other challenges are maintaining interest and creating wide-spread understanding of the importance of nurse managers having access to timely, useable information. The success of the collaborative is due to the commitment and participation of leaders from various disciplines in both organizations.

NHS managers’ use of nursing workforce planning and deployment technologies: a realist synthesis

“…[118][119][120][121][122][123] Further scoping searches identified a further 11 sources of evidence from the literature. [124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134] Some of this literature was also identified in later targeted searches.…”

“…This can also enable trend analysis. 131,154 WPTs can also predict costs associated with their staffing decisions, 134,151,171,172,174,183 or they can be useful for the development of 'what-if' staffing scenarios, to determine potential financial and patient outcome feedback. 134 Therefore, computerised decision support systems can:…”

“…Anderson et al 134 illustrated this by indicating how the use of a dashboard meant that managers would be able to forecast:…”

“…Managers will be able to predict the 'true' costs associated with staffing decisions and their impact to the bottom line. Anderson et al 134 Workforce planning and deployment tools and technologies may therefore assess multiple dimensions of the staffing system to determine future need. van Oostveen et al 124 suggested that the Professional Assessment Of Optimal Nursing Care Intensity Tool (which assesses the optimal nursing care intensity for a clinical area) can highlight non-patient factors that may affect workload (e.g.…”

“…171,185,193 Furthermore, poor management may have an adverse impact on organisational reputation, with a negative effect on recruitment. 185 Certainly, poor nurse satisfaction and morale appear to lead to high rates of nursing turnover 134,185 and absenteeism. 185,193 There are organisational costs associated with high rates of nursing turnover.…”