The outcomes of psychiatric inpatients by proportion of experienced psychiatrists and nurse staffing in hospital: New findings on improving the quality of mental health care in South Korea

The Association between the Mental Health Nurse-to-Registered Nurse Ratio and Patient Outcomes in Psychiatric Inpatient Wards: A Systematic Review

“…A total of 6141 citations were excluded during the title-and-abstract screening. The full texts of four studies were reviewed [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] but rejected because they did not have the right exposure (registered nurse to registered mental health nurse ratio). Two of the studies also had the wrong outcome [ 54 , 55 ].…”

“…Empty reviews should summarise studies that were excluded at full-text screening, because these studies may provide relevant observations [ 56 ]. Table 2 summarises the key findings from the four studies excluded at full-text screening [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. One study was not relevant to the aim of the review [ 52 ]—it examined the effect of industrial action by nursing staff on the clinical characteristics of admitted patients.…”

“…One study was not relevant to the aim of the review [ 52 ]—it examined the effect of industrial action by nursing staff on the clinical characteristics of admitted patients. The three other studies were focused on aspects of nursing skill mix and clinical outcomes in a mental health setting [ 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”

“…Han et al [ 53 ] examined the association between nurse staffing and mental health care readmission within 30 days of discharge in 114 hospitals in South Korea. Data were extracted from the National Health Insurance claim dataset.…”

“…The odds of readmission were 5% lower for every 10 extra nurses per hospital. The [ 53 ] study provides some evidence that nurse skill mix may be associated with patient outcomes in inpatient mental health settings. However, the authors report few details about the accuracy and completeness of the data they extracted.…”