Nurse staffing and patient care outcomes: protocol for an umbrella review to identify evidence gaps for low and middle-income countries

Background: Adequate staffing is key to the delivery of nursing care and thus to improved inpatient and health service outcomes. Several systematic reviews have addressed the relationship between nurse staffing and these outcomes. Most primary studies within each systematic review are likely to be from high-income countries which have different practice contexts to low and middle-income countries (LMICs), although this has not been formally examined. We propose conducting an umbrella review to characterise the existing evidence linking nurse staffing to key outcomes and explicitly aim to identify evidence gaps in nurse staffing research in LMICs. Methods and analysis: This protocol was developed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Literature searching will be conducted across Ovid Medline, Embase and EBSCO Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Two independent reviewers will conduct searching and data abstraction and discordance will be handled by discussion between both parties. The risk of bias of the individual studies will be performed using the AMSTAR-2. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical permission is not required for this review as we will make use of already published data. We aim to publish the findings of our review in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021286908

Nurse Staffing in Nursing Homes During Hurricane Irma

Little is known about the effect of hurricanes on nurse staffing in nursing homes. Hurricane Irma made landfall on September 10th, 2017 in Florida. This study examined daily nurse staffing levels from September 3rd-24th, 2017 in 653 nursing homes; 81 facilities evacuated and 572 facilities sheltered-in-place. Data from Payroll-Based Journaling (PBJ), Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER), and Florida’s health providers’ emergency reporting system were used. Among all facilities, we found significant increases in staffing for licensed practical nurses (p=.02) and certified nursing assistants (p<.001), but not for registered nurses (p=.10) before Hurricane Irma made landfall. In comparison to facilities that sheltered-in-place, evacuating facilities increased staffing levels of all nurse types (all p<.001). From one week before landfall to two weeks after landfall, an additional estimated $2.41 million was spent on nurse staffing. Policymakers attempting to reduce the burden of natural disasters on nursing homes should reimburse staffing-related expenses.

Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing legislation: an observational study

ObjectiveTo evaluate variation in Illinois hospital nurse staffing ratios and to determine whether higher nurse workloads are associated with mortality and length of stay for patients, and cost outcomes for hospitals.DesignCross-sectional analysis of multiple data sources including a 2020 survey of nurses linked to patient outcomes data.Setting: 87 acute care hospitals in Illinois.Participants210 493 Medicare patients, 65 years and older, who were hospitalised in a study hospital. 1391 registered nurses employed in direct patient care on a medical–surgical unit in a study hospital.Main outcome measuresPrimary outcomes were 30-day mortality and length of stay. Deaths avoided and cost savings to hospitals were predicted based on results from regression estimates if hospitals were to have staffed at a 4:1 ratio during the study period. Cost savings were computed from reductions in lengths of stay using cost-to-charge ratios.ResultsPatient-to-nurse staffing ratios on medical-surgical units ranged from 4.2 to 7.6 (mean=5.4; SD=0.7). After adjusting for hospital and patient characteristics, the odds of 30-day mortality for each patient increased by 16% for each additional patient in the average nurse’s workload (95% CI 1.04 to 1.28; p=0.006). The odds of staying in the hospital a day longer at all intervals increased by 5% for each additional patient in the nurse’s workload (95% CI 1.00 to 1.09, p=0.041). If study hospitals staffed at a 4:1 ratio during the 1-year study period, more than 1595 deaths would have been avoided and hospitals would have collectively saved over $117 million.ConclusionsPatient-to-nurse staffing ratios vary considerably across Illinois hospitals. If nurses in Illinois hospital medical–surgical units cared for no more than four patients each, thousands of deaths could be avoided, and patients would experience shorter lengths of stay, resulting in cost-savings for hospitals.

Does Nonprofit Ownership Matter for Firm Performance? Financial Distress and Ownership Conversion of Nursing Homes

In the past two decades, many nursing homes converted their ownership status from nonprofit to for-profit (NP-to-FP). These conversions have drawn public scrutiny and triggered a debate about the implications of ownership conversions on nursing home performance. Exploring a nationwide panel data set of U.S. nursing homes from 2006 to 2017, we observe that nursing homes with higher financial distress are associated with higher likelihood of NP-to-FP conversions. The postconversion operating margins increased significantly. Converted nursing homes improved their financial performance by reducing operating costs while keeping net resident revenues unchanged. Both cutting registered nurse staffing and cutting overhead staffing contributed to reductions in operating costs; however, only the former cost-reduction measure had a negative impact on quality. On average, the postconversion quality of care declined. The effects of NP-to-FP conversions on nursing homes were moderated by preconversion financial distress: High-distress nursing homes aggressively cut registered nurse staffing and experienced severe quality decline, whereas low-distress ones kept registered nurse staffing unchanged and largely avoided quality decline. These findings lead to both policy and managerial insights. To nursing home regulators, we recommend increased oversight on NP-to-FP conversions of nursing homes with high preconversion financial distress. To managers of nursing homes undergoing NP-to-FP conversions, our findings suggest that although cost reduction is an effective strategy to improve financial performance, they need to avoid the pitfall of cutting registered nurse staffing and instead focus on streamlining overhead operations in order to increase operating efficiency without compromising quality. This paper was accepted by Stefan Scholtes, healthcare management.

Abstract 9152: Incidence of Cardiac Arrest Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Introduction: Although survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) has improved substantially over the last two decades, survival rates have plateaued in recent years. Our understanding of incidence of IHCA remains limited. We measured incidence of IHCA among Medicare beneficiaries and evaluated hospital variation in incidence of IHCA. Methods: We used an observational cohort study using data from 2014-2017 Get with the Guidelines-Resuscitation (GWTG-R) data linked with Medicare inpatient data summarized by hospital. Hospital incidence of IHCA among Medicare beneficiaries was calculated as the total number of patients 65 years and older with an IHCA divided by the total number of Medicare admissions. Multivariable hierarchical regression models were used to adjust hospital incidence rates for differences in case-mix across study hospitals and evaluate its the association with hospital variables. Results: Among a total of 4.5 million admissions at 170 hospitals, 38,630 patients experienced an IHCA. The median risk-adjusted IHCA incidence was 8.3 per-1000 admissions. Even after adjusting for differences in case-mix index, IHCA incidence varied markedly across hospitals (Figure 1) ranging from 2.1 per-1000 admissions to 24.7 per-1000 admissions (interquartile range: 6.5-11.4; median odds ratio: 1.52; 95% credible interval 1.45-1.59). Among hospital variables, a higher case-mix index, higher nurse staffing and teaching status were associated with a lower hospital incidence of IHCA. Conclusions: Incidence of IHCA varies markedly across hospitals, even after adjustment for differences in patient case-mix. Hospital variables including case-mix severity, nurse staffing and teaching status were significantly associated with incidence rates. Future studies are needed to better understand processes of care at hospitals with exceptionally low IHCA incidence to identify best practices for cardiac arrest prevention.

Effects of registered nurse staffing levels, work environment, and education levels on adverse events in nursing homes

This study examined the effects of nurse staffing levels, work environment, and education levels on adverse events in nursing homes. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 216 nurses working in 62 nursing homes in South Korea, using self-reported questionnaires and data from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the effects of nurse staffing levels, work environment, and nursing education levels on the adverse events experienced by residents. An increase of one resident per nurse was significantly associated with a higher incidence of medication error, pressure ulcers and urinary tract infections. A poor work environment increased the incidence of adverse events. Compared to nurses with a bachelor’s degree or higher, those with diplomas reported increased incidence rates of pressure ulcers. Improving the health outcomes of residents in nursing homes requires efforts that strengthen the nursing workforce in terms of numbers and educational level, and which improve their work environment at institutional and policy levels.