Sources of Nurse‐Sensitive In‐Patient Safety Improvement

What is it about?

Hospital nursing staff are best placed to detect complications and problems in patient care. On-site training of nurses and a greater number of nurses devoted to patient care both could improve patient safety. We assess the relationship of hospital expenditure on nurse education and staffing levels on nurse-sensitive, patient-safety. We find tradeoffs between funding continuing education and training of existing staff and expanding staff to achieve patient safety objectives.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

• This study mitigates potential endogeneity in the measurement of (1) nurse continuing education and (2) staffing on inpatient safety. • We quantify the relationship between hospital expenditures on nurse training/continuing education and staffing levels on the rates of pressure ulcer, catheter-related blood stream infection, and deep vein thrombosis. • This study points to potential tradeoffs between strategies (enhancing on-site education or increased staffing) to enhance patient safety.