Inpatient Mortality Linked to Nurse Understaffing

A recent article by Cheryl Clark for HealthLeaders Media details a newly published study, "Nurse Staffing and Inpatient Hospital Mortality," in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Hospital inpatient mortality increases by 2 percent for each below 8-hour shift and 4 percent for each high turnover, suggests a report by Jack Needleman, professor of health services at UCLA School of Public Health. The report encourages hospitals to measure and adjust nurse staffing to patient needs.