New Study Examines Link Between Nurse Burnout and Care

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (INQRI's home) examined the relationship between nurse-burnout and potential harm to patients. The study, which was published on Monday in the American Journal of Infection Control, utilized 2006 infection data linked with two separate surveys examining hospital work environments and nurse burnout. The research team found that by adding a single patient to a nurse's workload, there was an increase of nearly one infection per 1,000 patient. Additionally, the authors also found that a 10 percent increase in a hospital's proportion of burned-out nurses raised urinary tract infections about the same amount but surgical site infections more than 50 percent, from 4.2 per 1,000 patients to more than six.

To read more about the study, click here.

To read the research article, click here (subscription required).

Pennsylvania's Nursing Homes Are in Crisis

Last week, Jim Hook, senior writer for PublicOpinionOnline.com, discussed in great detail how proposed Medicaid cuts in Pennsylvania will create a financially unsustainable environment for nursing home facilities. The proposed $102 million statewide cut in Medicaid funding would drastically effect the way in which care is delivered both inside and outside of these facilities, potentially resulting in home visits by case coordinators being drastically cut back. Mr. Hook does a fantastic job of covering numerous issues with the latest Medicaid cuts and we strongly encourage you to read the full article.

Click here to read the article.