Increased RN Staffing Hours Are Correlated with Higher Quality Patient Care

An INQRI-funded study on the impact of nursing staffing on hospital performance revealed that increasing the number of registered nurse (RN) hours per patient day increased the quality of patient care. The study looked in particular at patients who were being treated for acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia or heart failure.)  For all three conditions, increasing the number of RN hours increased the quality of care. This did not hold true for increasing the number of licensed practical nurse (LPN) or nursing assistant (NA) hours.

The study's authors -- Gestur Davidson, Ira Moscovice and Kathy Belk -- posited that RNs are involved in and directly affect procedures, practices and processes that directly influence patient outcomes. This was the first study into how nurse staffing affects hospital performance on quality metrics used in the Premier Hospital Quality Demonstration project. It is reviewed in a new research brief on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website.