Research into the relationship between staff levels and outcomes in patient care is important in order to ensure that those receiving healthcare are given the most valuable service possible. The effect that staff levels have on patient care is an essential factor in the overall level of success that their treatment will see. In determining the relationship between these two factors, it is important to critically assess the general values that nurses themselves have as well as their patients when receiving care. Furthermore, the level of burnout, or physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that nurses feel due to high workloads or stress levels, should also be considered. Through interpretation of a variety of studies, insight can be gained in relation to the level of impact that nursing levels have on patient care as well as the most effective ways to overcome any associated challenges. In doing so, the level of care that patients receive can be enhanced.
The article “Nursing unit teams matter: Impact of unit-level nurse practice environment, nurse work characteristics, and burnout on nurse reported job outcomes, and quality of care, and patient adverse events—A cross-sectional survey” by Bogaert, et al. discusses the relationship between the nurse practice environment and mitigating factors of care such as nurse burnout and quality of care that is ultimately achieved within this context. In assessing the adverse effects of these factors, a better idea of the relationship between quality of care and the working environment can be developed. The use of a cross-sectional survey design with the study is able to contribute the values expressed by a number of nursing staff in relation to their perceived success in delivering quality care to patients at specific intervals. This is necessary for “growing insights and knowledge about determining factors for nurse workforce stability, quality of care, and patient safety” (Bogaert et al., 2014). This information can be quantified in order to determine the level of care that is being provided and the elements that are preventing this care from being more positive. In looking at the associations between the various factors that were examined and the general level of satisfaction that nurses perceived themselves to have delivered, the identification of specific problems was made more evident. Management practices, social capital, emotional capacity, and the personalization of care were all seen to be effected by these associations. Variations of care within the environment are important to consider due to the impact that this can have on the overall level of health that patients are able to maintain. In improving quality of care as well as the level of interpersonal commitment that nurses bring to their practice, a more motivated workforce can successfully adapt to changing circumstances in order to provide the most effective care possible.
The article “A longitudinal examination of the association between nurse staffing levels, the practice environment and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in hospitals” by Chau, et al. discusses the quality of care that nurses are able to provide in specific circumstances in which their ability to provide for their patients are potentially compromised. This can include situations in which nurses are understaffed and when the practice environment that they are providing care within may be unreliable for the patient's specific needs. Nurse-to-patient ratio is explored and along with the underlying influence that this has on the ability for patients to be served. The level of education that the nurses received as well as the practice environment itself are also important factors related to the capacity of nurses to provide effective care. In assessing the outcomes of patient-care and the implications of nurse-sensitive activities, which the article indicates has not been fully explored, the study is working to definitively examine the relationship between nursing activity and patient care. The authors argue that “vigilant human resource planning and continuously improving the quality of the practice environment for nurses are crucial steps to securing the stable and well-prepared nursing workforce that is essential to sustaining the provision of high-quality healthcare” (Chau et al., 2015). Through multi-method research, the study attempts to examine the responses of Registered Nurses at four public hospitals in providing care. In developing these ideas, the researchers hope to ultimately determine what factors are most important for influencing positive, quality, and timely patient care. This is important because it allows healthcare providers to develop better means to serve the public. In increasing the number of nurses that are working towards patient satisfaction, a higher level of positive care can be achieved. In developing ways to meet the needs of patients their overall level of care can be adjusted for the underlying issues that they are facing.
The study outlined in “The Relationships of Nurse Staffing Level and Work Environment With Patient Adverse Events” by Cho, Kim and Hong attempts to draw parallels between staffing levels and events occurring within the work environment that can be considered adverse to patient care. Mistakes such as giving patients the wrong medicine or dosage, indications that pressure ulcers have formed, and injury due to falling were all examined in order to determine the correlation between these problems and the amount of staffing that was on hand. The number of patients that each nurse is assigned along with the general conditions of the work environment were implicated in the overall level of care that was able to be given. The study found that “larger number of patients per nurse was significantly associated with a greater incidence of administration of the wrong medication or dose pressure ulcer, and patient falls with injury” (Cho et al., 2016). The adverse effects of these mistakes were determined while controlling for variables including the unique characteristics of nurses, their patients, and the hospital environments that they are receiving care within. The study ultimately determined that the more patients a nurse was given the higher the incidence of these mistakes could be shown to have occurred. These issues were only expounded by poor or negative working environments, which were shown to have an inverse relationship with the ability of healthcare providers to adequately care for more patients. This indicates that it is more likely in situations in which nurses are given multiple patients within diminishing environmental standards that patients will be subject to accidental differentiation in their medicines and suffer falls and other injuries. By increasing staff levels and improving the working conditions of the hospitals themselves, these issues can be avoided. In order to improve the overall outcomes of patient's experiences in these institutions, it is necessary to focus on the most effective ways to improve treatment and challenge healthcare providers to mitigate the circumstances by which they make these types of mistakes.
The article “ Nurse Burnout, Nurse-Reported Quality of Care, and Patient Outcomes in Thai Hospitals” by Nantsupawat et al. discusses the effect that nurse burnout has on the deliver of quality care to patients. The authors attempt to discuss any connections that can be associated between nurse burnout and adverse events that may occur during the delivery of their care. Through cross-sectional research on a variety of institutions throughout Thailand, the investigation models the perceived level of quality that nurses had given during their care in association with the level of burnout that they felt at the time. In exploring the relationship between the data and the quality of patient's outcomes when being treated, the exploration presents important insights into the diminishing returns that can be associated with the loss of mental and physical capacity for health care providers. Some issues that may be associated with the loss of mental and physical capacity for health care providers include emotional exhaustion, decreases in personalization of care, a low rate of accomplishment, and other errors associated with the general health and safety of patients. The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between lowered nurse capacity and increasing odds of mistakes that directly affect the level of quality care that they are able to provide. This is a danger due to the evidence, which suggests that “nurse burnout is associated with increased odds of reporting negative patient outcomes” (Nantsupawat et al., 2015). This is an important issues due to the relationship between the standards of hospitals for nursing staff and the level of care that this staff is able to provide. In developing ways to compromise between nurse burnout and patient care, a higher rate of success could be potentially achieved within these circumstances. A variety of factors, including low staffing and difficult working environments can have a large impact on the level of care that nurses are able to provide to their patients.
The literature seems to suggest that there is indeed a strong correlation between staffing levels and the overall level of quality care that patients receive. In assessing the general outcomes of specific forms of care, it is evident that better care can be correlated with both increased staffing levels and a more positive nursing environment. More negative environments and higher nurse-to-patient ratios, on the other hand, can be associated with more mistakes being made in relation to dosages of medication, patient injury, and interpersonal relationships among the caregivers and those they care for.
References
Bogaert, P.V., Timmermans, O., Weeks, S.M., Heusden, D.V., Wouters, K., & Franck, E.
(2014). Nursing unit teams matter: Impact of unit-level nurse practice environment, nurse work characteristics, and burnout on nurse reported job outcomes, and quality of care, and patient adverse events—A cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies Vol. 51. 1123-1134.
Chau, J.P.C., Lo, S.H.S., Choi, K.C., Chan, E.L.S., McHugh, M.D., Tong, D.W.K., Kwok,
A.M.L., Ip, W.Y., Lee, I.F.K., & Lee, D.T.F. (2015). A longitudinal examination of the association between nurse staffing levels, the practice environment and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 15, No. 538. 8.
Cho, E., Chin, D.L., Kim, S., & Hong, O. (2016). The Relationships of Nurse Staffing Level and
Work Environment With Patient Adverse Events. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Vol. 48, No. 1. 74-2.
Nantsupawat, A., Nantsupawat, R., Kunaviktikul, W., Turale, S., & Poghosyan, L. (2015). Nurse
Burnout, Nurse-Reported Quality of Care, and Patient Outcomes in Thai Hospitals. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Vol. 48, No. 1. 83-90.
