Electronic medical records, nurse staffing, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes: evidence from California hospitals, 1998-2007.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate the effects of electronic medical records (EMR) implementation on medical-surgical acute unit costs, length of stay, nurse staffing levels, nursing skill mix, nurse cost per hour, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes.

Data sources

Data on EMR implementation came from the 1998-2007 HIMSS Analytics Databases. Data on nurse staffing and patient outcomes came from the 1998-2007 Annual Financial Disclosure Reports and Patient Discharge Databases of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

Methods

Longitudinal analysis of an unbalanced panel of 326 short-term, general acute care hospitals in California. Marginal effects estimated using fixed effects (within-hospital) OLS regression.

Principal findings

EMR imple

SUBMITTER: Furukawa MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2910563 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature