Quality and cost analysis of nurse staffing, discharge preparation, and postdischarge utilization.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To determine the impact of unit-level nurse staffing on quality of discharge teaching, patient perception of discharge readiness, and postdischarge readmission and emergency department (ED) visits, and cost-benefit of adjustments to unit nurse staffing.

Data sources

Patient questionnaires, electronic medical records, and administrative data for 1,892 medical-surgical patients from 16 nursing units within four acute care hospitals between January and July 2008.

Design

Nested panel data with hospital and unit-level fixed effects and patient and unit-level control variables.

Data collection/extraction

Registered nurse (RN) staffing was recorded monthly in hours-per-patient-day. Patient questionnaires were completed before discharge. Thirty-day readmissi

SUBMITTER: Weiss ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3207188 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature