Background Data: Limited research has been conducted examining the effect of nurse staffing models on costs and patient outcomes.
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different nurse staffing models on costs and the patient outcomes of patient falls, medication errors, wound infections, and urinary tract infections.
Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in all of the 19 teaching hospitals in Ontario, Canada. The sample comprised hospitals and adult medical, surgical, and obstetric inpatients within those hospitals.
Re
The release of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on the Adequacy of Nurse Staffing in Hospitals and Nursing Homes in 1996 identified a need for empirical evidence regarding the relationship between the quality of patient care, nurse staffing levels, and nursing staff mix. 1 Numerous research reports have emerged since then, the majority of which provide evidence of the link between nurse staffing and patient safety outcomes.