There is a need for further studies of RN education
examining nursing-sensitive patient outcomes
while controlling for other factors known to affect
outcomes, such as nurse staffing and hospital and
patient characteristics.19,20 This project examined the
relationships of RN education with nurse-sensitive
outcomes while simultaneously considering other
hospital characteristics and nurse staffing levels. The
hypothesis was that controlling for hospital characteristics
(eg, Medicare case mix index, technology, safetynet
status, patient risk factors, and nurse staffing),
hospitals with higher proportions of RNs with baccalaureate
degrees (BS) will have better patient outcomes.
The hypothesis was tested once with nurse
staffing on general adult units and once with staffing
on adult intensive care units (ICUs).