Scope of Study
The effect of nurse staffing on LOS and cost of care was reported in each study. Results suggest that higher proportions of RNs optimize quality of care, and decrease LOS and cost of care. However, most studies examining the relationship between nurse staffing, cost, and LOS were limited to patients admitted to general wards. Few studies examined ICUs and operating rooms, highly specialized areas of the hospital and widely different then general wards. Therefore, further research is needed to validate results and study a variety of clinical areas.
.