Cutting Proportion of RNs on Care Teams Tied to Worse Outcomes
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Aug. 29, 2024 -- Reducing the proportion of registered nurses (RNs) in hospitals, even when total nursing personnel hours are kept the same, is likely to result in significantly worse outcomes, according to a study published in the July issue of Medical Care.
Karen B. Lasater, Ph.D., R.N., from the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues evaluated whether reducing the proportion of RNs to total nursing staff in hospitals is in the best interest of patients, hospitals, and payers. The analysis included data from 6.6 million Medicare patients seen in 2,676 general acute care U.S. hospitals in 2019.
The researchers found that a 10 percentage-point reduction in RNs was associated with 7 percent higher odds of in-hospital death, 1 percent higher odds of readmission, a 2 percent increase in expected days, and lower patient satisfaction. An estimated 10,947 avoidable deaths annually and 5,207 avoidable readmissions would result from a 10 percentage-point reduction in RNs, translating to roughly $68.5 million in additional Medicare costs. Furthermore, because of patients requiring longer stays, hospitals would forgo nearly $3 billion in cost savings annually.
"Estimates represent only a 10 percentage-point dilution in skill mix; however, the team nursing model includes much larger reductions of 40 to 50 percentage-points -- the human and economic consequences of which could be substantial," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
Many Heart Failure Patients Do Not See a Cardiologist Annually
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- About 40 percent of patients with heart failure diagnosis do not see a cardiologist annually, according to a study published online May 18 in the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.