TY - JOUR
T1 - Nurse Staffing in Acute Care Hospitals, 1990-1996
AU - Kovner, Christine Tassone
AU - Jones, Cheryl Bland
AU - Gergen, Peter J.
PY - 2000/8
Y1 - 2000/8
N2 - Nurse staffing has received a great deal of attention recently as hospitals have restructured care delivery and modified staffing mix and as nurses have expressed quality-of-care concerns. Using data from the American Hospital Association Annual Hospital Survey, a des- cription of the number of nurses working in hospitals between 1990 and 1996 is presented. Overall hospital staffing and registered nurse staffing increased between 1990 and 1996, whereas licensed practical nurse staffing declined by approximately 14% during the period. The authors identify the need for (a) detailed nurse staffing data across all levels of hospital nursing personnel to facilitate nurse staffing analyses, and (b) more reliable and valid measures of patient acuity to determine nurse staffing in relation to current patient needs. Given the current emphasis on evidence-based practice, a strong foundation is needed for decision making related to the allocation and deployment of nursing staff.
AB - Nurse staffing has received a great deal of attention recently as hospitals have restructured care delivery and modified staffing mix and as nurses have expressed quality-of-care concerns. Using data from the American Hospital Association Annual Hospital Survey, a des- cription of the number of nurses working in hospitals between 1990 and 1996 is presented. Overall hospital staffing and registered nurse staffing increased between 1990 and 1996, whereas licensed practical nurse staffing declined by approximately 14% during the period. The authors identify the need for (a) detailed nurse staffing data across all levels of hospital nursing personnel to facilitate nurse staffing analyses, and (b) more reliable and valid measures of patient acuity to determine nurse staffing in relation to current patient needs. Given the current emphasis on evidence-based practice, a strong foundation is needed for decision making related to the allocation and deployment of nursing staff.
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U2 - 10.1177/152715440000100306
DO - 10.1177/152715440000100306
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84993736270
SN - 1527-1544
VL - 1
SP - 194
EP - 204
JO - Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice
JF - Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice
IS - 3
ER -