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Safe Nurse Staffing Standards in Hospitals Saves Lives and Lowers Costs

Philadelphia and Santiago –A new study published in The Lancet Global Health showed that establishing safe nurse staffing standards in hospitals in Chile could save lives, prevent readmissions, shorten hospital stays, and reduce costs.

The study, by the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and the Universidad de los Andes – Chile School of Nursing, found very large variations in patient to nurse staffing across 40 hospitals located throughout Chile. Nurse staffing was significantly better in private compared to public hospitals. Differences in nurse staffing across public hospitals were found to be associated with avoidable deaths and higher than necessary costs,  “Nursing has been overlooked in Chile as a solution to healthcare quality and access problems; this study shows investments in improving hospital nurse staffing would result in higher quality of care and greater productivity which could improve access to public hospitals,”  said lead-author Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

The researchers collected extensive data from 1652 nurses practicing in 40 Chilean complex general acute hospitals and analyzed outcomes for more than 761,948 patients. They found that:

“The findings from this study suggest that Chile has the resources and the means to improve nurse staffing in public hospitals to enhance access to high quality hospital care in the country,” said Marta Simonetti, PhD, RN, the lead researcher at Universidad de los Andes – Chile,

The state of Queensland in Australia recently successfully implemented safe hospital nurse staffing standards that research shows saved lives and money and which could serve as a model for consideration in Chile. 

The study was carried out by the Universidad de los Andes – Chile School of Nursing and Clínica Universidad de los Andes in partnership with the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the Population Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Spanish translation: https://www.uandes.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LGH-press-release-spanish-.pdf 

About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading schools of nursing. For the sixth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University and is consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools. Penn Nursing is ranked # 1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & Instagram.  

About the Universidad de los Andes – Chile School of Nursing and Clínica Universidad de los Andes.

The Universidad de los Andes School of Nursing has been ranked among the top five nursing schools in Chile. It is the first private nursing school to achieve national accreditation for the longest possible period. For almost 30 years, it has been preparing highly qualified nurses to meet the care needs of the population. Clínica Universidad de los Andes is the university teaching hospital. In its short history, of only seven years, it has rapidly gained reputation for its quality and safety standards and its patient-centered model of care.

Follow the Universidad de los Andres School of Nursing on: Facebook & Instagram.

Follow Clínica Universidad de los Andes on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram.