(Press-News.org) A new paper in the British Journal of Surgery, published by Oxford University Press, shows that nursing shortages result in longer hospital stays and worse patient outcomes, including higher mortality.
Doctors perform over 300 million surgeries each year worldwide. Observers have expressed concern about the quality of care for adult patients undergoing surgery and the rising cost of avoidable complications, extended hospitalizations, and readmissions. Some 55% of surgical site infections are preventable.
Until now safety interventions to address this have focused mostly on implementing checklists, staff training and improving teamwork. But staff shortages alone may be an important reason for infections and other adverse outcomes after surgery. Nurses play an important role in keeping surgical patients safe and healthy. Understaffing by both registered nurses and nurse assistants is associated with increased risks of a range of adverse events.
One recent review of 44 studies found that higher nurse staffing levels were associated with lower 30-day mortality among surgical patients. However, most studies have focused on staffing at the hospital level, rather than in actual surgical wards. In this new paper researchers from the University of Southampton, using surgical patient and staffing data from 213,910 hospital admissions from four medical institutions in the English National Health Service, explored outcomes between April 2015 and February 2020.
In situations where staffing levels were below the mean for the ward, researchers found that such understaffing increases the relative risk of readmission by 2.3% for nursing shortages (and by 1.4% for nursing assistant shortages). The study indicated that nursing shortages were associated with 4.8% increases in deep vein thrombosis, 5.7% increases in pneumonia, and 6.4% increases in pressure ulcers.
The relative risk of mortality increased by 9.2% with each day of low registered nurse staffing and by 10.3% for each day of low nursing assistant staffing.
“The safety of patients undergoing surgery is paramount and there is rightly a considerable emphasis on appropriate systems, policies, and procedures,” said the paper’s lead author, Paul Meredith. “This research is a timely reminder that workload is also a major driver of risk and that risks to surgical patients persist beyond the immediate operative period. Adequate nurse staffing on wards is vital to ensure the safety of patients undergoing and recovering from surgery.”
The paper, “Associations between outcomes for surgical admissions and nurse staffing – a longitudinal study using routine data from English Acute Hospitals,” is available (on September 24th ) at https://academic.oup.com/bjs/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/bjs/znae215.
Direct correspondence to:
Paul Meredith
Senior Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences
University of Southampton,
Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UNITED KINGDOM
p.f.meredith@soton.ac.uk
To request a copy of the study, please contact:
Daniel Luzer
daniel.luzer@oup.com
END
Nursing shortages can be deadly
2024-09-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
60-second heartbeat recordings offer window into autonomic health after severe brain trauma
2024-09-24
For the over 1 million Americans who survive severe traumatic brain injuries each year, the road to recovery is often long and challenging. Disruption of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate, is a common yet poorly understood consequence of TBI. While heart rate variability (HRV) is a widely used measure of autonomic function, the standard 5-minute recording can be cumbersome for patients with cognitive and physical impairments.
Now, a team led by researchers at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina has found ...
Psychedelic drug psilocybin changes brain connectivity to treat body dysmorphic disorder
2024-09-24
New York, NY - Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating mental illness characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws in one's physical appearance. Patients with BDD often have distorted self-image, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors that significantly impair daily functioning and quality of life. Current therapies have limited efficacy, leaving many sufferers without relief.
A new study led by researchers at Columbia University and published in Psychedelics (Genomic Press, New York, USA) provides hope by revealing how the psychedelic drug ...
Google trends reveals surge in ADHD medication searches during COVID-19 pandemic
2024-09-24
In a groundbreaking study published in Brain Medicine (Genomic Press), UCI researchers have uncovered a striking correlation between internet searches for ADHD medications and actual prescription rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding opens up new possibilities for using online search data to predict and prevent prescription drug shortages.
The study, led by Dr. Steven Grieco from the University of California, Irvine, analyzed Google Trends data spanning 20 years, with a particular focus on the period following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020. The researchers found a significant surge in searches for ADHD medications during ...
Multiple sclerosis symptoms at onset linked to long-term disability
2024-09-24
In a significant advance for multiple sclerosis (MS) research, a new study has uncovered a potential link between certain initial symptoms and long-term disability outcomes. The research, published in the latest issue of Brain Medicine (Genomic Press, New York), could have far-reaching implications for early intervention strategies and treatment decisions in MS care.
Led by Dr. João Pedro F. Gonçalves from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, the study analyzed data from 195 MS patients, focusing ...
New catalyst developed for sustainable propylene production from biomass
2024-09-24
Achieving carbon neutrality requires the effective use of renewable biomass. In the production of biodiesel, for instance, glycerol is generated as a major byproduct. Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a new catalyst that efficiently converts a derivative of glycerol into bio-based propylene, contributing to sustainable chemical production.
Propylene is typically produced from petroleum and is widely used in the manufacture of plastics, such as automobile bumpers and food containers. The research team, led by Associate Professor Shin Takemoto and Professor Hiroyuki Matsuzaka from the Graduate School of Science, developed a catalyst that ...
Nearly 200 potential mammary carcinogens found in food contact materials: new study highlights regulatory shortcomings
2024-09-24
About this study: Research identifies nearly 200 potential breast carcinogens in food contact materials, including plastics and paper, highlighting widespread exposure despite existing regulation. The findings underscore an urgent need for stronger preventative measures to reduce these chemicals in everyday products.
Researchers from the Food Packaging Forum identify and discuss nearly 200 potential breast carcinogens that have been detected in food contact materials (FCMs) on the market. ...
Mechanism behind autophagy trigger unveiled
2024-09-24
Osaka, Japan – An international research team led by Osaka University has identified a new mechanism crucial for the initiation of autophagy, a self-degradation process cells use to eliminate unneeded or damaged components. In recent years, autophagy has also been recognized for its roles in aging and lifespan regulation.
During autophagy, intracellular molecules and structures are sequestered within a membrane-bound structure known as an autophagosome, which is subsequently degraded in lysosomes. It is well-established that the formation of autophagosomes ...
Study: Good nutrition boosts honey bee resilience against pesticides, viruses
2024-09-24
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tackled a thorny problem: How do nutritional stress, viral infections and exposure to pesticides together influence honey bee survival? By looking at all three stressors together, the scientists found that good nutrition enhances honey bee resilience against the other threats.
Their findings are detailed in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
“Multiple stressors are often bad for survival,” said graduate student Edward Hsieh, who led the research ...
New battery cathode material could revolutionize EV market and energy storage
2024-09-24
A multi-institutional research team led by Georgia Tech’s Hailong Chen has developed a new, low-cost cathode that could radically improve lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) — potentially transforming the electric vehicle (EV) market and large-scale energy storage systems.
“For a long time, people have been looking for a lower-cost, more sustainable alternative to existing cathode materials. I think we’ve got one,” said Chen, an associate professor with appointments in the ...
Inexpensive drug can prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies
2024-09-24
Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulphate infusion (or ‘drip’) can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent Cochrane review has confirmed. The drug itself costs approximately £5 (~$6.50) per dose in England, and requires hospital admission with experienced staff to administer the drug safely to the mother. A new editorial calls for this intervention to be implemented more widely and equitably, as it is still not consistently available worldwide.
The first Cochrane review showing that magnesium sulphate protects premature babies against cerebral palsy was published in 2009, and the recent update includes newer trials which further ...