Relationship between the number of nurses on staff and the outcomes of nurse-sensitive patients in acute specialized units: A systematic review

Zahra Ali Hameed Qurish 1, *, Alia Saeed ALsadeq 2, Hakimah Khalil Almohander 2, Montaha Neama Ali AL Dawoud 3, Fatimah Abdullah Abu Abdullah 4, Shorouq Jaafar Alrasheed 5, Khalid Sameer Alotaibi 6, Mariam Khalid Alsanad 7, Meteb Majed Alotaiby 8 and Mohammad Hassan Al Khalifa 9

1 Nursing Shift Coordinator, Nursing Service Department, King Abdulaziz Hospital National Guard, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. 
2 Staff Nurse 1 OPD, Nursing Departement, Imam Abdulrahman bin faisal Hospital, NGHA, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
3 Staff Nurse 1, Dialysis unit, Nursing Department, King Abdulaziz National Guard Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
4 Staff nurse, Emergency Room, Nursing Department, Imam Abdulrahman bin faisal Hospital, NGHA, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
5 Staff nurse1-PICU/ICU, Nursing Department, Imam Abdulrahman bin faisal Hospital, NGHA, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
6 Disaster management Specialist, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Department, King Abdulaziz National Guard Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
7 Staff Nurse 1-outpatient, Nursing Department, Imam Abdulrahman bin faisal Hospital, NGHA, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
8 Assistant consultant pediatric emergency, Emergency department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Hospital, NGHA, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
9 Physical Therapist, Physiotherapy department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Hospital, National Guard, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
 
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 23(03), 2671–2676
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.23.3.2931
 
Publication history: 
Received on 14 August 2024; revised on 23 September 2024; accepted on 25 September 2024
 
Abstract: 
Background: The relationship between hospital acquired infections, patient outcomes, adverse events and death, and nursing workloads has been shown in several research. In order to examine the relationship between patient outcomes and the number of nurses on an acute specialty unit, we conducted this systematic review.
Method: To enhance the quality of the systematic review, we followed the PRISMA declaration. We searched electronic sources; Pubmed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL to find research publications that looked into the relationship between patient outcomes and the number of nurses on acute specialty units. The search was limited to the English language and published between 2014 and 2023.
Result: Six cross-sectional studies were considered in this systematic review. The majority of the research focused on two outcomes: morality and length of ICU hospitalization. Two studies do not include the typical NPR definition. One comprised 69 ICUs, found that a lower bed-to-nurse ratio and a daily plan of care review were both associated with a lower yearly ICU mortality. Instead than focusing on ICU personnel, improving communication is a low-cost, process-specific intervention strategy that may improve clinical outcomes in patients receiving ICU care.
Conclusion: A negative association was seen in the majority of the included studies between hospital mortality, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and a rise of nurses in relation to the number of hospital beds or admitted patients.
 
Keywords: 
Nurses Staff; Patients Outcomes; Intensive Care Unit; Nurse to Patients’ Ratio
 
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