“We are experiencing an increasing shortage of registered nurses,” said Dr. Barbara A. Mark, Sarah Frances Russell professor of nursing at the UNC School of Nursing. “There has been a lot of attention in the past few years about nursing units being short-staffed and about how staffing affects the quality of patient care.
“Some people believe that there aren’t enough nurses in acute care hospitals to take adequate care of patients. It doesn’t look like the situation is going to improve any time soon and, in fact, is likely to get worse.”
In their study, which is a five-year continuation of a project that began in 1995, Mark and colleagues are trying to understand how nursing staffs are organized in hospitals to help take care of patients and examine other staffing and patient outcomes issues, she said. With nurses in short supply, it’s important to know more about their contributions to patient care quality.
Researchers will concentrate on 160 acute care hospitals and collect a wealth of information on patients’ experiences, including satisfaction with pain management and how nurses help relieve distressing symptoms, she said. They also will examine how registered nurses feel about their jobs, decision-making responsibilities and relationships with physicians, social workers, physical therapists and others involved in patient care.
“In the interest of patient safety and satisfaction, it’s important that we develop a better understanding of what’s happening and what needs to change,” she said. “Fewer people are entering nursing school, and more nurses are reaching retirement age.
Also, baby boomers are starting to get old and will need hospital care in coming years. The nation needs to be ready for them.”
Since the Institute of Medicine issued reports indicating that tens of thousands of important mistakes are made in U.S. hospitals every year, the UNC faculty members also want to learn how nursing staff levels affect such errors, Mark said.
“When we are finished, we hope to have a better idea of how nursing contributes to the quality of health care and patient safety,” she said. “From that, we plan to create interventions hospitals can use to improve the quality of care and patient safety.”
Already, more than 130 U.S. hospitals have agreed to participate in the effort, Mark said. All information from hospitals, patients, nurses and others will remain confidential.
Others participating in the research are Drs. Cheryl Jones, associate professor of nursing; Sharon Eck, clinical director of the UNC Women’s Hospital; and Michael J. Belyea, research associate professor of nursing.
Note: Mark can be reached at (919) 843-6209 or bmark@email.unc.edu
School of Nursing Contact: Sunny Nelson, 966-1412
News Services Contact: David Williamson, 962-8596
By DAVID WILLIAMSON
UNC News Services