Off-Peak Nurse Staffing

In Brief The off-peak work environment is important to understand because the risk for mortality increases for patients at night and on the weekend in hospitals. Because critical-care nurses are on duty in hospitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they are excellent sources of information regarding what happens on a unit during off-peak times. Inadequate nurse staffing on off-peak shifts was described as a major problem by the nurses we interviewed. The study reported here contributes the type of information needed to better understand the organization of nursing units and nurse staffing on outcomes. It is important to understand the off-peak work environment because risks for patients occur more often at night and on weekends when staffing may be lower. This study reports the type of information needed to better understand the organization of nursing units and nurse staffing on patient outcomes.