Key result
Lower nurse staffing index is linked to higher 30-day heart failure excess readmission rates.
Why the study?
Heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization and 30-day readmission in US adults older than 65 years, but the relationship between nurse staffing and readmission rates in top cardiology hospitals is not well understood.
Does high nurse staffing reduce 30-day excess readmission ratios in adults with heart failure?
Observational (n=661)
Yes
Does high nurse staffing reduce 30-day excess readmission ratios in adults with heart failure?
p-value: p=.021
Higher nurse staffing levels in cardiology hospitals are significantly associated with lower 30-day excess readmission rates for patients with heart failure.
Supports staffing-readmission link in HF; observational data leave causal effect and practice change open.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between nurse staffing and 30-day excess readmission ratios for patients with heart failure in the top US adult cardiology and heart surgery hospitals. BACKGROUND: Heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization for patients older than 65 years and is the most frequent diagnosis associated with 30-day hospital readmission in the United States. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was conducted using nurse staffing data from 661 cardiology and heart surgery hospitals from the 2013 US News & World Report "Best Hospitals" survey. These data were combined with excess readmission ratios from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare database from 2013. An independent-samples t test was used to compare staffing (low/high) and excess hospital readmissions rates. RESULTS: A significant difference (P = .021) was found between the low nurse staffing group (n = 358) and the high nurse staffing group (n = 303). Hospitals with a lower nurse staffing index had a significantly higher excess readmission rate. CONCLUSION: These data provide further support to the body of research showing a positive relationship between nurse staffing and positive outcomes.
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Giuliano et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Heart failure (n=661). High nurse staffing vs. Low nurse staffing was evaluated on 30-day excess readmission ratios (p=.021). Hospitals with a lower nurse staffing index had a significantly higher 30-day excess readmission rate for heart failure patients compared to those with high nurse staffing (P = .021).
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