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Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study

The LancetPublished 26 February 2014Open access
Linda H. Aiken, Douglas M. Sloane, Luk Bruyneel, Koen Van den Heede, Peter Griffiths, Reinhard Busse
Citations2,168
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TL;DR

Differences in patient to nurse ratios and nurses' educational qualifications in nine of the 12 RN4CAST countries with similar patient discharge data were associated with variation in hospital mortality after common surgical procedures, implying an increased emphasis on bachelor's education for nurses could reduce preventable hospital deaths.

Abstract

European Union's Seventh Framework Programme, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, the Norwegian Nurses Organisation and the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Swedish Association of Health Professionals, the regional agreement on medical training and clinical research between Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet, Committee for Health and Caring Sciences and Strategic Research Program in Care Sciences at Karolinska Institutet, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Keywords

MedicineHealth ProfessionsNursing