Matthew D. McHugh

Nurse outcomes in Magnet® and non-magnet hospitals.

The important goals of Magnet® hospitals are to create supportive professional nursing care environments. A recently published paper found little difference in work environments between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine whether work environments, staffing, and nurse outcomes differ between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. A secondary analysis of data from a 4-state survey of 26,276 nurses in 567 acute care hospitals to evaluate differences in work environments and nurse outcomes in Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals was conducted. Magnet hospitals had significantly better work environments (t = −5.29, P < .001) and more highly educated nurses (t = −2.27, P < .001). Magnet hospital nurses were 18% less likely to be dissatisfied with their job (P < .05) and 13% less likely to report high burnout (P < .05). Magnet hospitals have significantly better work environments than non-Magnet hospitals. The better work environments of Magnet hospitals are associated with lower levels of nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout.

Lower mortality in magnet hospitals.

Background:Although there is evidence that hospitals recognized for nursing excellence—Magnet hospitals—are successful in attracting and retaining nurses, it is uncertain whether Magnet recognition is associated with better patient outcomes than non-Magnets, and if so why. Objectives:To determine whether Magnet hospitals have lower risk-adjusted mortality and failure-to-rescue compared with non-Magnet hospitals, and to determine the most likely explanations. Method and Study Design:Analysis of linked patient, nurse, and hospital data on 56 Magnet and 508 non-Magnet hospitals. Logistic regression models were used to estimate differences in the odds of mortality and failure-to-rescue for surgical patients treated in Magnet versus non-Magnet hospitals, and to determine the extent to which differences in outcomes can be explained by nursing after accounting for patient and hospital differences. Results:Magnet hospitals had significantly better work environments and higher proportions of nurses with bachelor’s degrees and specialty certification. These nursing factors explained much of the Magnet hospital effect on patient outcomes. However, patients treated in Magnet hospitals had 14% lower odds of mortality (odds ratio 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.98; P=0.02) and 12% lower odds of failure-to-rescue (odds ratio 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.77–1.01; P=0.07) while controlling for nursing factors as well as hospital and patient differences. Conclusions:The lower mortality we find in Magnet hospitals is largely attributable to measured nursing characteristics but there is a mortality advantage above and beyond what we could measure. Magnet recognition identifies existing quality and stimulates further positive organizational behavior that improves patient outcomes.

Hospital nursing and 30-day readmissions among Medicare patients with heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia.

Background:Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that increase hospitals’ financial accountability for preventable readmissions have heightened interest in identifying system-level interventions to reduce readmissions. Objectives:To determine the relationship between hospital nursing; that is, nurse work environment, nurse staffing levels, and nurse education, and 30-day readmissions among Medicare patients with heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia. Method and Design:Analysis of linked data from California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that included information on the organization of hospital nursing (ie, work environment, patient-to-nurse ratios, and proportion of nurses holding a BSN degree) from a survey of nurses, as well as patient discharge data, and American Hospital Association Annual Survey data. Robust logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between nursing factors and 30-day readmission. Results:Nearly 1 quarter of heart failure index admissions [23.3% (n=39,954)], 19.1% (n=12,131) of myocardial infarction admissions, and 17.8% (n=25,169) of pneumonia admissions were readmitted within 30 days. Each additional patient per nurse in the average nurse’s workload was associated with a 7% higher odds of readmission for heart failure [odds ratio (OR)=1.07; confidence interval CI, 1.05–1.09], 6% for pneumonia patients (OR=1.06; CI, 1.03–1.09), and 9% for myocardial infarction patients (OR=1.09; CI, 1.05–1.13). Care in a hospital with a good versus poor work environment was associated with odds of readmission that were 7% lower for heart failure (OR=0.93; CI, 0.89–0.97), 6% lower for myocardial infarction (OR=0.94; CI, 0.88–0.98), and 10% lower for pneumonia (OR=0.90; CI, 0.85–0.96) patients. Conclusions:Improving nurses’ work environments and staffing may be effective interventions for preventing readmissions.

Understanding clinical expertise: Nurse education, experience, and the hospital context

Clinical nursing expertise is central to quality patient care. Research on factors that contribute to expertise has focused largely on individual nurse characteristics to the exclusion of contextual factors. To address this, we examined effects of hospital contextual factors and individual nurse education and experience on clinical nursing expertise in a cross-sectional analysis of data from 8,611 registered nurses. In a generalized ordered logistic regression analysis, the composition of the hospital staff, particularly the proportion of nurses with at least a bachelor of science in nursing degree, was associated with significantly greater odds of a nurse reporting a more advanced expertise level. Our findings suggest that, controlling for individual characteristics, the hospital context significantly influences clinical nursing expertise.

Nursing skill mix in European hospitals: cross-sectional study of the association with mortality, patient ratings, and quality of care

Objectives To determine the association of hospital nursing skill mix with patient mortality, patient ratings of their care and indicators of quality of care. Design Cross-sectional patient discharge data, hospital characteristics and nurse and patient survey data were merged and analysed using generalised estimating equations (GEE) and logistic regression models. Setting Adult acute care hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland. Participants Survey data were collected from 13 077 nurses in 243 hospitals, and 18 828 patients in 182 of the same hospitals in the six countries. Discharge data were obtained for 275 519 surgical patients in 188 of these hospitals. Main outcome measures Patient mortality, patient ratings of care, care quality, patient safety, adverse events and nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction. Results Richer nurse skill mix (eg, every 10-point increase in the percentage of professional nurses among all nursing personnel) was associated with lower odds of mortality (OR=0.89), lower odds of low hospital ratings from patients (OR=0.90) and lower odds of reports of poor quality (OR=0.89), poor safety grades (OR=0.85) and other poor outcomes (0.80<OR<0.93), after adjusting for patient and hospital factors. Each 10 percentage point reduction in the proportion of professional nurses is associated with an 11% increase in the odds of death. In our hospital sample, there were an average of six caregivers for every 25 patients, four of whom were professional nurses. Substituting one nurse assistant for a professional nurse for every 25 patients is associated with a 21% increase in the odds of dying. Conclusions A bedside care workforce with a greater proportion of professional nurses is associated with better outcomes for patients and nurses. Reducing nursing skill mix by adding nursing associates and other categories of assistive nursing personnel without professional nurse qualifications may contribute to preventable deaths, erode quality and safety of hospital care and contribute to hospital nurse shortages.

Impact of critical care nursing on 30-day mortality of mechanically ventilated older adults.

Objectives:The mortality rate for mechanically ventilated older adults in ICUs is high. A robust research literature shows a significant association between nurse staffing, nurses’ education, and the quality of nurse work environments and mortality following common surgical procedures. A distinguishing feature of ICUs is greater investment in nursing care. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which variation in ICU nursing characteristics—staffing, work environment, education, and experience—is associated with mortality, thus potentially illuminating strategies for improving patient outcomes. Design:Multistate, cross-sectional study of hospitals linking nurse survey data from 2006 to 2008 with hospital administrative data and Medicare claims data from the same period. Logistic regression models with robust estimation procedures to account for clustering were used to assess the effect of critical care nursing on 30-day mortality before and after adjusting for patient, hospital, and physician characteristics. Setting:Three hundred and three adult acute care hospitals in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Patients:The patient sample included 55,159 older adults on mechanical ventilation admitted to a study hospital. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Patients in critical care units with better nurse work environments experienced 11% lower odds of 30-day mortality than those in worse nurse work environments. Additionally, each 10% point increase in the proportion of ICU nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing was associated with a 2% reduction in the odds of 30-day mortality, which implies that the odds on patient deaths in hospitals with 75% nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing would be 10% lower than in hospitals with 25% nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Critical care nurse staffing did not vary substantially across hospitals. Staffing and nurse experience were not associated with mortality after accounting for these other nurse characteristics. Conclusions:Patients in hospitals with better critical care nurse work environments and higher proportions of critical care nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing experienced significantly lower odds of death.

Understanding the Role of the Professional Practice Environment on Quality of Care in Magnet® and Non-Magnet Hospitals

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between Magnet Recognition® and nurse-reported quality of care. BACKGROUND: Magnet® hospitals are recognized for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes; however, few studies have explored contributing factors for these superior outcomes. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of linked nurse survey data, hospital administrative data, and a listing of American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet hospitals. Multivariate regressions were modeled before and after propensity score matching to assess the relationship between Magnet status and quality of care. A mediation model assessed the indirect effect of the professional practice environment on quality of care. RESULTS: Nurse-reported quality of care was significantly associated with Magnet Recognition after matching. The professional practice environment mediates the relationship between Magnet status and quality of care. CONCLUSION: A prominent feature of Magnet hospitals, a professional practice environment that is supportive of nursing, plays a role in explaining why Magnet hospitals have better nurse-reported quality of care.

Organization of Hospital Nursing and 30-day Readmissions in Medicare Patients Undergoing Surgery

Background:Growing scrutiny of readmissions has placed hospitals at the center of readmission prevention. Little is known, however, about hospital nursing—a critical organizational component of hospital service system—in relation to readmissions. Objectives:To determine the relationships between hospital nursing factors—nurse work environment, nurse staffing, and nurse education—and 30-day readmissions among Medicare patients undergoing general, orthopedic, and vascular surgery. Method and Design:We linked Medicare patient discharge data, multistate nurse survey data, and American Hospital Association Annual Survey data. Our sample included 220,914 Medicare surgical patients and 25,082 nurses from 528 hospitals in 4 states (California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). Risk-adjusted robust logistic regressions were used for analyses. Results:The average 30-day readmission rate was 10% in our sample (general surgery: 11%; orthopedic surgery: 8%; vascular surgery: 12%). Readmission rates varied widely across surgical procedures and could be as high as 26% (upper limb and toe amputation for circulatory system disorders). Each additional patient per nurse increased the odds of readmission by 3% (OR=1.03; 95% CI, 1.00–1.05). Patients cared in hospitals with better nurse work environments had lower odds of readmission (OR=0.97; 95% CI, 0.95–0.99). Administrative support to nursing practice (OR=0.96; 95% CI, 0.94–0.99) and nurse-physician relations (OR=0.97; 95% CI, 0.95–0.99) were 2 main attributes of the work environment that were associated with readmissions. Conclusions:Better nurse staffing and work environment were significantly associated with 30-day readmission, and can be considered as system-level interventions to reduce readmissions and associated financial penalties.

Medicare Readmissions Policies and Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: A Cautionary Tale

Beginning in 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services started publicly reporting hospital readmission rates as part of the Hospital Compare website. Hospitals will begin having payments reduced if their readmission rates are higher than expected starting in fiscal year 2013. Value-based purchasing initiatives including public reporting and pay-for-performance incentives have the potential to increase quality of care. There is concern, however, that hospitals providing service to minority communities may be disproportionately penalized as a result of these policies due to higher rates of readmissions among racial and ethnic minority groups. Using 2008 Medicare data, we assess the risk for readmission for minorities and discuss implications for minority-serving institutions.

Better Nurse Staffing and Nurse Work Environments Associated With Increased Survival of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients.

Background:Although nurses are the most likely first responders to witness an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and provide treatment, little research has been undertaken to determine what features of nursing are related to cardiac arrest outcomes. Objectives:To determine the association between nurse staffing, nurse work environments, and IHCA survival. Research Design:Cross-sectional study of data from: (1) the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation database; (2) the University of Pennsylvania Multi-State Nursing Care and and Patient Safety; and (3) the American Hospital Association annual survey. Logistic regression models were used to determine the association of the features of nursing and IHCA survival to discharge after adjusting for hospital and patient characteristics. Subjects:A total of 11,160 adult patients aged 18 and older between 2005 and 2007 in 75 hospitals in 4 states (Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and New Jersey). Results:Each additional patient per nurse on medical-surgical units was associated with a 5% lower likelihood of surviving IHCA to discharge (odds ratio=0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.99). Further, patients cared for in hospitals with poor work environments had a 16% lower likelihood of IHCA survival (odds ratio=0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.71–0.99) than patients cared for in hospitals with better work environments. Conclusions:Better work environments and decreased patient-to-nurse ratios on medical-surgical units are associated with higher odds of patient survival after an IHCA. These results add to a large body of literature suggesting that outcomes are better when nurses have a more reasonable workload and work in good hospital work environments. Improving nurse working conditions holds promise for improving survival following IHCA.