The Journal of nursing administration
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Multicenter Study
Licensed caregiver characteristics and staffing in California acute care hospital units.
Concerns about declining quality of care and nurse staffing shortages led to legislation mandating minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in the state of California. Although research finds that better registered nurse (RN) staffing results in higher quality of care, little evidence exists on which to base specific nurse-patient ratios. The authors describe the results of a California survey characterizing licensed caregivers, identifying staffing levels by unit type, and describing how staffing levels vary across hospital types. ⋯ As states struggle with an anticipated critical shortage of RNs, these results have several implications for health and education policy. Future studies of this type will be needed to evaluate the impact of anticipated changes in the regulation of nurse staffing.
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A major problem in the operating room is the length of turnaround time between surgical cases. By decreasing this turnaround, staff overtime can be reduced and more cases can be scheduled during the day shift. ⋯ In addition, this can be a great satisfier for surgeons who can increase their daily workload in a more orderly, organized manner. To achieve our goal of decreasing turnaround time in the operating room, the authors review the implementation and outcomes of the application of Six Sigma.