Higher Quality of Care and Patient Safety Associated With Better NICU Work Environments

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between the NICU work environment, quality of care, safety, and patient outcomes. A secondary analysis was conducted of responses of 1247 NICU staff nurses in 171 hospitals to a large nurse survey. Better work environments were associated with higher odds of nurses reporting poor quality, safety and outcomes. Improving the work environment may be a promising strategy to achieve safer settings for at-risk newborns.

Nursing Care Disparities in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

“…The minimum of three nurses was based on prior research establishing a minimum to achieve reliable measures at the nursing unit level (Lake et al. ). The study size was arrived at by applying the inclusion criteria and was noted to be similar to another study that achieved significant results (Lake et al.…”

Association of nurse work environment and safety climate on patient mortality: A cross-sectional study

“…Hospital administrators, policy makers, and researchers have sought to identify modifiable factors that could decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with adverse events. The nurse work environment has long been established as an important, and modifiable, organizational trait that impacts patient outcomes (Aiken et al, 2011; Carthon et al, 2015; Cho et al, 2014; Clarke et al, 2002; Clarke, 2007; Estabrooks et al, 2005; Friese et al, 2008; Gunnarsdóttir et al, 2009; Kelly et al, 2014; Kirwan et al, 2013; Kutney-Lee et al, 2009; Lake et al, 2016; Lasater and Mchugh, 2016; Ma et al, 2015a, 2015b; Spence Laschinger and Leiter, 2006; Vahey et al, 2004). It is characterized as the set of “organizational characteristics of a work setting that facilitate or constrain professional nursing practice” (Lake, 2002).…”

“…Research documents an association between the nurse work environment and patient mortality (Aiken et al, 2008; Aiken et al, 2011; Cho et al, 2014; Estabrooks et al, 2005; Friese et al, 2008; Kelly et al, 2014; Silber et al, 2016), failure to rescue (Aiken et al, 2008; Friese et al, 2008), readmissions (Carthon et al, 2015; Lasater and McHugh, 2016; Ma et al, 2015a), adverse patient events and complications (Friese et al, 2008; Lake et al, 2016; Spence Laschinger and Leiter, 2006), and nurse-rated quality of care (Aiken et al, 2008; Friese, 2005; Gunnarsdóttir et al, 2009; Lake et al, 2016; Ma et al, 2015b). The nurse work environment is a cornerstone of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet designation and is included as a nurse sensitive measure by the National Quality Forum (NQF).…”

“…Nurses in U.S. and European hospitals with better work environments were half as likely to give their hospitals a poor or failing safety grade (Aiken et al, 2012). Similarly, nurses in neonatal intensive care units with better work environments have lower odds of reporting a fair or poor grade for patient safety (Lake et al, 2016). However, to date there has not been an examination of work environment and safety climate.…”

Correlação entre o tempo de assistência de enfermagem e indicadores de qualidade assistencial em Unidades de Terapia Intensiva

“…Referencial teórico ______________________________________________________________________________________________ índices de absenteísmo, de rotatividade e dos custos com pessoal (Aiken et al, 2002;Aiken et al, 2014;Lake et al, 2016).…”