The association between nurse staffing and quality of care in emergency departments: a systematic review.

Jonathan Drennan; Ashling Murphy; Vera J.C McCarthy; Jane E. Ball; Christine Duffield; Robert Crouch; Gearoid Kelly; Croia Loughnane; Aileen Murphy; Josephine Hegarty; Noeleen Brady; Anne Scott; Peter Griffiths

Review

The association between nurse staffing and quality of care in emergency departments: a systematic review.

March 20, 2024

Drennan J, Murphy A, McCarthy VJC, et al. Int J Nurs Stud. 2024;153:104706.

View more articles from the same authors.

Higher levels of nurse staffing in many clinical settings are associated with improved patient outcomes. Sixteen studies on the effects of nurse staffing in emergency departments (EDs) were identified for this review. Several, but not all, of the studies found that lower nurse staffing was associated with longer wait times, longer time to medications and treatment, and increased risk of cardiac arrest in the ED. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate nurse staffing in emergency departments.

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