Better nurse staffing is associated with survival for Black patients and diminishes racial disparities in survival after in-hospital cardiac arrests.
Brooks Carthon M, Brom H, McHugh MD, et al. Better nurse staffing is associated with survival for black patients and diminishes racial disparities in survival after in-hospital cardiac arrests. Med Care. 2021;59(2):169-176. doi:10.1097/mlr.0000000000001464.
Prior research has shown that lower nurse-to-patient ratios are associated with increased patient mortality. This cross-sectional analysis using multiple data sources from four states assessed the relationship between nurse staffing and survival disparities after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Results indicate that disparities in survival between Black and white patients may be linked to medical-surgical nurse staffing levels, and that the benefit of being treated at a hospital with higher staffing ratios may be especially pronounced for Black patients.