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Study
Hospital at night: an organizational design that provides safer care at night.
August 10, 2016
Hamilton-Fairley D, Coakley J, Moss F. BMC Med Edu. 2014;14(Suppl 1):S17.
Reduced hospital staffing at night and on weekends can increase risks. This case study from the United Kingdom describes organizational changes to enhance nighttime care in in two separate hospital settings. The strategies included engaging a nurse practitioner to lead each team, standardizing care escalation and handoff practices, employing specialty teams until 9 PM, and streamlining care teams. These human factors engineering approaches resulted in high provider satisfaction, cost savings, and a reduction in adverse events.
