Improved nurse staffing ratios and nursing skill mix have been linked to improved safety outcomes. This retrospective cohort study of over 13,000 patients admitted to a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU) in Australia between 2016 and 2020 found that a great concentration of critical care registered nurses (CCRNs) was associated with a lower risk of adverse events.

Staffing and nursing time at the bedside play a role in missed nursing care. This study focused on the role of COVID-19 on staffing and nursing time at the bedside and, therefore, on missed nursing care in labor and delivery units. During a peak of the pandemic, this study of obstetrics nurses found perceptions of nursing time at the bedside and adequate staffing played a significant role in missed nursing care.

Cesarean delivery can lead to increased maternal morbidity and mortality. In this repeated cross-sectional study, physicians, nurses, and midwives were surveyed about their attitudes towards elective induction of labor before and after results were published from a large, randomized trial (Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management, or ARRIVE) supporting elective inductions at 39 weeks to reduce the likelihood of a cesarean. Findings indicate that physician attitudes about induction shifted in favor of induction after ARRIVE, whereas nurse attitudes did not change. Qualitative analyses revealed four themes regarding attitudes towards induction- the importance of timing, identifying who should receive inductions, the need for clear protocols and more staff, and improvements to the induction of labor processes. 

Family involvement in care can have mixed results for patient safety. Interviews with nurses show seven ways families can hinder safety and ten ways they improve safety. The risk of infection was the greatest safety threat and being a unique source of information helped increase patient safety. Interestingly, "greater workload for nurses" was identified as a facilitator of patient safety, potentially, as it lowered the stress experienced by the nurse and increased family satisfaction and positive involvement.

Poor nurse staffing has long been recognized as a patient safety issue. This analysis of three UK National Health Service hospitals examined the differences in in-hospital deaths among different nursing team sizes and compositions. Researchers identified higher inpatient mortality with higher nurse staffing and seniority levels (i.e., more registered nurses [RNs]) but no changes in mortality related to health care support workers (HCSW). Authors surmised that HCSWs may not be a substitute for RNs.

Promoting a culture of safety has been identified as an intervention to improve patient safety in long term care. In this study, focus groups with nursing, social work, and support staff were conducted to determine how the safety culture could be improved in four long term care facilities in Indonesia. Proposed interventions include new hire orientation, training, improvement in facility design, and increased security staff.

Missed nursing care is a key indicator of patient safety and has been linked to safety climate. Survey responses from 3,429 labor and delivery nurses from 253 hospitals across the United States found an average of 11 of 25 aspects of essential nursing care were occasionally, frequently, or always missed. Higher perceived safety climate was associated with less missed care. The authors discuss the importance of strategies to reduce missed care, such as adequate nurse staffing, ensuring nonpunitive responses to errors, and promoting open communication.

Fatigue is a known contributor to adverse events and near misses. Researchers summarized 38 studies on the impact of fatigue on nurses’ medication administration errors (MAE) or near misses. Thirty-one studies reported that long hours, shift work, overtime, and/or poor sleep quality contributed to MAE and near miss, but results and methods of measuring fatigue were inconsistent.

Operational failures – breakdowns in care processes, such as distractions or situational constraints – can impact healthcare delivery. This cross-sectional analysis using population-based survey data from 11,709 nurses examined the relationship between operational failures, patient satisfaction, nurse-reported quality and safety, and nurse job outcomes. Findings indicate that operational failures negatively impact patient satisfaction, quality and safety, and contribute to poor nurse job outcomes, such as burnout.  

The COVID-19 pandemic had wide-ranging impacts on care delivery and patient safety. This study examined the relationship between critical care clinician experiences related to patient safety during the pandemic and COVID-19 caseloads during the pandemic. Findings suggest that as COVID-19 caseloads increased, clinicians were more likely to perceive care as less safe.

A systematic review in early 2022 revealed healthcare worker strikes may negatively impact patient safety but also result in long-term benefits. This review by the same authors explores the impact of strikes on in-hospital and population mortality. None of the 11 studies examining in-hospital mortality reported a significant difference between mortality during the strike compared to the control period. Similarly, there was no difference in population mortality.

Workarounds can pose significant risks to patient safety. This systematic review including 13 studies found that nursing workarounds most often occurred due to challenges in using the electronic health record (EHR) system or during medication administration.

Despite evidence of associated adverse events, older adults in nursing homes are frequently prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIM). This review sought to identify facility and prescriber characteristics associated with PIM prescribing. Anti-psychotic medications were the focus of more than half of included studies, and were associated with low registered nurse staffing, for-profit facility status, and younger men. No study investigated prescriber characteristics.

Care left undone (also called missed care, unfinished care, and implicitly rationed care) is associated with lower perception of safety culture and increased adverse events. In this study, more than 2,200 pediatric nurses were asked about care tasks left undone in their most recent shift and a variety of environmental factors (e.g., perception of their work environment, risk of burnout). The most frequently omitted task was comfort/talk with patients, and the least frequently omitted task was pain management.

Needed nursing care that is delayed, partially completed, or not completed at all is known as missed nursing care (MNC). Researchers surveyed critical care registered nurses during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic about recent missed nursing care, perceived quality of care, and contributing factors. There were no major changes in the types of, or reasons for, MNC compared to the reference survey completed in fall 2019.

Appropriate staffing levels have been shown to impact patient safety and patient outcomes. This review of literature on healthcare worker strikes explores potential negative impacts, such as compromised patient safety due to decreased staffing levels, and justifications, such as long-term benefits.