The Impact of a Planned Change to Nurse Staffing Levels in Emergency Departments: A Pre-Test, Post-Test Design

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 NURSING Journal of Advanced Nursing Pub Date : 2025-02-24 DOI:10.1111/jan.16845

Vera J. C. Mc Carthy, Noeleen Brady, Ashling Murphy, Aileen Murphy, Jane Ball, Robert Crouch, Christine Duffield, Peter Griffiths, Anne Scott, Jonathan Drennan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

To examine burnout levels, nurse perceptions of the work environment, job satisfaction, intention to stay and quality of care for nurses working in emergency departments before and following a planned change to nurse staffing levels.

Design

A pre-post observational design.

Methods

A systematic approach (Nursing Hours per Patient Presentation) was introduced to determine nurse staffing levels based on patient presentations resulting in adjustments to nurse staffing. Data on burnout, the work environment, intention to stay, job satisfaction and quality of care were collected from three emergency departments prior to and following the adjustments to nurse staffing.

Results

An adjustment to nurse staffing levels was made to all three emergency departments. Mean emotional exhaustion scores were significantly lower, and quality of work environment scores and levels of job satisfaction were significantly higher for nurses following staffing adjustments. There was an increase to the proportion of nurses who perceived an improvement in quality of care delivered. In general, the results indicated improvements in outcomes following adjustments to nurse staffing levels.

Conclusion

A more holistic organisational approach is required to address staffing in emergency departments. Initiatives that involve frontline nurses in resource planning facilitating a bottom-up approach to allow for improved work environments would be beneficial.

Impact

This study addressed a planned change to nurse staffing levels in emergency departments and staff outcomes pre and post changes to staffing levels.

This study highlighted that staffing an emergency department, based on nursing hours per patient presentation, was associated with improvements in staff outcomes.

The research will impact on nurses working in emergency departments as outcomes from this research were used to develop a Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in Emergency Care Settings.

Reporting Method

STROBE and SQUIRE checklist.

Patient or Public Contribution

No Patient or Public Contribution.

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来源期刊

Journal of Advanced Nursing 医学-护理

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

7.90%

发文量

369

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) contributes to the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery and healthcare by disseminating high quality research and scholarship of contemporary relevance and with potential to advance knowledge for practice, education, management or policy. All JAN papers are required to have a sound scientific, evidential, theoretical or philosophical base and to be critical, questioning and scholarly in approach. As an international journal, JAN promotes diversity of research and scholarship in terms of culture, paradigm and healthcare context. For JAN’s worldwide readership, authors are expected to make clear the wider international relevance of their work and to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural considerations and differences.