ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Williams, Alicia D.; Protheroe, Nancy; Parks, Michael C.
Staffing patterns in American public-school systems are presented in this report of the 2000-01 school year. The report addresses the following: why information about staffing ratios is important; how many people currently work in public schools; what proportion of these are teachers, administrators, and support staff; current staffing patterns in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Washington, DC.
Four major topics are addressed in these papers presented at the Hispanic Roundtable meeting: current staffing patterns at community colleges, transferability trends among Hispanic students, employment barriers, and legislative issues. Introductory comments by Maria Barrera are followed by Mary Jane Garza's paper, "Current Staffing Patterns,"…
Staffing Patterns in American Education, 1973.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Greenfield, Phylis O.
This is the report of a survey of the patterns of supply and demand of educational personnel in the United States in 1973. Current trends for the different levels and specializations of educational practices, including pupil personnel services, are tabulated as to current needs (charts are included in the text). There are also comparisons of…
Ku, Leighton; Frogner, Bianca K; Steinmetz, Erika; Pittman, Patricia
2015-01-01
Community health centers are at the forefront of ambulatory care practices in their use of nonphysician clinicians and team-based primary care. We examined medical staffing patterns, the contributions of different types of staff to productivity, and the factors associated with staffing at community health centers across the United States. We identified four different staffing patterns: typical, high advanced-practice staff, high nursing staff, and high other medical staff. Overall, productivity per staff person was similar across the four staffing patterns. We found that physicians make the greatest contributions to productivity, but advanced-practice staff, nurses, and other medical staff also contribute. Patterns of community health center staffing are driven by numerous factors, including the concentration of clinicians in communities, nurse practitioner scope-of-practice laws, and patient characteristics such as insurance status. Our findings suggest that other group medical practices could incorporate more nonphysician staff without sacrificing productivity and thus profitability. However, the new staffing patterns that evolve may be affected by characteristics of the practice location or the types of patients served. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
Staffing by Design: A Methodology for Staffing Reference
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ward, David; Phetteplace, Eric
2012-01-01
The growth in number and kind of online reference services has resulted in both new users consulting library research services as well as new patterns of service use. Staffing in-person and virtual reference services desks adequately requires a systematic analysis of patterns of use across service points in order to successfully meet fluctuating…
Study of School District Administration and Staffing.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.
School district administration and staffing patterns are examined in this report prepared in response to CRS 22-2-118, which requires the Colorado Department of Education to conduct a study to determine where savings of state and local funds may be realized. Section 1 offers an analysis of district staffing patterns from existing data. The second…
Development of Staffing Patterns in Six New Medical Schools Established 1952-1960.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
National Institutes of Health (DHEW), Bethesda, MD. Resources Analysis Branch.
This summary report of staffing patterns in 6 medical schools established between 1952 and 1960 is the first phase of a proposed study of biomedical staffing requirements in institutions of higher education, 1965-1975. The 6 schools are: the University of Miami, Albert Einstein College of medicine at Yeshiva University, the University of Florida,…
Changing Staffing Patterns in Technical Services since the 1970s: A Study in Change.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Andrews, Virgina Lee; Kelley, Carol Marie
1988-01-01
Describes the impact of automation on the responsibilities of both support and professional staff as well as evolutionary role of library assistants at Texas Tech University. Workflows for retrospective conversion of monographs and serials, current processing techniques, and the organization of the processing units are discussed. (Author/CLB)
Broken down by Sex and Age: Australian University Staffing Patterns 1994-2003
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dobson, Ian R.
2006-01-01
This article examines trends in Australian university staffing through an analysis of ten years' staff statistics, 1994-2003. An introduction which considers definitions, methodological issues, and overall changes in patterns of casualisation, sex and the distribution of academic and general ("non-academic") staff categories is followed…
Massey, Lynn; Esain, Ann; Wallis, Marianne
2009-07-01
Managing nurse shortages is a major challenge in Trusts today given the worldwide shortage of nurses. To fill the gap created by a lack of permanent staff UK government agencies have increasingly used bank and agency staff. Managing this type of staffing effectively and efficiently, in the context of shrinking healthcare funds, is a major challenge in providing safe and quality healthcare. To analyse bank and agency nursing staffing patterns and factors that impact on these patterns. Case study within the largest hospital in one Welsh Integrated Healthcare Trust. De-identified bank and agency staffing electronic and manual database records and focus group interview with bank and agency office staff. A predictable bank and agency staffing pattern was found, wherein bank and agency nursing staff were used with increasing frequency towards the end of the week. Demand for bank and agency nursing staff occurred because of: hospital practices that fund a fixed staff establishment for nursing units, while patient numbers and acuity are variable; poor forward planning; sickness, and absence due to professional development or staff training. There is a need for managers to reconsider management and recruitment policies, particularly in relation to using bank and agency staff. The complexity of staffing challenges managers to focus on predictability of workload needs and other factors that affect staffing requirements, such as: professional development, flexible working rosters to match the need and minimize sickness and turnover of staff.
Jessup, Mariell; Albert, Nancy M; Lanfear, David E; Lindenfeld, JoAnn; Massie, Barry M; Walsh, Mary Norine; Zucker, Mark J
2011-05-01
There have been no published recommendations about staffing needs for a heart failure (HF) clinic or an office setting focused on heart transplant. The goal of this survey was to understand the current staffing environment of HF, transplant, and mechanical circulatory support device (MCSD) programs in the United States and abroad. This report identifies current staffing patterns but does not endorse a particular staffing model. An online survey, jointly sponsored by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), American Heart Association (AHA), and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), was sent to the members of all 3 organizations who had identified themselves as interested in HF, heart transplant, or both, between March 12, 2009, and May 12, 2009. The overall response rate to the 1,823 e-mail surveys was 23%. There were 257 unique practices in the United States (81% of total sites) and 58 international sites (19%); approximately 30% of centers were in a cardiovascular group practice and 30% in a medical school hospital setting. The large majority of practices delivered HF care in both an inpatient and outpatient environment, and slightly more centers were implanting MCSDs (47%) than performing cardiac transplantation (39%). Most practices (43%) were small, with <4 staff members, or small- to medium-sized (34%), with 4 to 10 staff members, with only 23% being medium (11-20 staff) or large programs (>20 staff). On average, a U.S. HF practice cared for 1,641 outpatients annually. An average HF program with transplant performed 10 transplants. Although larger programs were able to perform more transplants and see more outpatient HF visits, their clinician staffing volume tended to double for approximately every 500 to 700 additional HF visits annually. The average staffing utilization was 2.65 physician full-time equivalents (FTEs), 2.21 nonphysician practitioner (nurse practitioner or physician assistant) FTEs, and 2.61 nurse coordinator FTEs annually. The HF patient population is growing in number in the United States and internationally, and the clinicians who provide the highly skilled and time-consuming care to this population are under intense scrutiny as a result of focused quality improvement initiatives and reduced financial resources. Staffing guidelines should be developed to ensure that an adequate number of qualified professionals are hired for a given practice volume. These survey results are an initial step in developing such standards. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Medical staffing in Ontario neonatal intensive care units.
Paes, B; Mitchell, A; Hunsberger, M; Blatz, S; Watts, J; Dent, P; Sinclair, J; Southwell, D
1989-06-01
Advances in technology have improved the survival rates of infants of low birth weight. Increasing service commitments together with cutbacks in Canadian training positions have caused concerns about medical staffing in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Ontario. To determine whether an imbalance exists between the supply of medical personnel and the demand for health care services, in July 1985 we surveyed the medical directors, head nurses and staff physicians of nine tertiary level NICUs and the directors of five postgraduate pediatric residency programs. On the basis of current guidelines recommending an ideal neonatologist:patient ratio of 1:6 (assuming an adequate number of support personnel) most of the NICUs were understaffed. Concern about the heavy work pattern and resulting lifestyle implications has made Canadian graduates reluctant to enter this subspecialty. We propose strategies to correct staffing shortages in the context of rapidly increasing workloads resulting from a continuing cutback of pediatric residency positions and restrictions on immigration of foreign trainees.
Quality of Care in the Nursing Home: Effects of Staff Assignment and Work Shift
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burgio, Louis D.; Fisher, Susan E.; Fairchild, J. Kaci; Scilley, Kay; Hardin, J. Michael
2004-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare a variety of resident and staff outcomes across two types of staffing patterns, permanent and rotating assignment, and work shift. Although studies have examined these staffing patterns as part of multicomponent intervention packages, few studies have examined the isolated effects of staffing…
Simpson, Kathleen Rice; Lyndon, Audrey; Wilson, Jane; Ruhl, Catherine
2012-01-01
Objective To solicit input from registered nurse members of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) on critical considerations for review and revision of existing nurse staffing guidelines. Design Thematic analysis of responses to a cross-sectional on-line survey question: “Please give the staffing task force your input on what they should consider in the development of recommendations for staffing of perinatal units.” Participants N = 884 AWHONN members. Main Outcome Measure Descriptions of staffing concerns that should be considered when evaluating and revising existing perinatal nurse staffing guidelines. Results Consistent themes identified included the need for revision of nurse staffing guidelines due to requirements for safe care, increases in patient acuity and complexity, invisibility of the fetus and newborn as separate and distinct patients, difficulties in providing comprehensive care during labor and for mother-baby couplets under current conditions, challenges in staffing small volume units, and the negative effect of inadequate staffing on nurse satisfaction and retention. Conclusion Participants overwhelmingly indicated current nurse staffing guidelines were inadequate to meet the needs of contemporary perinatal clinical practice and required revision based on significant changes that had occurred since 1983 when the original staffing guidelines were published. PMID:22690743
Mohr, Nicholas M; Collier, John; Hassebroek, Elizabeth; Groth, Heather
2014-04-01
This study aimed to characterize intensive care unit (ICU) physician staffing patterns in a predominantly rural state. A prospective telephone survey of ICU nurse managers in all Iowa hospitals with an ICU was conducted. Of 122 Iowa hospitals, 64 ICUs in 58 (48%) hospitals were identified, and 46 (72%) responded to the survey. Most ICUs (96%) used an open admission model and cared for undifferentiated medical and surgical patients (88%), and only 27% of open ICUs required critical care or pulmonary consultation for admitted patients. Most (59%) Iowa ICUs had a critical care physician or pulmonologist available, and high-intensity staffing was practiced in 30% of ICUs. Most physicians identified as practicing critical care (63%) were not board certified in critical care. Critical care physicians were available in a minority of hospitals routinely for inpatient intubation and cardiac arrest management (29% and 10%, respectively), and emergency physicians and other practitioners commonly responded to emergencies throughout the hospital. Many Iowa hospitals have ICUs, and staffing patterns in Iowa ICUs mirror closely national staffing practices. Most ICUs are multispecialty, open ICUs in community hospitals. These factors should inform training and resource allocation for intensivists in rural states. © 2014.
Resource Allocation and Resident Outcomes In Nursing Homes: Comparisons between the Best and Worst1
Anderson, Ruth A.; Hsieh, Pi-Ching; Su, Hui-Fang
2005-01-01
The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of resource allocation that related to resident outcomes in nursing homes. Data on structure, staffing levels, salaries, cost, casemix, and resident outcomes were obtained from state-level, administrative databases on 494 nursing homes. We identified two sets of comparison groups and showed that the group of homes with the greatest percentage of improvement in resident outcomes had higher levels of RN staffing and higher costs. However, comparison groups based on best/worst average outcomes did not differ in resource allocation patterns. Additional analysis demonstrated that when controlling for RN staffing, resident outcomes in high and low cost homes did not differ. The results suggest that, although RN staffing is more expensive, it is key to improving resident outcomes. PMID:9679807
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kramer, Dennis A., II; Lane, Megan; Tanner, Melvin
2017-01-01
Despite the growing call for local autonomy and flexibility, few scholars have examined the role of school district-level flexibility on resource allocation and staffing patterns. Leveraging the charter system law within the State of Georgia, we utilize a generalized difference-in-differences approach to estimate the impact of flexibility of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goodrich, Elizabeth A.
1989-01-01
The study examined impact of office automation on the roles and staffing patterns of office employees at the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. Results of an interview study indicate that automation has had a favorable impact on the way work is accomplished and on the work environment. (Author/CH)
Yu, Soyoung; Kim, Tae Gon
2015-05-01
This study aimed to evaluate registered nurse staffing levels and outcomes enforced by the current Korean nursing regulations. Registered nurse staffing levels are closely related to patient and nurse outcomes. Thus, the government's policy regarding nursing staffing has a practical impact, and better policies could lead to more appropriate nurse staffing. The actual evaluation of the government-recommended staffing levels in Korea is paramount for the establishment of a realistic and effective system that promotes quality care and patient safety. The participating hospital operated under the government-recommended staffing levels (Grade 2 of the Graded Fee of Nursing Management Inpatient System). For unit-level evaluations, one surgical unit was chosen and its staffing level was changed by assigning one additional registered nurse for 6 months. Length of hospitalisation, incidents of death, overtime hours and nursing job performance were measured prior to and after the addition of the extra staff. After 6 months, the length of patient hospitalisation and registered nurse overtime hours reduced and nurse job performance scores in the unit analysed improved. The results demonstrated that increasing the number of registered nurses beyond the current government-recommended staffing level improves patient and nurse outcomes. This indicates the importance and value of empirically assessing the need for changes in the recommended nurse staffing levels to develop appropriate, realistic and effective policies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Improving patient safety by optimizing the use of nursing human resources.
Rochefort, Christian M; Buckeridge, David L; Abrahamowicz, Michal
2015-06-14
Recent ecological studies have suggested that inadequate nurse staffing may contribute to the incidence of adverse events in acute care hospitals. However, longitudinal studies are needed to further examine these associations and to identify the staffing patterns that are of greatest risk. The aims of this study are to determine if (a) nurse staffing levels are associated with an increased risk of adverse events, (b) the risk of adverse events in relationship to nurse staffing levels is modified by the complexity of patient requirements, and (c) optimal nurse staffing levels can be established. A dynamic cohort of all adult medical, surgical, and intensive care unit patients admitted between 2010 and 2015 to a Canadian academic health center will be followed during the inpatient and 7-day post-discharge period to assess the occurrence and frequency of adverse events in relationship to antecedent nurse staffing levels. Four potentially preventable adverse events will be measured: (a) hospital-acquired pneumonia, (b) ventilator-associated pneumonia, (c) venous thromboembolism, and (d) in-hospital fall. These events were selected for their high incidence, morbidity and mortality rates, and because they are hypothesized to be related to nurse staffing levels. Adverse events will be ascertained from electronic health record data using validated automated detection algorithms. Patient exposure to nurse staffing will be measured on every shift of the hospitalization using electronic payroll records. To examine the association between nurse staffing levels and the risk of adverse events, four Cox proportional hazards regression models will be used (one for each adverse event), while adjusting for patient characteristics and risk factors of adverse event occurrence. To determine if the association between nurse staffing levels and the occurrence of adverse events is modified by the complexity of patient requirements, interaction terms will be included in the regression models, and their significance assessed. To assess for the presence of optimal nurse staffing levels, flexible nonlinear spline functions will be fitted. This study will likely generate evidence-based information that will assist managers in making the most effective use of scarce nursing resources and in identifying staffing patterns that minimize the risk of adverse events.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McDonald, Dale; Schultz, Margaret
2017-01-01
The latest edition highlights information about schools, enrollment and staffing patterns for Catholic elementary and secondary schools. [For "U.S. Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools 2015-2016," see ED574513.
Staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs.
Stone, Patricia W; Dick, Andrew; Pogorzelska, Monika; Horan, Teresa C; Furuya, E Yoko; Larson, Elaine
2009-06-01
The nature of infection prevention and control is changing; however, little is known about current staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs. Our objectives were to provide a snapshot of the staffing and structure of hospital-based infection prevention and control programs in the United States. A Web-based survey was sent to 441 hospitals that participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network. The response rate was 66% (n = 289); data were examined on 821 professionals. Infection preventionist (IP) staffing was significantly negatively related to bed size, with higher staffing in smaller hospitals (P < .001). Median staffing was 1 IP per 167 beds. Forty-seven percent of IPs were certified, and 24 percent had less than 2 years of experience. Most directors or hospital epidemiologists were reported to have authority to close beds for outbreaks always or most of the time (n = 225, 78%). Only 32% (n = 92) reported using an electronic surveillance system to track infections. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive description of current infection prevention and control staffing, organization, and support in a select group of hospitals across the nation. Further research is needed to identify effective staffing levels for various hospital types as well as examine how the IP role is changing over time.
Staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs
Stone, Patricia W.; Dick, Andrew; Pogorzelska, Monika; Horan, Teresa C.; Furuya, E. Yoko; Larson, Elaine
2009-01-01
Background The nature of infection prevention and control is changing; however, little is known about current staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs. Methods Our objectives were to provide a snapshot of the staffing and structure of hospital-based infection prevention and control programs in the United States. A Web-based survey was sent to 441 hospitals that participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network. Results The response rate was 66% (n = 289); data were examined on 821 professionals. Infection preventionist (IP) staffing was significantly negatively related to bed size, with higher staffing in smaller hospitals (P < .001). Median staffing was 1 IP per 167 beds. Forty-seven percent of IPs were certified, and 24 percent had less than 2 years of experience. Most directors or hospital epidemiologists were reported to have authority to close beds for outbreaks always or most of the time (n = 225, 78%). Only 32% (n = 92) reported using an electronic surveillance system to track infections. Conclusion This study is the first to provide a comprehensive description of current infection prevention and control staffing, organization, and support in a select group of hospitals across the nation. Further research is needed to identify effective staffing levels for various hospital types as well as examine how the IP role is changing over time. PMID:19201510
Soban, Lynn M; Finley, Erin P; Miltner, Rebecca S
2016-01-01
To describe the presence or absence of key components of hospital pressure ulcer (PU) prevention programs in 6 acute care hospitals. Multisite comparative case study. Using purposeful selection based on PU rates (high vs low) and hospital size, 6 hospitals within the Veterans Health Administration health care system were invited to participate. Key informant interviews (n = 48) were conducted in each of the 6 participating hospitals among individuals playing key roles in PU prevention: senior nursing leadership (n = 9), nurse manager (n = 7), wound care specialist (n = 6), frontline RNs (n = 26). Qualitative data were collected during face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Interview protocols were tailored to each interviewee's role with a core set of common questions covering 3 major content areas: (1) practice environment (eg, policies and wound care specialists), (2) current prevention practices (eg, conduct of PU risk assessment and skin inspection), and (3) barriers to PU prevention. We conducted structured coding of 5 key components of PU prevention programs and cross-case analysis to identify patterns in operationalization and implementation of program components across hospitals based on facility size and PU rates (low vs high). All hospitals had implemented all PU prevention program components. Component operationalization varied considerably across hospitals. Wound care specialists were integral to the operationalization of the 4 other program components examined; however, staffing levels and work assignments of wound care specialists varied widely. Patterns emerged among hospitals with low and high PU rates with respect to wound care specialist staffing, data monitoring, and staff education. We found hospital-level variations in PU prevention programs. Wound care specialist staffing may represent a potential point of leverage in achieving other PU program components, particularly performance monitoring and staff education.
Differentiated Staffing: Expectations and Pitfalls.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barbee, Don
Once a differentiated staffing pattern has been adopted--with the understanding that it is not a panacea--staff members have an obligation to minimize distinctions of rank and prevent organizational rigidity by contributing in role areas other than their own and sharing in decisionmaking. Teacher aides are not expected to be substitutes for…
A nurse staffing analysis at the largest hospital in the Gulf region
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Louly, M.; Gharbi, A.; Azaiez, M. N.; Bouras, A.
2014-12-01
The paper considers a staffing problem at a local hospital. The managers consider they are understaffed and try to overwhelm the staffing deficit problem through overtime, rather than hiring additional nurses. However, the huge amount of allocated budget for overtime becomes a concern and needs some assessment, analysis and justification. The current hospital estimates suggests that the shortage at the hospital level corresponds to 300 full time equivalent (FTE) nurses, but the deficit is not basedon deep scientific approach. This paper deals with staffing model that provides the required scientific evidence on the deficit level. It also gives the accurate information on the overtime components. As a results, the suggested staffing model shows that some nursing units are unnecessarily overstaffed. Moreover, the current study reveals that the real deficit is of only 215 FTE resulting in a potential saving of 28%.
Roberts, Amy Restorick; Bowblis, John R
2017-02-01
Although nurse staffing has been extensively studied within nursing homes (NHs), social services has received less attention. The study describes how social service departments are organized in NHs and examines the structural characteristics of NHs and other macro-focused contextual factors that explain differences in social service staffing patterns using longitudinal national data (Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports, 2009-2012). NHs have three patterns of staffing for social services, using qualified social workers (QSWs); paraprofessional social service staff; and interprofessional teams, consisting of both QSWs and paraprofessionals. Although most NHs employ a QSW (89 percent), nearly half provide social services through interprofessional teams, and 11 percent rely exclusively on paraprofessionals. Along with state and federal regulations that depend on facility size, other contextual and structural factors within NHs also influence staffing. NHs most likely to hire QSWs are large facilities in urban areas within a health care complex, owned by nonprofit organizations, with more payer mixes associated with more profitable reimbursement. QSWs are least likely to be hired in small facilities in rural areas. The influence of policy in supporting the professionalization of social service staff and the need for QSWs with expertise in gerontology, especially in rural NHs, are discussed. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.
A discrete event simulation tool to support and predict hospital and clinic staffing.
DeRienzo, Christopher M; Shaw, Ryan J; Meanor, Phillip; Lada, Emily; Ferranti, Jeffrey; Tanaka, David
2017-06-01
We demonstrate how to develop a simulation tool to help healthcare managers and administrators predict and plan for staffing needs in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit using administrative data. We developed a discrete event simulation model of nursing staff needed in a neonatal intensive care unit and then validated the model against historical data. The process flow was translated into a discrete event simulation model. Results demonstrated that the model can be used to give a respectable estimate of annual admissions, transfers, and deaths based upon two different staffing levels. The discrete event simulation tool model can provide healthcare managers and administrators with (1) a valid method of modeling patient mix, patient acuity, staffing needs, and costs in the present state and (2) a forecast of how changes in a unit's staffing, referral patterns, or patient mix would affect a unit in a future state.
Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika; Gilmartin, Heather; Reese, Sara
2018-06-01
Given the changing nature of infection prevention and control (IPC), appropriate infection preventionist (IP) staffing needs to be established. In this study, we aimed to describe current IP staffing levels and IPC department resources in U.S. acute care hospitals. These data came from the 2015 MegaSurvey conducted by the Association of Professionals in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were conducted to examine differences in respondent, facility, and department characteristics by facility size (average inpatient census ≤100 vs >100). Data from 1623 respondents were included. Most (72%) had single-site responsibilities and dedicated 76%-100% of their job to IPC (68%). The overall median IP staffing was 1.25 IPs per 100 inpatient census (interquartile range = 1.81). Almost half (46%) represented facilities with daily inpatient census ≤100; the average number of IPs in these facilities was 1.1 (standard deviation = 0.7). The reported number of IPs increased steadily with higher patient census. Significant differences were observed in IP staffing, responsibilities, and support to the IPC department between smaller and larger hospitals. This study represents the current snapshot of IP staffing and IPC resources in acute care hospitals. Findings indicate important differences between large and small facilities in staffing and IPC resources. The field of infection prevention would benefit from a comprehensive assessment of IPC department staffing and resource needs. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Herman, Jennifer H.
2013-01-01
This quantitative study reports data from nearly 200 teaching and learning development units (TLDUs), regarding their current staffing levels compared to the number of FTE faculty and FTE student enrollment. The study found that these staffing ratios at primary TLDUs vary by both institutional control and by Carnegie classification: in general,…
Uncertainty and operational considerations in mass prophylaxis workforce planning.
Hupert, Nathaniel; Xiong, Wei; King, Kathleen; Castorena, Michelle; Hawkins, Caitlin; Wu, Cindie; Muckstadt, John A
2009-12-01
The public health response to an influenza pandemic or other large-scale health emergency may include mass prophylaxis using multiple points of dispensing (PODs) to deliver countermeasures rapidly to affected populations. Computer models created to date to determine "optimal" staffing levels at PODs typically assume stable patient demand for service. The authors investigated POD function under dynamic and uncertain operational environments. The authors constructed a Monte Carlo simulation model of mass prophylaxis (the Dynamic POD Simulator, or D-PODS) to assess the consequences of nonstationary patient arrival patterns on POD function under a variety of POD layouts and staffing plans. Compared are the performance of a standard POD layout under steady-state and variable patient arrival rates that may mimic real-life variation in patient demand. To achieve similar performance, PODs functioning under nonstationary patient arrival rates require higher staffing levels than would be predicted using the assumption of stationary arrival rates. Furthermore, PODs may develop severe bottlenecks unless staffing levels vary over time to meet changing patient arrival patterns. Efficient POD networks therefore require command and control systems capable of dynamically adjusting intra- and inter-POD staff levels to meet demand. In addition, under real-world operating conditions of heightened uncertainty, fewer large PODs will require a smaller total staff than many small PODs to achieve comparable performance. Modeling environments that capture the effects of fundamental uncertainties in public health disasters are essential for the realistic evaluation of response mechanisms and policies. D-PODS quantifies POD operational efficiency under more realistic conditions than have been modeled previously. The authors' experiments demonstrate that effective POD staffing plans must be responsive to variation and uncertainty in POD arrival patterns. These experiments highlight the need for command and control systems to be created to manage emergency response successfully.
Estimating the staffing infrastructure for a patient-centered medical home.
Patel, Mitesh S; Arron, Martin J; Sinsky, Thomas A; Green, Eric H; Baker, David W; Bowen, Judith L; Day, Susan
2013-06-01
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) offers an innovative method of delivering primary care. However, the necessary staffing infrastructure is not well established. To evaluate the roles of personnel within a PCMH and to propose necessary staffing ratios and associated incremental costs to implement this model of care. We sampled primary care clinical practices that either have successfully deployed or were in the process of implementing a PCMH practice model. We conducted targeted interviews of administrators from these practices and reviewed published literature on the personnel roles within a PCMH. Collectively, these data were compared with current staffing standards and used to inform an analytical model and sensitivity analysis. Primary care practices that successfully transitioned to a PCMH have incorporated a range of new staff and functionalities. Based on our model, we estimated that 4.25 full-time equivalents (FTEs) should be allocated to staffing personnel per 1 physician FTE. Compared with the base-case model of current staffing in the United States of 2.68 FTEs per physician FTE, this is a 59% increase. After applying sensitivity analysis for variability in staffing and compensation, the incremental staffing FTE per physician FTE was 1.57 (range 1.41-1.73) and the incremental associated cost per member per month was $4.68 (range $3.79-$6.43). Our study suggests that additional staff with specific expertise and training is necessary to implement a PCMH. Further study and opportunities for funding additional staffing costs will be important for realizing the potential of the PCMH model of care.influence clinical recognition of depression among diabetes patients from different racial/ethnic groups, and the potential impact of low rates of clinical recognition on quality of care.
Linking economics and quality: developing an evidence-based nurse staffing tool.
Anderson, E Faye; Frith, Karen H; Caspers, Barbara
2011-01-01
The evidence linking nurse staffing with patient outcomes has been established; however, incorporating the evidence into practice is lagging. This article describes a practice/academic collaborative initiated to promote the translation of staffing research into decision-making through the development of an evidence-based staffing tool. Reports of previous research on nurse staffing and patient and financial outcomes are summarized, and aspects of the 2 phases of the collaborative to date are discussed. In the initial phase, a pilot research study on nurse staffing and patient outcomes in medical-surgical units support previous findings that higher nurse staffing results in positive patient outcomes. The focus in the current phase is expansion of the pilot research and the development of a decision-making staffing tool based on the additional staffing research. Identifying the critical data elements and sources of the data are major challenges to achieving the project objectives. Other challenges are maintaining interest and creating wide-spread understanding of the importance of nurse managers having access to timely, useable information. The success of the collaborative is due to the commitment and participation of leaders from various disciplines in both organizations.
A study on the impact of prioritising emergency department arrivals on the patient waiting time.
Van Bockstal, Ellen; Maenhout, Broos
2018-05-03
In the past decade, the crowding of the emergency department has gained considerable attention of researchers as the number of medical service providers is typically insufficient to fulfil the demand for emergency care. In this paper, we solve the stochastic emergency department workforce planning problem and consider the planning of nurses and physicians simultaneously for a real-life case study in Belgium. We study the patient arrival pattern of the emergency department in depth and consider different patient acuity classes by disaggregating the arrival pattern. We determine the personnel staffing requirements and the design of the shifts based on the patient arrival rates per acuity class such that the resource staffing cost and the weighted patient waiting time are minimised. In order to solve this multi-objective optimisation problem, we construct a Pareto set of optimal solutions via the -constraints method. For a particular staffing composition, the proposed model minimises the patient waiting time subject to upper bounds on the staffing size using the Sample Average Approximation Method. In our computational experiments, we discern the impact of prioritising the emergency department arrivals. Triaging results in lower patient waiting times for higher priority acuity classes and to a higher waiting time for the lowest priority class, which does not require immediate care. Moreover, we perform a sensitivity analysis to verify the impact of the arrival and service pattern characteristics, the prioritisation weights between different acuity classes and the incorporated shift flexibility in the model.
Hospital nurse wages and staffing, 1977 to 2002: cycles of shortage and surplus.
Spetz, Joanne
2004-09-01
The author reviews the causes of nursing shortages and surpluses and examines data from California hospitals to demonstrate how these cycles are expressed in the demand for and wages of nurses. Nursing shortages have been reported cyclically for more than 50 years in the United States. There has been little data analysis demonstrating the relationship between the current shortage and changes in wages and nurse staffing. Analysis of longitudinal hospital and patient data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Summary statistics of patient utilization, nurse staffing, and nurse wages were computed. The data demonstrate that cyclical shortages are accompanied by higher wages and employment. This has been true in recent years. However, in medical-surgical units, hours per patient day declined between 2001 and 2002, perhaps reflecting the inability of hospitals to find more nurses to meet staffing goals. Nurse staffing per patient day and per discharge have remained stable, despite concerns about low staffing levels. Improved measures of patient care needs and studies of the precise staffing requirements for different types of patients and configurations of staff are required to make recommendations about staffing and policy.
Nurse staffing patterns and hospital efficiency in the United States.
Bloom, J R; Alexander, J A; Nuchols, B A
1997-01-01
The objective of this exploratory study was to assess the effects of four nurse staffing patterns on the efficiency of patient care delivery in the hospital: registered nurses (RNs) from temporary agencies; part-time career RNs; RN rich skill mix; and organizationally experienced RNs. Using Transaction Cost Analysis, four regression models were specified to consider the effect of these staffing plans on personnel and benefit costs and on non-personnel operating costs. A number of additional variables were also included in the models to control for the effect of other organization and environmental determinants of hospital costs. Use of career part-time RNs and experienced staff reduced both personnel and benefit costs, as well as total non-personnel operating costs, while the use of temporary agencies for RNs increased non-personnel operating costs. An RN rich skill mix was not related to either measure of hospital costs. These findings provide partial support of the theory. Implications of our findings for future research on hospital management are discussed.
Twenty years of staffing, practice environment, and outcomes research in military nursing.
Patrician, Patricia A; Loan, Lori A; McCarthy, Mary S; Swiger, Pauline; Breckenridge-Sproat, Sara; Brosch, Laura Ruse; Jennings, Bonnie Mowinski
Two decades ago, findings from an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report sparked the urgent need for evidence supporting relationships between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. This article provides an overview of nurse staffing, practice environment, and patient outcomes research, with an emphasis on findings from military studies. Lessons learned also are enumerated. This study is a review of the entire Military Nursing Outcomes Database (MilNOD) program of research. The MilNOD, in combination with evidence from other health care studies, provides nurses and leaders with information about the associations between staffing, patient outcomes, and the professional practice environment of nursing in the military. Leaders, therefore, have useful empirical evidence to make data-driven decisions. The MilNOD studies are the basis for the current Army nursing dashboard, and care delivery framework, called the Patent CaringTouch System. Future research is needed to identify ideal staffing based on workload demands, and provide leaders with factors to consider when operationalizing staffing recommendations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-08-02
..., Inc., Continental, Inc., Dynamic Corp., G-Tech Professional Staffing, Inc., Globaledgetechnologies... Corporation, Aerotek, Inc., Continental, Inc., Dynamic Corp., G-Tech Professional Staffing, Inc., Globaledge... steering systems and components such as steering columns, gears, pumps and electronic power steering...
Benefits of High-Intensity Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing under the Affordable Care Act
Logani, Sachin; Green, Adam; Gasperino, James
2011-01-01
The Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama, with its value-based purchasing program, is designed to link payment to quality processes and outcomes. Treatment of critically ill patients represents nearly 1% of the gross domestic product and 25% of a typical hospital budget. Data suggest that high-intensity staffing patterns in the intensive care unit (ICU) are associated with cost savings and improved outcomes. We evaluate the literature investigating the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcomes of high-intensity ICU physician staffing as recommended by The Leapfrog Group (a consortium of companies that purchase health care for their employees) and identify ways to overcome barriers to nationwide implementation of these standards. Hospitals that have implemented the Leapfrog initiative have demonstrated reductions in mortality and length of stay and increased cost savings. High-intensity staffing models appear to be an immediate cost-effective way for hospitals to meet the challenges of health care reform. PMID:22110908
Griffiths, Peter; Ball, Jane; Drennan, Jonathan; Dall'Ora, Chiara; Jones, Jeremy; Maruotti, Antonello; Pope, Catherine; Recio Saucedo, Alejandra; Simon, Michael
2016-11-01
A large and increasing number of studies have reported a relationship between low nurse staffing levels and adverse outcomes, including higher mortality rates. Despite the evidence being extensive in size, and having been sometimes described as "compelling" and "overwhelming", there are limitations that existing studies have not yet been able to address. One result of these weaknesses can be observed in the guidelines on safe staffing in acute hospital wards issued by the influential body that sets standards for the National Health Service in England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which concluded there is insufficient good quality evidence available to fully inform practice. In this paper we explore this apparent contradiction. After summarising the evidence review that informed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on safe staffing and related evidence, we move on to discussing the complex challenges that arise when attempting to apply this evidence to practice. Among these, we introduce the concept of endogeneity, a form of bias in the estimation of causal effects. Although current evidence is broadly consistent with a cause and effect relationship, endogeneity means that estimates of the size of effect, essential for building an economic case, may be biased and in some cases qualitatively wrong. We expand on three limitations that are likely to lead to endogeneity in many previous studies: omitted variables, which refers to the absence of control for variables such as medical staffing and patient case mix; simultaneity, which occurs when the outcome can influence the level of staffing just as staffing influences outcome; and common-method variance, which may be present when both outcomes and staffing levels variables are derived from the same survey. Thus while current evidence is important and has influenced policy because it illustrates the potential risks and benefits associated with changes in nurse staffing, it may not provide operational solutions. We conclude by posing a series of questions about design and methods for future researchers who intend to further explore this complex relationship between nurse staffing levels and outcomes. These questions are intended to reflect on the potential added value of new research given what is already known, and to encourage those conducting research to take opportunities to produce research that fills gaps in the existing knowledge for practice. By doing this we hope that future studies can better quantify both the benefits and costs of changes in nurse staffing levels and, therefore, serve as a more useful tool for those delivering services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Team Approach to Staffing the Reference Center: A Speculation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lawson, Mollie D.; And Others
This document applies theories of participatory management to a proposal for a model that uses a team approach to staffing university library reference centers. In particular, the Ward Edwards Library at Central Missouri State University is examined in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of its current approach. Special attention is given to…
Measuring the Impact of High School Counselors on College Enrollment. Research Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hurwitz, Michael; Howell, Jessica
2013-01-01
This brief examines high school counselor staffing counts relative to four-year college enrollment rates. Recent evidence from a national survey of counselors provides support for claims by counselors and school administrators that current counselor staffing levels are suboptimal. An additional high school counselor is predicted to induce a 10…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Spiro, Louis M.; Campbell, Jill F.
The development and use of a campus-based computerized faculty staffing model is described. In addition to considering market demands for current and proposed programs, decisionmakers need to consider how program development, modification, and elimination affect the total college faculty resource base. The application of computer technology,…
Namaganda, Grace; Oketcho, Vincent; Maniple, Everd; Viadro, Claire
2015-08-31
Uganda's health workforce is characterized by shortages and inequitable distribution of qualified health workers. To ascertain staffing levels, Uganda uses fixed government-approved norms determined by facility type. This approach cannot distinguish between facilities of the same type that have different staffing needs. The Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method uses workload to determine number and type of staff required in a given facility. The national WISN assessment sought to demonstrate the limitations of the existing norms and generate evidence to influence health unit staffing and staff deployment for efficient utilization of available scarce human resources. A national WISN assessment (September 2012) used purposive sampling to select 136 public health facilities in 33/112 districts. The study examined staffing requirements for five cadres (nursing assistants, nurses, midwives, clinical officers, doctors) at health centres II (n = 59), III (n = 53) and IV (n = 13) and hospitals (n = 11). Using health management information system workload data (1 July 2010-30 June 2011), the study compared current and required staff, assessed workload pressure and evaluated the adequacy of the existing staffing norms. By the WISN method, all three types of health centres had fewer nurses (42-70%) and midwives (53-67%) than required and consequently exhibited high workload pressure (30-58%) for those cadres. Health centres IV and hospitals lacked doctors (39-42%) but were adequately staffed with clinical officers. All facilities displayed overstaffing of nursing assistants. For all cadres at health centres III and IV other than nursing assistants, the fixed norms or existing staffing or both fell short of the WISN staffing requirements, with, for example, only half as many nurses and midwives as required. The WISN results demonstrate the inadequacies of existing staffing norms, particularly for health centres III and IV. The results provide an evidence base to reshape policy, adopt workload-based norms, review scopes of practice and target human resource investments. In the near term, the government could redistribute existing health workers to improve staffing equity in line with the WISN results. Longer term revision of staffing norms and investments to effectively reflect actual workloads and ensure provision of quality services at all levels is needed.
The Roles and Practices of Specialists in Teamed Institutional Leadership
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dexter, Sara; Louis, Karen Seashore; Anderson, Ronald E.
2009-01-01
This article explores the role of leadership, experts, and expertise and the functioning of teams in nine schools that modeled an exemplary integration of technology to support schoolwide instructional improvement. Through cross-case analysis, we identified three different staffing patterns and two different support patterns in how the technology…
Parshuram, Christopher S; Kirpalani, Haresh; Mehta, Sangeeta; Granton, John; Cook, Deborah
2006-06-01
Physician staffing is an important determinant of patient outcomes following intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We conducted a national survey of in-house after-hours physician staffing in Canadian ICUs. : Cross-sectional survey. Canadian adult and pediatric ICUs. ICU directors. ICU directors of Canadian adult and pediatric ICUs were surveyed to describe overnight staffing by interns, residents, critical care medicine trainees, clinical assistants, and ICU physicians in their ICUs. Data were collected regarding hospital and ICU demographics and ICU staffing. For ICUs with in-house overnight physicians, we documented physician experience, shift duration, and clinical responsibilities outside the ICU. We identified 98 Canadian ICU directors, of whom 88 (90%) responded. Dedicated in-house physician coverage overnight was reported in 53 (60%) ICUs, including 13 (15%) in which ICU staff physicians stayed in-house overnight. Compared with ICUs without in-house physicians, those with in-house physicians had more ICU beds (15 vs. 8.5, p=.0001) and fewer ICU staff physicians (5 vs. 7, p=.03). For the 271 physicians who provide overnight staffing, the median level of postgraduate experience was 3 yrs (range, <1 yr, >10 yrs); 129 (48%) had <3 months of ICU experience. Most shifts (83%) were >20 hrs long. In-house overnight physician staffing in Canadian ICUs varies widely. Only a minority of ICUs comply with the 2003 Society of Critical Care Medicine guidelines for adult ICUs recommending continuous in-house staffing by ICU staff physicians. The duration of most ICU shifts raises concern about workload-associated fatigue and medical error. The impact of current nighttime staffing requires further evaluation with respect to patient outcomes.
Government chief nursing officers' perceptions of barriers to using research on staffing.
Baernholdt, M; Lang, N M
2007-03-01
Current global healthcare problems include nursing shortages contributing to low nurse staffing. Low nurse staffing is associated with poor patient and nurse outcomes, but research utilization using these findings especially at the policy level remains slow. To assess high-ranking government nurses' perceptions of barriers to using research on nurse staffing. An electronic information message about the impact of nurse staffing was presented to government chief nursing officers (CNOs) from 110 countries. The CNOs' perceptions of local barriers to utilizing these research findings were then assessed in an electronic survey. The four factors that influence the first two stages of Rogers's five-stage model of diffusion were examined. The factors, characteristics of the adopter, organization, innovation and communication, were measured using an adapted version of the BARRIERS scale. Barriers were present in all four characteristics. The top barrier was lack of reports and studies in one place. Other barriers were lack of cooperation within the organization and lack of awareness of the research findings. Differences according to Gross National Income were also noted. The CNOs and other health policy advisors can use the findings in planning for adequate nurse staffing. Development of electronic newsletters with summaries of pertinent research for CNOs and other policy advisors is needed. Future studies on nurse staffing are warranted. They should focus on other settings and how best to share research findings with policymakers.
Leary, Alison; Cook, Rob; Jones, Sarahjane; Smith, Judith; Gough, Malcolm; Maxwell, Elaine; Punshon, Geoffrey; Radford, Mark
2016-12-16
Nursing is a safety critical activity but not easily quantified. This makes the building of predictive staffing models a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine if relationships between registered and non-registered nurse staffing levels and clinical outcomes could be discovered through the mining of routinely collected clinical data. The secondary aim was to examine the feasibility and develop the use of 'big data' techniques commonly used in industry for this area of healthcare and examine future uses. The data were obtained from 1 large acute National Health Service hospital trust in England. Routinely collected physiological, signs and symptom data from a clinical database were extracted, imported and mined alongside a bespoke staffing and outcomes database using Mathmatica V.10. The physiological data consisted of 120 million patient entries over 6 years, the bespoke database consisted of 9 years of daily data on staffing levels and safety factors such as falls. To discover patterns in these data or non-linear relationships that would contribute to modelling. To examine feasibility of this technique in this field. After mining, 40 correlations (p<0.00005) emerged between safety factors, physiological data (such as the presence or absence of nausea) and staffing factors. Several inter-related factors demonstrated step changes where registered nurse availability appeared to relate to physiological parameters or outcomes such as falls and the management of symptoms. Data extraction proved challenging as some commercial databases were not built for extraction of the massive data sets they contain. The relationship between staffing and outcomes appears to exist. It appears to be non-linear but calculable and a data-driven model appears possible. These findings could be used to build an initial mathematical model for acute staffing which could be further tested. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.
2007-10-25
to the current staffing model and no changes or additions to PV contract services should be made. This scenario improves the division’s ability to...floater FTEs fully cross- trained in all areas should be added to the current staffing model and no changes or additions to PV services should be made...hospital’s average number of in-patients has dropped from about 700 to 200, as WRAMC follows the managed care model in civilian medicine that emphasizes
Needleman, Jack
2008-05-01
This article examines the social and business case for quality related to nursing and the need to restructure incentives to align the interests of the hospital and payers with the interests of the patients. Increasing the proportion of nurses who are registered nurses is associated with net cost savings. Increasing both nursing hours and the proportion of nurses who are registered nurses would result in improved quality and fewer deaths (creating a social case for improved staffing) but would be associated with small cost increases. Cost offsets associated with reduced turnover because of higher staffing would reduce the net cost increase but not result in savings. Under current reimbursement systems, hospitals that increase nurse staffing to improve patient outcomes will likely lose money as a result. Current proposals for pay for performance would create limited incentives for improving hospital nursing care.
Prepaid group practice staffing and U.S. physician supply: lessons for workforce policy.
Weiner, Jonathan P
2004-01-01
This paper describes staffing at eight large prepaid group practices (PGPs) serving more than eight million enrollees at Kaiser Permanente and two other health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Even after characteristics of the patient populations and outside referrals are accounted for, these PGPs have a physician-to-population ratio that is 22-37 percent below the national rate. Two decades of historical data at Kaiser Permanente indicate that its rate of specialist growth was far higher than that of primary care. The study suggests that efficient systems of care can readily meet the demands of patient populations with workforce staffing ratios below current U.S. levels.
Leetz, H-K; Eipper, H H; Gfirtner, H; Schneider, P; Welker, K
2014-08-01
In 1994 and 1998 reports on staffing levels in medical radiation physics for radiation therapy were published by the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Physik" (DGMP, German Society for Medical Physics). Because of the technical and methodological progress, changes in recommended qualifications of staff and new governmental regulations, it was necessary to establish new staffing levels. The data were derived from a new survey in clinics. Some of the previously established results from the old reports were adapted to the new conditions by conversion.The staffing requirements were normalized to main components as in the earlier reports resulting in a simple method for calculation of staffing levels. The results were compared with the requirements in the "Richtlinie Strahlenschutz in der Medizin" (guidelines on radiation protection in medicine) and showed satisfactory agreement.
Hospital nurse productivity enhancement.
Eastaugh, Steven R
2007-01-01
Nurse staffing patterns have come under increased scrutiny as hospital managers attempt to control costs without harming service quality or staff morale. This study presents production function results from a study of nurse output from 2002 to 2005. The results suggest that productivity varies widely among the 39 hospitals as a function of staffing patterns, methods of organization, and the degree of reliance on nurse extender technicians. Nurse extenders can enhance the marginal value product of the most educated nurses as the RNs concentrate their workday around patient care activities. The results suggest that nurse extenders free RNs from the burden of nonnursing tasks. Incentive pay for nurses based on productivity gains is associated with enhanced productivity. One should get the greatest output for the least input effort, better balancing all factors of service delivery to achieve the most with the smallest resource effort.
Job and career satisfaction among staff nurses: effects of job setting and environment.
Shaver, Katherine H; Lacey, Linda M
2003-03-01
Just as customer satisfaction is the key to retaining customers, satisfaction with job and career choices are important for keeping staff nurses on the job. The roles of employment setting, job commitment, tenure, years until retirement, short staffing, and patient load in predicting satisfaction were assessed for RN and LPN staff nurses. Results show that when RNs and LPNs feel short staffing interferes with their ability to meet patient care needs, they are also less satisfied with both their job and their career. In order not to exacerbate the current nursing shortage, employers must find ways to ensure adequate staffing to keep staff nurses satisfied and on the job.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Spaulding, Shayne; Freely, Joshua; Maguire, Sheila
2009-01-01
Despite the current recession, temporary employment will likely represent an increasing share of the labor market in the future, particularly for entry-level and low-wage occupations. In recent economic downturns, the temporary help sector has been among the first to rebound, coming back strongly after times of high unemployment. In this climate,…
Kim, Sungjae; Kim, Jinhyun
2012-06-01
The purpose of this study was to propose optimal hospitalization fees for nurse staffing levels and to improve the current nursing fee policy. A break-even analysis was used to evaluate the impact of a nursing fee policy on hospital's financial performance. Variables considered included the number of beds, bed occupancy rate, annual total patient days, hospitalization fees for nurse staffing levels, the initial annual nurses' salary, and the ratio of overhead costs to nursing labor costs. Data were collected as secondary data from annual reports of the Hospital Nursing Association and national health insurance. The hospitalization fees according to nurse staffing levels in general hospitals are required to sustain or decrease in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, and increase in grades 5 and 6. It is suggested that the range between grade 2 and 3 be sustained at the current level, the range between grade 4 and 5 be widen or merged into one, and the range between grade 6 and 7 be divided into several grades. Readjusting hospitalization fees for nurse staffing level will improve nurse-patient ratio and enhance the quality of nursing care in hospitals. Follow-up studies including tertiary hospitals and small hospitals are recommended.
Kochanek, M; Böll, B; Shimabukuro-Vornhagen, A; Michels, G; Barbara, W; Hansen, D; Hallek, M; Fätkenheuer, G; von Bergwelt-Baildon, M
2015-07-01
The patient burden in intensive care units (ICU) has continually increased worldwide over the past decades. Age, co-morbidities and an increasing complexity of conditions and treatments increase the number of patients who are either colonized or infected with antibiotic-resistant pathogens. To prevent nosocomial infections, hygiene guidelines play an important role. In this paper, we investigate the time needed for nursing of five hypothetical critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. The results show that current staffing is not sufficient under the given hygiene guidelines and that a nurse to patient ratio of one will be necessary to meet the requirements. In a national survey of university hospitals, however, we found that the current nurse to patient ratio is 1: 2.47 in German intensive care units. The apparent staffing shortage is compensated by an extraordinary personal commitment of nurses caring for patients in the ICU. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Schnelle, John F; Schroyer, L Dale; Saraf, Avantika A; Simmons, Sandra F
2016-11-01
Nursing aides provide most of the labor-intensive activities of daily living (ADL) care to nursing home (NH) residents. Currently, most NHs do not determine nurse aide staffing requirements based on the time to provide ADL care for their unique resident population. The lack of an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing requirements suggests that many NHs could be understaffed in their capacity to provide consistent ADL care to all residents in need. Discrete event simulation (DES) mathematically models key work parameters (eg, time to provide an episode of care and available staff) to predict the ability of the work setting to provide care over time and offers an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing needs in NHs. This study had 2 primary objectives: (1) to describe the relationship between ADL workload and the level of nurse aide staffing reported by NHs; and, (2) to use a DES model to determine the relationship between ADL workload and nurse aide staffing necessary for consistent, timely ADL care. Minimum Data Set data related to the level of dependency on staff for ADL care for residents in over 13,500 NHs nationwide were converted into 7 workload categories that captured 98% of all residents. In addition, data related to the time to provide care for the ADLs within each workload category was used to calculate a workload score for each facility. The correlation between workload and reported nurse aide staffing levels was calculated to determine the association between staffing reported by NHs and workload. Simulations to project staffing requirements necessary to provide ADL care were then conducted for 65 different workload scenarios, which included 13 different nurse aide staffing levels (ranging from 1.6 to 4.0 total hours per resident day) and 5 different workload percentiles (ranging from the 5th to the 95th percentile). The purpose of the simulation model was to determine the staffing necessary to provide care within each workload percentile based on resident ADL care needs and compare the simulated staffing projections to the NH reported staffing levels. The percentage of scheduled care time that was omitted was estimated by the simulation model for each of the 65 workload scenarios using optimistic assumptions about staff productivity and efficiency. There was a low correlation between ADL workload and reported nurse aide staffing (Pearson = .11; P < .01), which suggests that most of the 13,500 NHs were not using ADL acuity to determine nurse aide staffing levels. Based on the DES model, the nurse aide staffing required for ADL care that would result in a rate of care omissions below 10% ranged from 2.8 hours/resident/day for NHs with a low workload (5th percentile) to 3.6 hours/resident/day for NHs with a high workload (95th percentile). In contrast, NHs reported staffing levels that ranged from an average of 2.3 to 2.5 hours/resident/day across all 5 workload percentiles. Higher workload NHs had the largest discrepancies between reported and predicted nurse aide staffing levels. The average nurse aide staffing levels reported by NHs falls below the level of staffing predicted as necessary to provide consistent ADL care to all residents in need. DES methodology can be used to determine nurse aide staffing requirements to provide ADL care and simulate management interventions to improve care efficiency and quality. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
On Teacher Career Development: A Conversation with Phillip Schlechty.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brandt, Ron
1985-01-01
Briefly discusses Phillip Schlechty's view on teacher career development with university cooperation, needs for systematic faculty development, appropriate administrator roles, encouragement of professionalism, the use of differentiated staffing patterns, and appropriate attitudes toward reform. (PGD)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reininger, Michelle
2012-01-01
This article focuses on an overlooked factor in the unequal sorting of teachers across schools: the geographic preferences of teachers. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the author examines the patterns of geographic mobility of new teachers and compares them to the patterns of other college graduates. Specifically, the…
Russell, Deborah J; Zhao, Yuejen; Guthridge, Steven; Ramjan, Mark; Jones, Michael P; Humphreys, John S; Wakerman, John
2017-08-15
The geographical maldistribution of the health workforce is a persisting global issue linked to inequitable access to health services and poorer health outcomes for rural and remote populations. In the Northern Territory (NT), anecdotal reports suggest that the primary care workforce in remote Aboriginal communities is characterised by high turnover, low stability and high use of temporary staffing; however, there is a lack of reliable information to guide workforce policy improvements. This study quantifies current turnover and retention in remote NT communities and investigates correlations between turnover and retention metrics and health service/community characteristics. This study used the NT Department of Health 2013-2015 payroll and financial datasets for resident health workforce in 53 remote primary care clinics. Main outcome measures include annual turnover rates, annual stability rates, 12-month survival probabilities and median survival. At any time point, the clinics had a median of 2.0 nurses, 0.6 Aboriginal health practitioners (AHPs), 2.2 other employees and 0.4 additional agency-employed nurses. Mean annual turnover rates for nurses and AHPs combined were extremely high, irrespective of whether turnover was defined as no longer working in any remote clinic (66%) or no longer working at a specific remote clinic (128%). Stability rates were low, and only 20% of nurses and AHPs remain working at a specific remote clinic 12 months after commencing. Half left within 4 months. Nurse and AHP turnover correlated with other workforce measures. However, there was little correlation between most workforce metrics and health service characteristics. NT Government-funded remote clinics are small, experience very high staff turnover and make considerable use of agency nurses. These staffing patterns, also found in remote settings elsewhere in Australia and globally, not only incur higher direct costs for service provision-and therefore may compromise long-term sustainability-but also are almost certainly contributing to sub-optimal continuity of care, compromised health outcomes and poorer levels of staff safety. To address these deficiencies, it is imperative that investments in implementing, adequately resourcing and evaluating staffing models which stabilise the remote primary care workforce occur as a matter of priority.
2013-03-01
areas that are most frequently needed 4 in a national response” (FEMA, 2008). Finally, during emergencies, individual Unit Control Centers ( UCCs ...stand up, as a means to supporting the response. Typically, the UCCs provide information or resources as required through communication from the...EOC. Currently there is no defined staffing or organizational structure for the UCC , each unit is responsible for adequately staffing the UCCs as
A Proactive Approach to Building Security.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Winters, Sharon
1994-01-01
Describes building security procedures developed at the Hampton Public Library (Virginia) to deal with problem patrons. Highlights include need for the library monitor program; staffing patterns; monitor selection criteria; training procedures; library behavior guidelines; library policy statements; theft detection systems; and sample job…
Park, Shin Hye; Boyle, Diane K; Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra; Staggs, Vincent S; Dunton, Nancy E
2014-08-01
We examined the concurrent and lagged effects of registered nurse (RN) turnover on unit-acquired pressure ulcer rates and whether RN staffing mediated the effects. Quarterly unit-level data were obtained from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators for 2008 to 2010. A total of 10,935 unit-quarter observations (2,294 units, 465 hospitals) were analyzed. This longitudinal study used multilevel regressions and tested time-lagged effects of study variables on outcomes. The lagged effect of RN turnover on unit-acquired pressure ulcers was significant, while there was no concurrent effect. For every 10 percentage-point increase in RN turnover in a quarter, the odds of a patient having a pressure ulcer increased by 4 percent in the next quarter. Higher RN turnover in a quarter was associated with lower RN staffing in the current and subsequent quarters. Higher RN staffing was associated with lower pressure ulcer rates, but it did not mediate the relationship between turnover and pressure ulcers. We suggest that RN turnover is an important factor that affects pressure ulcer rates and RN staffing needed for high-quality patient care. Given the high RN turnover rates, hospital and nursing administrators should prepare for its negative effect on patient outcomes. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
Park, Shin Hye; Boyle, Diane K; Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra; Staggs, Vincent S; Dunton, Nancy E
2014-01-01
Objective We examined the concurrent and lagged effects of registered nurse (RN) turnover on unit-acquired pressure ulcer rates and whether RN staffing mediated the effects. Data Sources/Setting Quarterly unit-level data were obtained from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators for 2008 to 2010. A total of 10,935 unit-quarter observations (2,294 units, 465 hospitals) were analyzed. Methods This longitudinal study used multilevel regressions and tested time-lagged effects of study variables on outcomes. Findings The lagged effect of RN turnover on unit-acquired pressure ulcers was significant, while there was no concurrent effect. For every 10 percentage-point increase in RN turnover in a quarter, the odds of a patient having a pressure ulcer increased by 4 percent in the next quarter. Higher RN turnover in a quarter was associated with lower RN staffing in the current and subsequent quarters. Higher RN staffing was associated with lower pressure ulcer rates, but it did not mediate the relationship between turnover and pressure ulcers. Conclusions We suggest that RN turnover is an important factor that affects pressure ulcer rates and RN staffing needed for high-quality patient care. Given the high RN turnover rates, hospital and nursing administrators should prepare for its negative effect on patient outcomes. PMID:24476194
Hospital nurse staffing and public health emergency preparedness: implications for policy.
McHugh, Matthew D
2010-01-01
Hospital restructuring policies and an impending nursing workforce shortage have threatened the nation's emergency preparedness. Current emergency response plans rely on sources of nurses that are limited and overestimated. A national investment in nursing education and workforce infrastructure, as well as incentives for hospitals to efficiently maximize nurse staffing, are needed to ensure emergency preparedness in the United States. This review highlights the challenges of maintaining hospital nursing surge capacity and policy implications of a nursing shortage.
Hospital Nurse Staffing and Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Implications for Policy
McHugh, Matthew D.
2010-01-01
Hospital restructuring policies and an impending nursing workforce shortage have threatened the nation’s emergency preparedness. Current emergency response plans rely on sources of nurses that are limited and overestimated. A national investment in nursing education and workforce infrastructure, as well as incentives for hospitals to efficiently maximize nurse staffing, are needed to ensure emergency preparedness in the United States. This review highlights the challenges of maintaining hospital nursing surge capacity and policy implications of a nursing shortage. PMID:20840714
Team Teaching; An Annotated Bibliography.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marin County Public Schools, Corte Madera, CA.
Team teaching consists of four major types of teams emerging in the public school staffing patterns: (a) interdisciplinary groupings of teachers with diversified specialties; (b) groupings of teachers with instructional aides, paraprofessionals, and volunteers; (c) teams focusing on specific subject matter areas and related curriculum development…
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN State... year by category of women, infants and children. (4) The State agency staffing pattern. (5) An... program benefits to unserved infants and children under the care of foster parents, protective services...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN State... year by category of women, infants and children. (4) The State agency staffing pattern. (5) An... program benefits to unserved infants and children under the care of foster parents, protective services...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN State... year by category of women, infants and children. (4) The State agency staffing pattern. (5) An... program benefits to unserved infants and children under the care of foster parents, protective services...
Preventiong Burnout in Teacher/Coaches.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sisley, Becky L.; And Others
1987-01-01
Teacher-coaches are particularly susceptible to stress and burnout because of role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload. Administrators need to be more aware of the special problems teacher-coaches have, develop alternative staffing patterns, and try to relieve some of the stress and pressure. (CB)
Farria, Dione M; Schmidt, Maria E; Monsees, Barbara S; Smith, Robert A; Hildebolt, Charles; Yoffie, Roberta; Monticciolo, Debra L; Feig, Stephen A; Bassett, Lawrence W
2005-08-01
Objective data and anecdotal reports have suggested that access to mammography may be declining because of facility closures and difficulty in recruiting and retaining radiologists and radiologic technologists. To gain insight into the practice patterns, use of emerging technologies, and concerns of breast imagers in current practice, the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) conducted a national survey of breast imaging practices in the U.S. Between October 2003 and April 2004, the SBI conducted a survey of the SBI membership database, and received completed surveys from 575 breast imaging practices in the U.S. Responses to the survey regarding practice characteristics, the utilization of standard and emerging technologies, staffing, malpractice, finance, and morale were analyzed. Job vacancies for radiologists who read mammograms were reported in 163 practices (29%), 59 of which (10%) had 2 or more openings. A higher proportion of practices with job openings had long appointment waiting times for asymptomatic women when compared with fully staffed practices. Unfilled fellowship positions also were common, with 41 of 65 practices that offer fellowships reporting 47 openings. Among 554 responding practices, 55% reported that someone in their practice was sued because of a mammography related case within the past 5 years, and 50% of practices reported that the threat of lawsuits made radiologist staffing "moderately" or "a lot" more difficult. Of 521 responding practices, 35% reported financial losses in 2002. One in 5 respondents reported that they would prefer to spend less time in mammography, and fewer than 1 in 3 would recommend a breast imaging fellowship to a relative or friend. Emerging technologies, such as breast magnetic resonance imaging and screening ultrasound, currently are being performed in many practices. The survey results provide support for anecdotal reports that breast imaging practices face significant challenges and stresses, including shortages of key personnel, a lack of trainees, malpractice concerns, financial constraints, increased workload due to emerging technologies, low appeal of breast imaging as a career specialty, and the steady rise in the population of women of screening age. (c) 2005 American Cancer Society.
Patient Care Staffing Levels and Facility Characteristics in U.S. Hemodialysis Facilities
Yoder, Laura A. G.; Xin, Wenjun; Norris, Keith C.; Yan, Guofen
2013-01-01
Background Higher numbers of registered nurses per patient have been associated with improved patient outcomes in acute care facilities. Variation and associations of patient-care staffing levels and hemodialysis facility characteristics have not been previously examined. Study Design Cross-sectional study using Poisson regression to examine associations betwee patient-care staffing levels and hemodialysis facility characteristics. Setting & Participants 4,800 U.S. hemodialysis facilities in the 2009 CMS ESRD Annual Facility Survey (CMS-2744), USRDS. Predictors Facility characteristics, including profit status, freestanding status, chain affiliatio and geographic region, adjusted for facility size, capacity, functional type, and urbanicity. Outcomes Patient care staffing levels, including ratios of Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Patient Care Technicians (PCT), composite staff (RN+LPN+PCT), Social Workers, and Dietitians to in-center hemodialysis patients. Results After adjusting for background facility characteristics, the ratios of RNs and LPNs to patients were 35% (p<0.001) and 42% (p<0.001) lower, but the PCT-to-patient ratio was 16% (p<0.001) higher in for-profit facilities than those in nonprofit facilities (Rate ratio, 0.65, 95%CI, 0.63–0.68; 0.58, 0.51–0.65; 1.16, 1.12–1.19; respectively). Regionally, compared to the Northeast, the adjusted RN-to-patient ratio was 14% (p< 0.001) lower in the Midwest, 25% (p< 0.001) lower in the South, and 18% (p< 0.001) lower in the West. Even after additional adjustments, the large for-profit chains had significantly lower RN and LPN ratios than the largest nonprofit chain, but a significantly higher PCT-to-patient ratio. The overall composite staffing levels were also lower in for-profit and chain-affiliated facilities. The patterns hold when the hospital-based units were excluded. Limitations Nursing hours were not available. Conclusions The significant variation in patient-care staffing levels and its associations with facility characteristics warrants inclusion in future large-scale hemodialysis outcomes studies. ESRD networks and hemodialysis facilities should attend to quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives that maximize licensed nurse-staffing levels in hemodialysis facilities. PMID:23810689
Characterization of Current Tower Cab Environments
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1977-11-01
This report describes the general tower cab environment in terms of: (a) the evolution of the tower cab, current cab classification and staffing levels, and the basic flow of ATC data relevant to cab operations, (b) a breakdown of functions performed...
Expansion of a residency program through provision of second-shift decentralized services.
Host, Brian D; Anderson, Michael J; Lucas, Paul D
2014-12-15
The rationale for and logistics of the expansion of a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residency program in a community hospital are described. Baptist Health Lexington, a nonprofit community hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, sought to expand the PGY1 program by having residents perform second-shift decentralized pharmacist functions. Program expansion was predicated on aligning resident staffing functions with current hospitalwide initiatives involving medication reconciliation and patient education. The focus was to integrate residents into the workflow while allowing them more time to practice as pharmacists and contribute to departmental objectives. The staffing function would increase residents' overall knowledge of departmental operations and foster their sense of independence and ownership. The decentralized functions would include initiation of clinical pharmacokinetic consultations, admission medication reconciliation, discharge teaching for patients with heart failure, and order-entry support from decentralized locations. The program grew from three to five residents and established a staffing rotation for second-shift decentralized coverage. The increased time spent staffing did not detract from the time allotted to previously established learning experiences and enhanced overall continuity of the staffing experience. The change also emphasized to the residents the importance of integration of distributive and clinical functions within the department. Pharmacist participation in admission and discharge medication reconciliation activities has also increased patient satisfaction, evidenced by follow-up surveys conducted by the hospital. A PGY1 residency program was expanded through the provision of second-shift decentralized clinical services, which helped provide residents with increased patient exposure and enhanced staffing experience. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.
7 CFR 235.5 - Payments to States.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.5 Payments to States. (a) Method of... shall include: (i) The staffing pattern for State level personnel; (ii) A budget for the forthcoming...
7 CFR 235.5 - Payments to States.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.5 Payments to States. (a) Method of... shall include: (i) The staffing pattern for State level personnel; (ii) A budget for the forthcoming...
7 CFR 235.5 - Payments to States.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.5 Payments to States. (a) Method of... shall include: (i) The staffing pattern for State level personnel; (ii) A budget for the forthcoming...
7 CFR 235.5 - Payments to States.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.5 Payments to States. (a) Method of... shall include: (i) The staffing pattern for State level personnel; (ii) A budget for the forthcoming...
7 CFR 235.5 - Payments to States.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.5 Payments to States. (a) Method of... shall include: (i) The staffing pattern for State level personnel; (ii) A budget for the forthcoming...
Pruinelli, Lisiane; Delaney, Connie W; Garciannie, Amy; Caspers, Barbara; Westra, Bonnie L
2016-01-01
There is a growing body of evidence of the relationship of nurse staffing to patient, nurse, and financial outcomes. With the advent of big data science and developing big data analytics in nursing, data science with the reuse of big data is emerging as a timely and cost-effective approach to demonstrate nursing value. The Nursing Management Minimum Date Set (NMMDS) provides standard administrative data elements, definitions, and codes to measure the context where care is delivered and, consequently, the value of nursing. The integration of the NMMDS elements in the current health system provides evidence for nursing leaders to measure and manage decisions, leading to better patient, staffing, and financial outcomes. It also enables the reuse of data for clinical scholarship and research.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-04-01
... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-04-01
... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-04-01
... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-04-01
... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-03-13
...., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Balance Staffing, Insight Global Staffing, and Technisource..., 2012, applicable to workers of PlumChoice, Inc., including on-site leased workers from Balance Staffing... leased workers from Balance Staffing, Insight Global Staffing, and Technisource, Scarborough, Maine, who...
A helicopter emergency medical service may allow faster access to highly specialised care.
Afzali, Monika; Hesselfeldt, Rasmus; Steinmetz, Jacob; Thomsen, Annemarie Bondegaard; Rasmussen, Lars S
2013-07-01
Centralization of the hospital system entails longer transport for some patients. A physician-staffed helicopter may provide effective triage, advanced management and fast transport to highly specialized treatment for time-critical patients. The aim of this study was to describe activity and possible beneficial effect of a physician-staffed helicopter in a one-year trial period in eastern Denmark. This was a prospective observational study of all missions related to a daylight operating, physician-staffed helicopter. We recorded information about the activity during 12 months, focusing on dispatchment, diagnoses, medical interventions, admission patterns and 30-day mortality. There were a total of 574 missions resulting in 609 patient contacts. Activity ranged from 22 to 76 missions per month. The helicopter was grounded 6% of its operating time, mainly due to weather conditions. The primary patient categories were trauma (43.5%) and cardiac disease (26.1%). The physician acted as Medical Incident Officer at three major incidents. A total of 53 endotracheal intubations, 13 intraosseous cannula insertions and four tube thoracostomies were performed. The median hospital length-of-stay was four days, 30-day mortality was 6.1% and 86 patients were transferred to intensive care units. The physician-staffed helicopter had approximately two missions per day the first year, mainly in relation to trauma and cardiac patients needing specialized treatment. Advanced medical interventions were commonly performed. Funded by Trygfonden. not relevant.
SDR (Systems Directed Reading): An Overview.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baugo Community Schools, Elkhart, IN.
The objective of this project for kindergarten through fifth grade is to interest public and private educational institutions in the systematization of elementary school reading programs. Facets of Systems Directed Reading (SDR) include the use of a differentiated staffing pattern; experienced language arts unit leaders guiding and directing all…
Nurse Staffing in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the United States
Rogowski, Jeannette A.; Staiger, Douglas O.; Patrick, Thelma E.; Horbar, Jeffrey D.; Kenny, Michael J.; Lake, Eileen T.
2016-01-01
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a setting with high nurse-to-patient ratios. Little is known about the factors that determine nurse workload and assignment. The goals of this study were to (1) develop a measure of NICU infant acuity; (2) describe the acuity distribution of NICU infants; (3) describe the nurse/infant ratio at each acuity level, and examine the factors other than acuity, including nurse qualifications and the availability of physicians and other providers, that determined staffing ratios; and (4) explore whether nurse qualifications were related to the acuity of assigned infants. In a two-stage cohort study, data were collected in 104 NICUs in 2008 by nurse survey (6,038 nurses and 15,191 infants assigned to them) and administrators reported on unit-level staffing of non-nurse providers; in a subset of 70 NICUs in 2009–2010, census data were collected on four selected shifts (3,871 nurses and 9,276 infants assigned to them). Most NICU infants (62%) were low-acuity (Levels 1 and 2); 12% of infants were high-acuity (Levels 4 and 5). The nurse-to-infant ratio ranged from 0.33 for the lowest-acuity infants to 0.95 for the highest-acuity infants. The staffing ratio was significantly related to the acuity of assigned infants but not to nurse education, experience, certification, or availability of other providers. There was a significant but small difference in the percentage of high-acuity (Levels 4 and 5) infants assigned to nurses with specialty certification (15% vs. 12% for nurses without certification). These staffing patterns may not optimize patient outcomes in this highly intensive pediatric care setting. PMID:26291315
Wein, Lawrence M.; Baveja, Manas
2005-01-01
Motivated by the difficulty of biometric systems to correctly match fingerprints with poor image quality, we formulate and solve a game-theoretic formulation of the identification problem in two settings: U.S. visa applicants are checked against a list of visa holders to detect visa fraud, and visitors entering the U.S. are checked against a watchlist of criminals and suspected terrorists. For three types of biometric strategies, we solve the game in which the U.S. Government chooses the strategy's optimal parameter values to maximize the detection probability subject to a constraint on the mean biometric processing time per legal visitor, and then the terrorist chooses the image quality to minimize the detection probability. At current inspector staffing levels at ports of entry, our model predicts that a quality-dependent two-finger strategy achieves a detection probability of 0.733, compared to 0.526 under the quality-independent two-finger strategy that is currently implemented at the U.S. border. Increasing the staffing level of inspectors offers only minor increases in the detection probability for these two strategies. Using more than two fingers to match visitors with poor image quality allows a detection probability of 0.949 under current staffing levels, but may require major changes to the current U.S. biometric program. The detection probabilities during visa application are ≈11–22% smaller than at ports of entry for all three strategies, but the same qualitative conclusions hold. PMID:15894628
Wein, Lawrence M; Baveja, Manas
2005-05-24
Motivated by the difficulty of biometric systems to correctly match fingerprints with poor image quality, we formulate and solve a game-theoretic formulation of the identification problem in two settings: U.S. visa applicants are checked against a list of visa holders to detect visa fraud, and visitors entering the U.S. are checked against a watchlist of criminals and suspected terrorists. For three types of biometric strategies, we solve the game in which the U.S. Government chooses the strategy's optimal parameter values to maximize the detection probability subject to a constraint on the mean biometric processing time per legal visitor, and then the terrorist chooses the image quality to minimize the detection probability. At current inspector staffing levels at ports of entry, our model predicts that a quality-dependent two-finger strategy achieves a detection probability of 0.733, compared to 0.526 under the quality-independent two-finger strategy that is currently implemented at the U.S. border. Increasing the staffing level of inspectors offers only minor increases in the detection probability for these two strategies. Using more than two fingers to match visitors with poor image quality allows a detection probability of 0.949 under current staffing levels, but may require major changes to the current U.S. biometric program. The detection probabilities during visa application are approximately 11-22% smaller than at ports of entry for all three strategies, but the same qualitative conclusions hold.
Community health centers at the crossroads: growth and staffing needs.
Proser, Michelle; Bysshe, Tyler; Weaver, Donald; Yee, Ronald
2015-04-01
In response to increased demand for primary care services under the Affordable Care Act, the national network of community health centers (CHCs) will play an increasingly prominent role. CHCs have a broad staffing model that includes extensive use of physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and certified nurse midwives (CNMs). Between 2007 and 2012, the number of PAs, NPs, and CNMs at CHCs increased by 61%, compared with 31% for physicians. However, several policy and payment issues jeopardize CHCs' ability to expand their workforce and meet the current and rising demand for care.
California's minimum-nurse-staffing legislation and nurses' wages.
Mark, Barbara; Harless, David W; Spetz, Joanne
2009-01-01
In 2004, California became the first state to implement minimum-nurse-staffing ratios in acute care hospitals. We examined the wages of registered nurses (RNs) before and after the legislation was enacted. Using four data sets-the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the Current Population Survey, the National Compensation Survey, and the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey-we found that from 2000 through 2006, RNs in California metropolitan areas experienced real wage growth as much as twelve percentage points higher than the growth in the wages of nurses employed in metropolitan areas outside of California.
Ms, Suzie Aparicio; Welch Bacon, Cailee E; Parsons, John T; Bay, R Curtis; Cohen, Randy P; DeZeeuw, Terry; McLeod, Tamara C Valovich
2015-12-01
The "Appropriate Medical Coverage for Intercollegiate Athletics" (AMCIA) document was created to support assessment and calculation of athletic training personnel requirements. However, little is known regarding disparities between current and recommended staffing practices. To identify the staffing and employment characteristics of athletic health care services at Football Bowl Subdivision-level institutions. Cross-sectional study. Web-based survey. Head athletic trainers and athletic training staff members who were knowledgeable about budget and staff. The survey, Assessment of Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions, was used to evaluate personal, university, and staff demographics; staffing and employment topics; and AMCIA variables and use. The survey was accessed and partially completed by 104 individuals (response rate = 84.6%). A total of 79 athletic trainers (response rate = 76%) completed the entire survey. One-third of the respondents (34.2%, n = 26) met the recommended number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for football, two-thirds of the respondents (65.7%, n = 50) failed to meet the recommendation, and 26.2% (n = 27) were missing data needed for FTE calculation. Among those who did not meet the recommended FTEs (n = 50), 38.0% (n = 19) were within 1 FTE of being compliant, 26.0% (n = 13) were within 2 FTEs, and 24.0% (n = 12) were within 3 FTEs. About one-third of respondents (35.9%, n = 37) reported not using the AMCIA, citing lack of funding (29.7%, n = 11), lack of administrative support (21.6%, n = 8), and other reasons (37.8%, n = 14). The majority of institutions that used the AMCIA were able to provide justification for staffing. For most of the institutions that failed to meet their recommendation, adding 1-3 FTE athletic trainers for football would change their compliance status. A uniform definition of the term FTE within collegiate athletics is needed to allow for structured assessment and allocation of staffing and workloads.
Hospital nurse staffing models and patient and staff-related outcomes.
Butler, Michelle; Collins, Rita; Drennan, Jonathan; Halligan, Phil; O'Mathúna, Dónal P; Schultz, Timothy J; Sheridan, Ann; Vilis, Eileen
2011-07-06
Nurse staffing interventions have been introduced across countries in recent years in response to changing patient requirements, developments in patient care, and shortages of qualified nursing staff. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staffing levels, nursing shifts or nurses' work patterns. Nurse staffing has been closely linked to patient outcomes, organisational outcomes such as costs, and staff-related outcomes. Our aim was to explore the effect of hospital nurse staffing models on patient and staff-related outcomes. We searched the following databases from inception through to May 2009: Cochrane/EPOC resources (DARE, CENTRAL, the EPOC Specialised Register), PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, CAB Health, Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute database, the British Library, international theses databases, as well as generic search engines. Randomised control trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series analyses of interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models. Participants were patients and nursing staff working in hospital settings. We included any objective measure of patient or staff-related outcome. Seven reviewers working in pairs independently extracted data from each potentially relevant study and assessed risk of bias. We identified 6,202 studies that were potentially relevant to our review. Following detailed examination of each study, we included 15 studies in the review. Despite the number of studies conducted on this topic, the quality of evidence overall was very limited. We found no evidence that the addition of specialist nurses to nursing staff reduces patient death rates, attendance at the emergency department, or readmission rates, but it is likely to result in shorter patient hospital stays, and reductions in pressure ulcers. The evidence in relation to the impact of replacing Registered Nurses with unqualified nursing assistants on patient outcomes is very limited. However, it is suggested that specialist support staff, such as dietary assistants, may have an important impact on patient outcomes. Self-scheduling and primary nursing may reduce staff turnover. The introduction of team midwifery (versus standard care) may reduce medical procedures in labour and result in a shorter length of stay without compromising maternal or perinatal safety. We found no eligible studies of educational interventions, grade mix interventions, or staffing levels and therefore we are unable to draw conclusions in relation to these interventions. The findings suggest interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may improve some patient outcomes, particularly the addition of specialist nursing and specialist support roles to the nursing workforce. Interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may also improve staff-related outcomes, particularly the introduction of primary nursing and self-scheduling. However, these findings should be treated with extreme caution due to the limited evidence available from the research conducted to date.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-19
...-Site Leased Workers From Spherion Staffing, Dividend Staffing, Mystaff, and Zero Chaos, Wichita Falls... from Spherion Staffing, Dividend Staffing, MyStaff, and Zero Chaos were employed on-site by the Wichita..., Dividend Staffing, MyStaff, and Zero Chaos working on-site at the Wichita Falls, Texas location of ABB, Inc...
45 CFR 1306.20 - Program staffing patterns.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... provider may care for up to four infants and toddlers, with no more than two of the four children under the... agency will assign responsibilities to the child development specialist and other agency staff to support... than once every two weeks. (3) During visits to family child care homes the child development...
45 CFR 1306.20 - Program staffing patterns.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... provider may care for up to four infants and toddlers, with no more than two of the four children under the... agency will assign responsibilities to the child development specialist and other agency staff to support... than once every two weeks. (3) During visits to family child care homes the child development...
45 CFR 1306.20 - Program staffing patterns.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... provider may care for up to four infants and toddlers, with no more than two of the four children under the... agency will assign responsibilities to the child development specialist and other agency staff to support... than once every two weeks. (3) During visits to family child care homes the child development...
45 CFR 1306.20 - Program staffing patterns.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... provider may care for up to four infants and toddlers, with no more than two of the four children under the... agency will assign responsibilities to the child development specialist and other agency staff to support... than once every two weeks. (3) During visits to family child care homes the child development...
45 CFR 1306.20 - Program staffing patterns.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... provider may care for up to four infants and toddlers, with no more than two of the four children under the... agency will assign responsibilities to the child development specialist and other agency staff to support... than once every two weeks. (3) During visits to family child care homes the child development...
Ohio Teacher Supply and Demand 1991.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bowers, G. Robert
Teacher supply and demand in the public schools of Ohio depend on such factors as enrollment trends, subject-election patterns, staffing ratios, employment practices, turnover rates, and the number of graduates from teachers' colleges. Data contained in this report have been collected and maintained by the Ohio State Department of Education since…
Changing Times, Changing Mission?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Levin, Bernard H.; And Others
To determine the effects of changes in state funding on patterns of spending among institutions within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), an analysis was performed of audited operating expenditures, enrollment, and staffing for the decade between 1980 and 1990 for each of the 23 VCCS colleges. The analysis found that from 1981-82 to…
Rare Book and Manuscript Libraries in the Twenty-First Century.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wendorf, Richard, Ed.
Revised versions of the talks presented at the symposium are presented here. A preliminary discussion paper opens the manuscript, exploring the implications of changing patterns in teaching, research, and scholarship, the new demands of the marketplace and libraries' resultant collection development, the changing technologies, future staffing,…
Staffing Patterns for Programs in Adult Agricultural Education; A Study in Cooperation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Persons, Edgar A.; Leske, Gary
The study defines the relationships between agriculture teachers and other persons with whom they work in providing adult agricultural education; specifically, it identifies with whom the instructor cooperated in providing a program, identifies the functions performed by those who cooperated, and identifies the success of the cooperative…
Health Occupations Trends and Issues: Issue Paper.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Covelli, Nicholas J.; And Others
A study was conducted to identify the trends occurring within the health service industry and their impact on the providers of health care; determine shifts or emerging occupational areas within health services; and assess local health service providers' staffing patterns and anticipated needs. The study involved meetings with local hospital…
Rural Aspirations and Expectations of Ohio and Georgia Secondary Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McCracken, J. David; And Others
Different areas and regions of the nation have characteristically different rural high school systems due to differences in socioeconomic status of the residents, racial or ethnic membership, and family background. Differences in staffing patterns, enrollment levels, and school budgets are also characteristics that help to differentiate rural and…
The Legacy of Apollo: Assessed and Appreciated.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Griffin, Richard A.; Griffin, Ann D.
1997-01-01
The real-life drama 25 years ago when Apollo 13 was rescued through a collaborative team of colleagues provides a model for changes in many public schools. In Texas, the state code specifies that site-based decision making address planning, budgeting, curriculum staffing patterns, staff development, and school organization. (MLF)
Consultant management estimating tool.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2012-04-01
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Consultant Management Bureaus primary responsibilities are to negotiate staffing hours/resources with : engineering design consultants, and to monitor the consultant's costs. Currently the C...
Daviaud, Emmanuelle; Chopra, Mickey
2008-01-01
To quantify staff requirements in primary health care facilities in South Africa through an adaptation of the WHO workload indicator of staff needs tool. We use a model to estimate staffing requirements at primary health care facilities. The model integrates several empirically-based assumptions including time and type of health worker required for each type of consultation, amount of management time required, amount of clinical support required and minimum staff requirements per type of facility. We also calculate the number of HIV-related consultations per district. The model incorporates type of facility, monthly travelling time for mobile clinics, opening hours per week, yearly activity and current staffing and calculates the expected staffing per category of staff per facility and compares it to the actual staffing. Across all the districts there is either an absence of doctors visiting clinics or too few doctors to cover the opening times of community health centres. Overall the number of doctors is only 7% of the required amount. There is 94% of the required number of professional nurses but with wide variations between districts, with a few districts having excesses while most have shortages. The number of enrolled nurses is 60% of what it should be. There are 17% too few enrolled nurse assistants. Across all districts there is wide variation in staffing levels between facilities leading to inefficient use of professional staff. The application of an adapted WHO workload tool identified important human resource planning issues.
The Need for Higher Minimum Staffing Standards in U.S. Nursing Homes
Harrington, Charlene; Schnelle, John F.; McGregor, Margaret; Simmons, Sandra F.
2016-01-01
Many U.S. nursing homes have serious quality problems, in part, because of inadequate levels of nurse staffing. This commentary focuses on two issues. First, there is a need for higher minimum nurse staffing standards for U.S. nursing homes based on multiple research studies showing a positive relationship between nursing home quality and staffing and the benefits of implementing higher minimum staffing standards. Studies have identified the minimum staffing levels necessary to provide care consistent with the federal regulations, but many U.S. facilities have dangerously low staffing. Second, the barriers to staffing reform are discussed. These include economic concerns about costs and a focus on financial incentives. The enforcement of existing staffing standards has been weak, and strong nursing home industry political opposition has limited efforts to establish higher standards. Researchers should study the ways to improve staffing standards and new payment, regulatory, and political strategies to improve nursing home staffing and quality. PMID:27103819
Nursing Home Staffing Standards: Their Relationship to Nurse Staffing Levels
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mueller, Christine; Arling, Greg; Kane, Robert; Bershadsky, Julie; Holland, Diane; Joy, Annika
2006-01-01
Purpose: This study reviews staffing standards from the 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine if these standards are related to nursing home staffing levels. Design and Methods: Rules and regulations for states' nursing home staffing standards were obtained for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nurse staffing data were…
District nursing renascent as Wales adopts safe staffing levels.
Labourne, Paul
2018-05-02
This article reflects on the history of the NHS in Wales and how this has led to its current structure. How this structure supports integrated working across primary, community and secondary care and how further integration with social care is moving forward and its direct effects on district nursing are explored. This article describes how district nursing is meeting these challenges. Support for district nurses as part of integrated multiprofessional teams is being developed to promote appropriately staffed teams centred on meeting the requirements of people within a designated area and ensuring that home is the best and first place of care.
Guidelines for the Productive Employment of Older Adults in Child Care.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Newman, Sally M.; And Others
This publication offers guidelines that policymakers, advocates of children and older adults, and child care practitioners can use to provide older adults with opportunities to work in the child care field. Guidelines that address developmental issues relating to older adults concern employers' sensitivity to older adults and staffing patterns in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gansemer-Topf, Ann M.; Downey, Jillian; Thompson, Katherine; Genschel, Ulrike
2018-01-01
Economic recessions impact higher education institutions in complex ways. Several analyses have examined the influence of the 2007-2009 recession on tuition, enrollments, revenues, and expenditures, but the connection of these resource allocation patterns to a student success outcome--namely, retention--is limited. This study examined…
Staffing Patterns in the Wholesale and Retail Trade Industry in Indiana.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Indiana State Employment Security Div., Indianapolis. Research and Statistics Section.
Directed towards designers of vocational education training programs, the document presents statistical data and discussion concerning employment trends in Indiana for various industries in the wholesale and retail trade sector. Data are based on a survey conducted in 1973-74, covering 5,986 establishments and 202,070 employees, with a usable…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Indiana State Employment Security Div., Indianapolis. Research and Statistics Section.
The material in the publication is intended to acquaint users with the occupational composition of the various nonmanufacturing industries in the State of Indiana. It is directed particularly to those who are concerned with designing academic and vocational education programs in order to supply workers to fill the needs of industry and to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sanchez,Gilbert; Cali, Alfred J.
This study was designed to compare time allocations to major functions actually performed and idealized by bilingual administrators and principals; to rank specific procedures used in accomplishing these functions; to determine staffing patterns, and program and organizational characteristics; and to isolate personal/professional demographics of…
College of Education Task Force for Small Schools in Tennessee.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
O'Fallon, O. K.; Doak, E. Dale
Small schools have been slow to respond to changing societal needs because (1) of their isolation, geographically and otherwise; (2) their smallness leaves little flexibility to innovate and explore; (3) staffing patterns are aimed at recruitment from within the community; and (4) information and communication is focused on the localite rather…
Population Trends and Their Implications for Association Planning, 1981.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Constant, Anne P., Ed.; And Others
Population trends will have a significant impact on educators' decision making, not only because of declining enrollment, but also because employment patterns and staffing in schools and colleges will be affected. Among the factors that educators must contend with are: (1) The birth rate has been increasing slowly since 1974; (2) The reduction in…
Easy In, Easy Out: Are Alternatively Certified Teachers Turning Over at Increased Rates?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Redding, Christopher; Smith, Thomas M.
2016-01-01
Alternative certification programs are now commonplace in the credentialing of new teachers. We complement the growing evidence base for these teachers by exploring their turnover patterns in four waves of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). We report on descriptive evidence of growing differences in the…
Campus-Level Decision-Making Practices: Principals and Teachers Differ in Their Views
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Noel, Cindi; Slate, John R.; Brown, Michelle; Tejeda-Delgado, Carmen
2009-01-01
With the implementation of site-based decision-making occurring in schools, the extent to which teachers perceive their involvement in decisions on planning, budgeting, curriculum, staffing patterns, staff development, and campus-level organization and the extent to which teachers' views of their involvement in these activities are congruent with…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus.
This annual report summarizes recent activities provided in Ohio through Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Information presented includes statistics for fiscal 1988, including the 1987-88 school year and the following summer, participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, parent…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus.
This report summarizes recent compensatory education program activities in Ohio, which were funded through Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. It presents and discusses statistics for the 1982-83 school year, participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, inservice training, parent…
State ESEA Title I Participation Information for 1997-98: Final Summary Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sinclair, Beth; Carroll, Janet
This report summarizes data that address several aspects of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title I program. It includes information on districts, schools and students served, range of instructional and support services provided, Title I staffing patterns, and schools' progress toward meeting performance standards as reported in Title…
Groth, Heather; House, Hans; Overton, Rachel; Deroo, Eric
2013-03-01
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) endorses emergency medicine (EM) residency training as the only legitimate pathway to practicing EM, yet the economic reality of Iowa's rural population will continue to require the hiring of non-EM trained physicians. The objective of our study is to better understand the current staffing practices of Iowa emergency departments (EDs). Specifically, we seek to determine the Iowa community size required to support hiring an emergency physician (EP), identify the number of EDs staffed by advanced practice providers (APPs) in solo coverage in EDs, determine the changes in staffing over a 4-year period, and understand the market forces that contribute to staffing decisions. Researchers surveyed all 119 hospitals throughout the state of Iowa regarding their ED hiring practices, both in 2008 and 2012. From these data, we determined the mean population that supports hiring EPs and performed a qualitative examination of the reasons given for hiring preferences. We found that a mean population of approximately 85,000 is needed to support EP-only staffing practices. In 2012, only 14 (11.8%) of Iowa's EDs were staffed exclusively with EPs. Seventy-two (60.5%) staff with a combination of EPs and FPs, 33 (27.7%) staff with FPs alone, and 72 (60.5%) have physician assistants or nurse practitioners working in solo coverage for at least part of the week. Comparing the data from 2008 and 2012, there is no statistical change in the hiring of EPs versus FPs over the 4 years (Chi-square 0.68, p=0.7118), although there is a significant increase in the number of APPs in solo practice (Chi-square 11.36, p= 0.0008). Administrators at hospitals cited several factors for preferring to hire EPs: quality of care provided by EPs, availability of EPs, high patient acuity, and high patient volume. Many EDs in Iowa remain staffed by family medicine-trained physicians and are being increasingly staffed by APPs. Without the contribution of family physicians, large areas of the state would be unable to provide adequate emergency care. Board-certified emergency physicians remain concentrated in urban areas of the state, where patient volumes and acuity support their hiring.
Groth, Heather; House, Hans; Overton, Rachel; DeRoo, Eric
2013-01-01
Introduction: The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) endorses emergency medicine (EM) residency training as the only legitimate pathway to practicing EM, yet the economic reality of Iowa’s rural population will continue to require the hiring of non-EM trained physicians. The objective of our study is to better understand the current staffing practices of Iowa emergency departments (EDs). Specifically, we seek to determine the Iowa community size required to support hiring an emergency physician (EP), identify the number of EDs staffed by advanced practice providers (APPs) in solo coverage in EDs, determine the changes in staffing over a 4-year period, and understand the market forces that contribute to staffing decisions. Methods: Researchers surveyed all 119 hospitals throughout the state of Iowa regarding their ED hiring practices, both in 2008 and 2012. From these data, we determined the mean population that supports hiring EPs and performed a qualitative examination of the reasons given for hiring preferences. Results: We found that a mean population of approximately 85,000 is needed to support EP-only staffing practices. In 2012, only 14 (11.8%) of Iowa’s EDs were staffed exclusively with EPs. Seventy-two (60.5%) staff with a combination of EPs and FPs, 33 (27.7%) staff with FPs alone, and 72 (60.5%) have physician assistants or nurse practitioners working in solo coverage for at least part of the week. Comparing the data from 2008 and 2012, there is no statistical change in the hiring of EPs versus FPs over the 4 years (Chi-square 0.68, p=0.7118), although there is a significant increase in the number of APPs in solo practice (Chi-square 11.36, p= 0.0008). Administrators at hospitals cited several factors for preferring to hire EPs: quality of care provided by EPs, availability of EPs, high patient acuity, and high patient volume. Conclusion: Many EDs in Iowa remain staffed by family medicine-trained physicians and are being increasingly staffed by APPs. Without the contribution of family physicians, large areas of the state would be unable to provide adequate emergency care. Board-certified emergency physicians remain concentrated in urban areas of the state, where patient volumes and acuity support their hiring. PMID:23599868
75 FR 22838 - Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Charleston County, SC
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-30
... opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and... additional elementary schools, students, and teachers. The refuge would be staffed at current levels plus the...
Medicaid payment rates, case-mix reimbursement, and nursing home staffing--1996-2004.
Feng, Zhanlian; Grabowski, David C; Intrator, Orna; Zinn, Jacqueline; Mor, Vincent
2008-01-01
We examined the impact of state Medicaid payment rates and case-mix reimbursement on direct care staffing levels in US nursing homes. We used a recent time series of national nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting system for 1996-2004, merged with annual state Medicaid payment rates and case-mix reimbursement information. A 5-category response measure of total staffing levels was defined according to expert recommended thresholds, and examined in a multinomial logistic regression model. Facility fixed-effects models were estimated separately for Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) staffing levels measured as average hours per resident day. Higher Medicaid payment rates were associated with increases in total staffing levels to meet a higher recommended threshold. However, these gains in overall staffing were accompanied by a reduction of RN staffing and an increase in both LPN and CNA staffing levels. Under case-mix reimbursement, the likelihood of nursing homes achieving higher recommended staffing thresholds decreased, as did levels of professional staffing. Independent of the effects of state, market, and facility characteristics, there was a significant downward trend in RN staffing and an upward trend in both LPN and CNA staffing. Although overall staffing may increase in response to more generous Medicaid reimbursement, it may not translate into improvements in the skill mix of staff. Adjusting for reimbursement levels and resident acuity, total staffing has not increased after the implementation of case-mix reimbursement.
A strategy for optimizing staffing to improve the timeliness of inpatient phlebotomy collections.
Morrison, Aileen P; Tanasijevic, Milenko J; Torrence-Hill, Joi N; Goonan, Ellen M; Gustafson, Michael L; Melanson, Stacy E F
2011-12-01
The timely availability of inpatient test results is a key to physician satisfaction with the clinical laboratory, and in an institution with a phlebotomy service may depend on the timeliness of blood collections. In response to safety reports filed for delayed phlebotomy collections, we applied Lean principles to the inpatient phlebotomy service at our institution. Our goal was to improve service without using additional resources by optimizing our staffing model. To evaluate the effect of a new phlebotomy staffing model on the timeliness of inpatient phlebotomy collections. We compared the median time of morning blood collections and average number of safety reports filed for delayed phlebotomy collections during a 6-month preimplementation period and 5-month postimplementation period. The median time of morning collections was 17 minutes earlier after implementation (7:42 am preimplementation; interquartile range, 6:27-8:48 am; versus 7:25 am postimplementation; interquartile range, 6:20-8:26 am). The frequency of safety reports filed for delayed collections decreased 80% from 10.6 per 30 days to 2.2 per 30 days. Reallocating staff to match the pattern of demand for phlebotomy collections throughout the day represents a strategy for improving the performance of an inpatient phlebotomy service.
Nighttime intensivist staffing, mortality, and limits on life support: a retrospective cohort study.
Kerlin, Meeta Prasad; Harhay, Michael O; Kahn, Jeremy M; Halpern, Scott D
2015-04-01
Evidence regarding nighttime physician staffing of ICUs is suboptimal. We aimed to determine how nighttime physician staffing models influence patient outcomes. We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study in a multicenter registry of US ICUs. The exposure variable was the ICU's nighttime physician staffing model. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included new limitations on life support, ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, and duration of mechanical ventilation. Daytime physician staffing was studied as a potential effect modifier. The study included 270,742 patients in 143 ICUs. Compared with nighttime staffing with an attending intensivist, nighttime staffing without an attending intensivist was not associated with hospital mortality (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92-1.15; P = .65). This relationship was not modified by daytime physician staffing (interaction P = .19). When nighttime staffing was subcategorized, neither attending nonintensivist nor physician trainee staffing was associated with hospital mortality compared with attending intensivist staffing. However, nighttime staffing without any physician was associated with reduced odds of hospital mortality (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.91; P = .002) and new limitations on life support (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75-0.93; P = .001). Nighttime staffing was not associated with ICU or hospital length of stay. Nighttime staffing with an attending nonintensivist was associated with a slightly longer duration of mechanical ventilation (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09; P < .001). We found little evidence that nighttime physician staffing models affect patient outcomes. ICUs without physicians at night may exhibit reduced hospital mortality that is possibly attributable to differences in end-of-life care practices.
van Oostveen, Catharina J; Mathijssen, Elke; Vermeulen, Hester
2015-08-01
To obtain in-depth insight into the perceptions of nurses in the Netherlands regarding current nurse staffing levels and use of nurse-to-patient-ratios (NPR) and patient classification systems (PCS). In response to rising health care demands due to ageing of the patient population and increasing complexity of healthcare, hospital boards have been implementing NPRs and PCSs. However, many nurses at the unit level believe that staffing levels have become critically low, endangering the quality and safety of their patient care. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in a 1000-bed Dutch university hospital among 24 wards of four specialties (surgery, internal medicine, neurology, gynaecology & obstetrics and paediatric care). Data were collected from September until December 2012. To collect data four focus groups (n=44 nurses) were organized. Additionally, a total of 27 interviews (20 head nurses, 4 nurse directors and 3 quality advisors) were conducted using purposive sampling. The focus groups and interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Nurse staffing issues appear to be merely the 'tip of the iceberg'. Below the surface three underlying main themes became clear - nursing behaviour, authority, and autonomy - which are linked by one overall theme: nurses' position. In general, nurses' behaviour, way of thinking, decision-making and communication of thoughts or information differs from other healthcare disciplines, e.g. physicians and quality advisors. This results in a perceived and actual lack of authority and autonomy. This in turn hinders them to plead for adequate nurse staffing in order to achieve the common goal of safe and high-quality patient care. Nurses desired a valid nursing care intensity system as an interdisciplinary and objective communication tool that makes nursing care visible and creates possibilities for better positioning of nurses in hospitals and further professionalization in terms of enhanced authority and autonomy. The perceived subservient position of nurses in the hospital appears to be the root cause of nurse staffing problems. It is yet unknown whether an objective PCS to measure nursing care intensity would help them communicate effectively and credibly, thereby improving their own position. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
MS, Suzie Aparicio; Welch Bacon, Cailee E.; Parsons, John T.; Bay, R. Curtis; Cohen, Randy P.; DeZeeuw, Terry; McLeod, Tamara C. Valovich
2015-01-01
Context The “Appropriate Medical Coverage for Intercollegiate Athletics” (AMCIA) document was created to support assessment and calculation of athletic training personnel requirements. However, little is known regarding disparities between current and recommended staffing practices. Objective To identify the staffing and employment characteristics of athletic health care services at Football Bowl Subdivision-level institutions. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants Head athletic trainers and athletic training staff members who were knowledgeable about budget and staff. Main Outcome Measure(s) The survey, Assessment of Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions, was used to evaluate personal, university, and staff demographics; staffing and employment topics; and AMCIA variables and use. Results The survey was accessed and partially completed by 104 individuals (response rate = 84.6%). A total of 79 athletic trainers (response rate = 76%) completed the entire survey. One-third of the respondents (34.2%, n = 26) met the recommended number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for football, two-thirds of the respondents (65.7%, n = 50) failed to meet the recommendation, and 26.2% (n = 27) were missing data needed for FTE calculation. Among those who did not meet the recommended FTEs (n = 50), 38.0% (n = 19) were within 1 FTE of being compliant, 26.0% (n = 13) were within 2 FTEs, and 24.0% (n = 12) were within 3 FTEs. About one-third of respondents (35.9%, n = 37) reported not using the AMCIA, citing lack of funding (29.7%, n = 11), lack of administrative support (21.6%, n = 8), and other reasons (37.8%, n = 14). Conclusions The majority of institutions that used the AMCIA were able to provide justification for staffing. For most of the institutions that failed to meet their recommendation, adding 1–3 FTE athletic trainers for football would change their compliance status. A uniform definition of the term FTE within collegiate athletics is needed to allow for structured assessment and allocation of staffing and workloads. PMID:26599959
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-03
... Services, Vantage Staffing, Volt Services Group, Adecco, Synergy Service Corp., and PDS Technical Services... Staffing Services, Vantage Staffing, Volt Services Group, Adecco, Synergy Service Corp., and PDS Technical... International, Aerotek, Professional Staffing Services, Vantage Staffing, Volt Services Group, Adecco, Synergy...
Reduced Mortality by Physician-Staffed HEMS Dispatch for Adult Blunt Trauma Patients in Korea
2016-01-01
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of domestic physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for the transport of patients with severe trauma to a hospital. The study included patients with blunt trauma who were transported to our hospital by physician-staffed HEMS (Group P; n = 100) or nonphysician-staffed HEMS (Group NP; n = 80). Basic patient characteristics, transport time, treatment procedures, and medical treatment outcomes assessed using the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) were compared between groups. We also assessed patients who were transported to the hospital within 3 h of injury in Groups P (Group P3; n = 50) and NP (Group NP3; n = 74). The severity of injury was higher, transport time was longer, and time from hospital arrival to operation room transfer was shorter for Group P than for Group NP (P < 0.001). Although Group P patients exhibited better medical treatment outcomes compared with Group NP, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.134 vs. 0.730). However, the difference in outcomes was statistically significant between Groups P3 and NP3 (P = 0.035 vs. 0.546). Under the current domestic trauma patient transport system in South Korea, physician-staffed HEMS are expected to increase the survival of patients with severe trauma. In particular, better treatment outcomes are expected if dedicated trauma resuscitation teams actively intervene in the medical treatment process from the transport stage and if patients are transported to a hospital to receive definitive care within 3 hours of injury. PMID:27550497
Bowblis, John R; Hyer, Kathryn
2013-01-01
Objective To study the effect of minimum nurse staffing requirements on the subsequent employment of nursing home support staff. Data Sources Nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) System merged with state nurse staffing requirements. Study Design Facility-level housekeeping, food service, and activities staff levels are regressed on nurse staffing requirements and other controls using fixed effect panel regression. Data Extraction Method OSCAR surveys from 1999 to 2004. Principal Findings Increases in state direct care and licensed nurse staffing requirements are associated with decreases in the staffing levels of all types of support staff. Conclusions Increased nursing home nurse staffing requirements lead to input substitution in the form of reduced support staffing levels. PMID:23445455
Bowblis, John R; Hyer, Kathryn
2013-08-01
To study the effect of minimum nurse staffing requirements on the subsequent employment of nursing home support staff. Nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) System merged with state nurse staffing requirements. Facility-level housekeeping, food service, and activities staff levels are regressed on nurse staffing requirements and other controls using fixed effect panel regression. OSCAR surveys from 1999 to 2004. Increases in state direct care and licensed nurse staffing requirements are associated with decreases in the staffing levels of all types of support staff. Increased nursing home nurse staffing requirements lead to input substitution in the form of reduced support staffing levels. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
Tjoa, Aaron; Kapihya, Margaret; Libetwa, Miriam; Schroder, Kate; Scott, Callie; Lee, Joanne; McCarthy, Elizabeth
2010-06-30
The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Zambia is currently operating with fewer than half of the health workers required to deliver basic health services. The MOH has developed a human resources for health (HRH) strategic plan to address the crisis through improved training, hiring, and retention. However, the projected success of each strategy or combination of strategies is unclear. We developed a model to forecast the size of the public sector health workforce in Zambia over the next ten years to identify a combination of interventions that would expand the workforce to meet staffing targets. The key forecasting variables are training enrolment, graduation rates, public sector entry rates for graduates, and attrition of workforce staff. We model, using Excel (Office, Microsoft; 2007), the effects of changes in these variables on the projected number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses and midwives in the public sector workforce in 2018. With no changes to current training, hiring, and attrition conditions, the total number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses, and midwives will increase from 44% to 59% of the minimum necessary staff by 2018. No combination of changes in staff retention, graduation rates, and public sector entry rates of graduates by 2010, without including training expansion, is sufficient to meet staffing targets by 2018 for any cadre except midwives. Training enrolment needs to increase by a factor of between three and thirteen for doctors, three and four for clinical officers, two and three for nurses, and one and two for midwives by 2010 to reach staffing targets by 2018. Necessary enrolment increases can be held to a minimum if the rates of retention, graduation, and public sector entry increase to 100% by 2010, but will need to increase if these rates remain at 2008 levels. Meeting the minimum need for health workers in Zambia this decade will require an increase in health training school enrolment. Supplemental interventions targeting attrition, graduation and public sector entry rates can help close the gap. HRH modelling can help MOH policy makers determine the relative priority and level of investment needed to expand Zambia's workforce to target staffing levels.
2010-01-01
Background The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Zambia is currently operating with fewer than half of the health workers required to deliver basic health services. The MOH has developed a human resources for health (HRH) strategic plan to address the crisis through improved training, hiring, and retention. However, the projected success of each strategy or combination of strategies is unclear. Methods We developed a model to forecast the size of the public sector health workforce in Zambia over the next ten years to identify a combination of interventions that would expand the workforce to meet staffing targets. The key forecasting variables are training enrolment, graduation rates, public sector entry rates for graduates, and attrition of workforce staff. We model, using Excel (Office, Microsoft; 2007), the effects of changes in these variables on the projected number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses and midwives in the public sector workforce in 2018. Results With no changes to current training, hiring, and attrition conditions, the total number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses, and midwives will increase from 44% to 59% of the minimum necessary staff by 2018. No combination of changes in staff retention, graduation rates, and public sector entry rates of graduates by 2010, without including training expansion, is sufficient to meet staffing targets by 2018 for any cadre except midwives. Training enrolment needs to increase by a factor of between three and thirteen for doctors, three and four for clinical officers, two and three for nurses, and one and two for midwives by 2010 to reach staffing targets by 2018. Necessary enrolment increases can be held to a minimum if the rates of retention, graduation, and public sector entry increase to 100% by 2010, but will need to increase if these rates remain at 2008 levels. Conclusions Meeting the minimum need for health workers in Zambia this decade will require an increase in health training school enrolment. Supplemental interventions targeting attrition, graduation and public sector entry rates can help close the gap. HRH modelling can help MOH policy makers determine the relative priority and level of investment needed to expand Zambia's workforce to target staffing levels. PMID:20591143
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fairholm, G.W.; And Others
This study was conducted to develop quantitative and qualitative productivity standards, work measures, and activity reports to facilitate effective budgeting for library staff in the State University of New York (SUNY) library system. The research methodology used by the study team involved a survey of 11 libraries of the 22 institutions in the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Todorinova, Lily; Huse, Andy; Lewis, Barbara; Torrence, Matt
2011-01-01
Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Desrochers, Donna M.; Kirshstein, Rita
2014-01-01
Skyrocketing college tuitions and trillion-dollar student loan debt have put college and university spending in the spotlight. Policymakers, parents, and students are asking why tuitions at public four-year colleges and universities have soared nearly 160 percent since 1990 and how this is affecting the higher education workforce. This report…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus.
The nineteenth annual summary of activities provided through Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act and its Title I predecessor, this report includes statistics for fiscal 1984, participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, parent involvement, and five-year trends. After a brief discussion of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus. Div. of Federal Assistance.
This report summarizes recent activities provided in Ohio through Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Statistics for the 1991-92 school year and the summer that followed are presented, along with information on participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, parent involvement, and 5-year trends.…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Young, Eileen, Ed.
This report summarizes activities provided in Ohio through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during fiscal year 1981, and provides basic statistics and information on participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, parent involvement, and 5 year trends. The programs funded include supplemental…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus. Div. of Federal Assistance.
This report summarizes recent activities in Ohio provided through Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Information presented includes statistics for fiscal 1989, participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, parent involvement, and 5-year trends. The first two sections of the report explain the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Young, Eileen, Ed.
The report summarizes activities provided in Ohio through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during fiscal year 1982, and provides basic statistics and information on participation trends, instructional impact, expenditure and staffing patterns, inservice education for staff, parent involvement, and 5-year trends. Programs…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus. Div. of Federal Assistance.
This 25th annual report summarizes recent activities in Ohio that were provided by means of Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Information presented concerns: (1) statistics for fiscal 1990; (2) participation trends; (3) instructional impact; (4) expenditure and staffing patterns; (5) parent involvement; and (6) 5-year…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus.
This fifteenth annual report provides a summary of activities offered in Ohio through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Information presented includes (1) statistics for fiscal 1980, (2) participation trends, (3) instructional impact, (4) expenditure and staffing patterns, (5) parent involvement, and (6) five-year trends. The…
Booming Economy Fuels Continued Expansion of For-Profit Child Care--Annual Status Report #13.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Neugebauer, Roger
2000-01-01
Discusses growth of North America's 40 largest for- profit child care centers. Identifies current threats, including staffing shortage and increasing competition from public schools and among chains. Identifies current opportunities to include employer and franchise child care, upscale child care, elementary school services, and flexible hours.…
Choi, JiSun; Staggs, Vincent S
2014-10-01
Various staffing measures have been used in examining the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Little research has been conducted to compare these measures based on their explanatory power as predictors of nursing-sensitive outcomes. In this study, both administrative and nurse-reported measures were examined. Administrative measures included registered nurse (RN) skill mix and three versions of nursing hours per patient day (HPPD); nurse-reported measures included RN-reported number of assigned patients and RN-perceived staffing adequacy. To examine correlations among six nurse staffing measures and to compare their explanatory power in relation to unit-acquired pressure ulcers (UAPUs). Descriptive, correlational study. 2397 nursing units in 409 U.S. acute care hospitals. Random-intercept logistic regression analyses were performed using 2011 data from a national database. Relationships between nurse staffing measures and UAPU occurrences were examined in eight models, each with one or more staffing measures as predictors. Characteristics of nursing units (RN workgroup education level and RN workgroup unit tenure) and hospitals (size, teaching status, and Magnet status) were included as control variables. Two versions of HPPD (total nursing HPPD and RN HPPD) and RN skill mix were significantly correlated with RN-reported number of assigned patients (r range=-0.87 to -0.75). These staffing measures had weaker correlations with RN-perceived staffing adequacy (r range=0.16 to 0.23). Of the six staffing variables, only RN-perceived staffing adequacy and RN skill mix were significantly associated with UAPU odds, the former being the better predictor. Although RN-perceived staffing adequacy was not highly correlated with administrative measures of HPPD and RN skill mix, it was the strongest predictor of UAPU occurrences. RN-perceived staffing adequacy can serve as a more appropriate measure of staffing for nursing-sensitive outcomes research than administrative measures, as it reflects relevant aspects of staffing and involves an implicit adjustment for patient acuity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Kovner, Christine; Harrington, Charlene; Greene, William; Mezey, Mathy
2009-01-01
Objective To examine the relationships between nursing staffing levels and nursing home deficiencies. Methods This panel data analysis employed random-effect models that adjusted for unobserved, nursing home–specific heterogeneity over time. Data were obtained from California's long-term care annual cost report data and the Automated Certification and Licensing Administrative Information and Management Systems data from 1999 to 2003, linked with other secondary data sources. Results Both total nursing staffing and registered nurse (RN) staffing levels were negatively related to total deficiencies, quality of care deficiencies, and serious deficiencies that may cause harm or jeopardy to nursing home residents. Nursing homes that met the state staffing standard received fewer total deficiencies and quality of care deficiencies than nursing homes that failed to meet the standard. Meeting the state staffing standard was not related to receiving serious deficiencies. Conclusions Total nursing staffing and RN staffing levels were predictors of nursing home quality. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of state minimum staffing standards. PMID:19181692
The association of shift-level nurse staffing with adverse patient events.
Patrician, Patricia A; Loan, Lori; McCarthy, Mary; Fridman, Moshe; Donaldson, Nancy; Bingham, Mona; Brosch, Laura R
2011-02-01
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the association between nurse staffing and adverse events at the shift level. Despite a growing body of research linking nurse staffing and patient outcomes, the relationship of staffing to patient falls and medication errors remains equivocal, possibly due to dependence on aggregated data. Thirteen military hospitals participated in creating a longitudinal nursing outcomes database to monitor nurse staffing, patient falls and medication errors, and other outcomes. Unit types were analyzed separately to stratify patient and nurse staffing characteristics. Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression modeling was used to examine associations between staffing and adverse events. RN skill mix, total nursing care hours, and experience, measured by a proxy variable, were associated with shift-level adverse events. Consideration must be given to nurse staffing and experience levels on every shift.
Effective Staffing Takes a Village: Creating the Staffing Ecosystem.
Gavigan, Margaret; Fitzpatrick, Therese A; Miserendino, Carole
2016-01-01
The traditional approaches to staffing and scheduling are often ineffective in assuring sufficient budgeting and deployment of staff to assure the right nurse at the right time for the right cost. As hospital merger activity increases, this exercise is further complicated by the need to rationalize staffing across multiple enterprises and standardize systems and processes. This Midwest hospital system successfully optimized staffing at the unit and enterprise levels by utilizing operations research methodologies. Savings were reinvested to improve staffing models which provided sufficient nonproductive coverage and patient-driven ratios. Over/under-staffing was eliminated in support of the system's recognition that adequate resource planning and deployment are critical to the culture of safety.
Nursing home spending, staffing, and turnover.
Kash, Bita A; Castle, Nicholas G; Phillips, Charles D
2007-01-01
Recent work on nursing home staffing and turnover has stressed the importance of ownership and resources. However, few studies have examined spending behaviors, which might also influence staffing levels and staff turnover rates. This study investigates whether spending behaviors measured by financial ratios are associated with staffing levels and staff turnover in nursing homes. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1,014 Texas homes. Data were from the 2002 Texas Nursing Facility Medicaid Cost Report and the 2003 Area Resource File. First, we examined differences in financial ratios by ownership type. Next, the effect of 10 financial ratios on staffing levels and turnover rates for registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and certified nursing assistants was examined using robust regression models. Descriptive data indicated that expense ratios related to resident care activities and staff development were significantly higher among not-for-profit than for-profit homes. Higher profits were associated with lower staffing levels, but not higher turnover rates. Administrative expenses (a measure of management capacity) had a negative impact both on staffing levels and staff turnover for licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants, but they did not affect registered nurse staffing. Employee benefit expenses exhibited a positive impact on registered nurse and licensed vocational nurse staffing levels. The addition of information on financial ratios to models predicting staffing indicators reduced the effect of ownership on these indicators. Solutions to the staffing and turnover problem should focus on more effective management practices. Certain levels of administrative and staff benefit expenses may be necessary to improve professional staff recruitment and reduce both staffing and turnover costs. Differences in these financial ratios may partially explain the role played by ownership in determining staffing levels and turnover.
Avoiding mandatory hospital nurse staffing ratios: an economic commentary.
Buerhaus, Peter I
2009-01-01
The imposition of mandatory hospital nurse staffing ratios is among the more visible public policy initiatives affecting the nursing profession. Although the practice is intended to address problems in hospital nurse staffing and quality of patient care, this commentary argues that staffing ratios will lead to negative consequences for nurses involving the equity, efficiency, and costs of producing nursing care in hospitals. Rather than spend time and effort attempting to regulate nurse staffing, this commentary offers alternatives strategies that are directed at fixing the problems that motivate the advocates of staffing ratios.
Comparison of Nurse Staffing Measurements in Staffing-Outcomes Research.
Park, Shin Hye; Blegen, Mary A; Spetz, Joanne; Chapman, Susan A; De Groot, Holly A
2015-01-01
Investigators have used a variety of operational definitions of nursing hours of care in measuring nurse staffing for health services research. However, little is known about which approach is best for nurse staffing measurement. To examine whether various nursing hours measures yield different model estimations when predicting patient outcomes and to determine the best method to measure nurse staffing based on the model estimations. We analyzed data from the University HealthSystem Consortium for 2005. The sample comprised 208 hospital-quarter observations from 54 hospitals, representing information on 971 adult-care units and about 1 million inpatient discharges. We compared regression models using different combinations of staffing measures based on productive/nonproductive and direct-care/indirect-care hours. Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion were used in the assessment of staffing measure performance. The models that included the staffing measure calculated from productive hours by direct-care providers were best, in general. However, the Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion differences between models were small, indicating that distinguishing nonproductive and indirect-care hours from productive direct-care hours does not substantially affect the approximation of the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. This study is the first to explicitly evaluate various measures of nurse staffing. Productive hours by direct-care providers are the strongest measure related to patient outcomes and thus should be preferred in research on nurse staffing and patient outcomes.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lewis, Gary
The extent to which occupational staffing patterns change over time was examined in a study focusing on the Food and Kindred Products industry--Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 20. Data were taken from the 1977 and 1980 Occupational Employment Statistics program coordinated by the United States Department of Labor Statistics. Actual 1980…
1988-89 Teacher Followup Survey: Data File User's Manual.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Faupel, Elizabeth; And Others
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sponsored the 1988-89 Teacher Followup Survey (TFS), conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, to update data on teacher career patterns and plans. This survey is a follow-up of the 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) teacher sample. The TFS is the fifth component of the SASS. The sample…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jordan, Daniel C.
If education is to keep up with social and technological change, teachers must be learning and developing at a rate similar to that of students, requiring the educational staff to render highly diverse and wide-ranging services. The basic strategy essential to such services is the development of differentiated staffing patterns which will allow…
Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Hamers, Jan P H; Engberg, Sandra; Simon, Michael; Schwendimann, René
2015-09-01
Implicit rationing of nursing care refers to the withdrawal of or failure to carry out necessary nursing care activities due to lack of resources, in the literature also described as missed care, omitted care, or nursing care left undone. Under time constraints, nurses give priority to activities related to vital medical needs and the safety of the patient, leaving out documentation, rehabilitation, or emotional support of patients. In nursing homes, little is known about the occurrence of implicit rationing of nursing care and possible contributing factors. The purpose of this study was (1) to describe levels and patterns of self-reported implicit rationing of nursing care in Swiss nursing homes and (2) to explore the relationship between staffing level, turnover, and work environment factors and implicit rationing of nursing care. Cross-sectional, multi-center sub-study of the Swiss Nursing Home Human Resources Project (SHURP). Nursing homes from all three language regions of Switzerland. A random selection of 156 facilities with 402 units and 4307 direct care workers from all educational levels (including 25% registered nurses). We utilized data from established scales to measure implicit rationing of nursing care (Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care), perceptions of leadership ability and staffing resources (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), teamwork and safety climate (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire), and work stressors (Health Professions Stress Inventory). Staffing level and turnover at the unit level were measured with self-developed questions. Multilevel linear regression models were used to explore the proposed relationships. Implicit rationing of nursing care does not occur frequently in Swiss nursing homes. Care workers ration support in activities of daily living, such as eating, drinking, elimination and mobilization less often than documentation of care and the social care of nursing homes residents. Statistically significant factors related to implicit rationing of care were the perception of lower staffing resources, teamwork and safety climate, and higher work stressors. Unit staffing and turnover levels were not related to rationing activities. Improving teamwork and reducing work stressors could possibly lead to less implicit rationing of nursing care. Further research on the relationship of implicit rationing of nursing care and resident and care worker outcomes in nursing homes is requested. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Robinson, Claire H; Annis, Ann M; Forman, Jane; Krein, Sarah L; Yankey, Nicholas; Duffy, Sonia A; Taylor, Beth; Sales, Anne E
2016-08-01
To assess implementation of the Veterans Health Administration staffing methodology directive. In 2010 the Veterans Health Administration promulgated a staffing methodology directive for inpatient nursing units to address staffing and budget forecasting. A qualitative multi-case evaluation approach assessed staffing methodology implementation. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted from March - June 2014 with Nurse Executives and their teams at 21 facilities. Interviews focused on the budgeting process, implementation experiences, use of data, leadership support, and training. An implementation score was created for each facility using a 4-point rating scale. The scores were used to select three facilities (low, medium and high implementation) for more detailed case studies. After analysing interview summaries, the evaluation team developed a four domain scoring structure: (1) integration of staffing methodology into budget development; (2) implementation of the Directive elements; (3) engagement of leadership and staff; and (4) use of data to support the staffing methodology process. The high implementation facility had leadership understanding and endorsement of staffing methodology, confidence in and ability to work with data, and integration of staffing methodology results into the budgeting process. The low implementation facility reported poor leadership engagement and little understanding of data sources and interpretation. Implementation varies widely across facilities. Implementing staffing methodology in facilities with complex and changing staffing needs requires substantial commitment at all organizational levels especially for facilities that have traditionally relied on historical levels to budget for staffing. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
NURSE STAFFING AND RENAL ANAEMIA OUTCOMES IN HAEMODIALYSIS CARE.
Erlingmark, Julia; Hedström, Mariann; Lindberg, Magnus
2016-09-01
Current trends in renal anaemia management place greater emphasis, and thus increased workload, on the role of the nurse in haemodialysis settings. However, there is little evidence that demonstrates the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. To describe nurse staffing in haemodialysis settings, its relationship with target levels of renal anaemia management and to describe target level achievement for different ways of organising anaemia management. Cross-sectional audit. Forty (out of 78) haemodialysis centres in Sweden reported quality assurance data. The numbers of bedside registered nurses, licensed nurse assistants and patients undergoing haemodialysis during a predefined morning shift; type of anaemia management and achieved target levels of anaemia management. The mean patient:registered nurse ratio was 2.4 and the mean patient:nurse assistant ratio was 12.8. There were no significant relationships between registered nurse staffing and target level achievement. On average, 45.6% of the patients had haemoglobin within the target levels at centres applying nurse-driven anaemia management, compared with 47.3% at physician-driven centres. These cross-sectional data suggest that renal anaemia outcomes are unrelated to the patient:registered nurse ratio. There is, however, room for improvement in renal anaemia management in the units included in this study, particularly the achievement of target levels of haemoglobin and transferrin saturation. © 2016 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.
Castle, Nicholas G; Anderson, Ruth A
2011-06-01
There is inconclusive evidence that nursing home caregiver staffing characteristics influence quality of care. In this research, the relationship of caregiver staffing levels, turnover, agency use, and professional staff mix with quality is further examined using a longitudinal analysis to overcome weaknesses of earlier research. The data used came from a survey of nursing home administrators, Nursing Home Compare, the Online Survey Certification and Reporting data, and the Area Resource File. The staffing variables of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Nurse Aides were measured quarterly from 2003 through 2007, and came from 2839 facilities. Generalized method of moments estimation was used to examine the effects of changes in staffing characteristics on changes in 4 quality measures (physical restraint use, catheter use, pain management, and pressure sores). Regression analyses show a robust association between the staffing characteristic variables and quality indicators. A change to more favorable staffing is generally associated with a change to better quality. With longitudinal information and quarterly staffing information, we are able to show that for many nursing homes improving staffing characteristics will improve quality of care.
Fisher, Anita; Baumann, Andrea; Blythe, Jennifer
2007-01-01
Social and economic changes in industrial societies during the past quarter-century encouraged organizations to develop greater flexibility in their employment systems in order to adapt to organizational restructuring and labour market shifts (Kallenberg 2003). During the 1990s this trend became evident in healthcare organizations. Before healthcare restructuring, employment in the acute hospital sector was more stable, with higher levels of full-time staff. However, in the downsizing era, employers favoured more flexible, contingent workforces (Zeytinoglu 1999). As healthcare systems evolved, staffing patterns became more chaotic and predicting staffing requirements more complex. Increased use of casual and part-time staff, overtime and agency nurses, as well as alterations in skills mix, masked vacancy counts and thus rendered this measurement of nursing demand increasingly difficult. This study explores flexible nurse staffing practices and demonstrates how data such as nurse vacancy statistics, considered in isolation from nurse utilization information, are inaccurate indicators of nursing demand and nurse shortage. It develops an algorithm that provides a standard methodology for improved monitoring and management of nurse utilization data and better quantification of vacancy statistics. Use of standard methodology promotes more accurate measurement of nurse utilization and shortage. Furthermore, it provides a solid base for improved nursing workforce planning, production and management.
Nurse staffing, medical staffing and mortality in Intensive Care: An observational study.
West, Elizabeth; Barron, David N; Harrison, David; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Rowan, Kathy; Sanderson, Colin
2014-05-01
To investigate whether the size of the workforce (nurses, doctors and support staff) has an impact on the survival chances of critically ill patients both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital. Investigations of intensive care outcomes suggest that some of the variation in patient survival rates might be related to staffing levels and workload, but the evidence is still equivocal. Information about patients, including the outcome of care (whether the patient lived or died) came from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme. An Audit Commission survey of ICUs conducted in 1998 gave information about staffing levels. The merged dataset had information on 65 ICUs and 38,168 patients. This is currently the best available dataset for testing the relationship between staffing and outcomes in UK ICUs. A cross-sectional, retrospective, risk adjusted observational study. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression. ICU and in-hospital mortality. After controlling for patient characteristics and workload we found that higher numbers of nurses per bed (odds ratio: 0.90, 95% confidence interval: [0.83, 0.97]) and higher numbers of consultants (0.85, [0.76, 0.95]) were associated with higher survival rates. Further exploration revealed that the number of nurses had the greatest impact on patients at high risk of death (0.98, [0.96, 0.99]) whereas the effect of medical staffing was unchanged across the range of patient acuity (1.00, [0.97, 1.03]). No relationship between patient outcomes and the number of support staff (administrative, clerical, technical and scientific staff) was found. Distinguishing between direct care and supernumerary nurses and restricting the analysis to patients who had been in the unit for more than 8h made little difference to the results. Separate analysis of in-unit and in-hospital survival showed that the clinical workforce in intensive care had a greater impact on ICU mortality than on hospital mortality which gives the study additional credibility. This study supports claims that the availability of medical and nursing staff is associated with the survival of critically ill patients and suggests that future studies should focus on the resources of the health care team. The results emphasise the urgent need for a prospective study of staffing levels and the organisation of care in ICUs. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DoD Biometrics Collaboration Forum 25-27 Jan 2011. Event Report
2011-03-01
GS-15 Level Staffing Marine Corps Action Tracking System ( MCATS ) Entered Staffing 21 December 2010 HQ USMC Receiving Staff Comments GO...SES Level Staffing MCATS TBD HQ USMC Assistant Commandant of the TBD HQ USMC 2011 DoD Biometrics Collaboration Forum Event Report 13...O-6/GS-15 Staffing MCATS Late March 2011 HQ USMC GO/SES Staffing MCATS Early April 2011 HQ USMC ACMC Signature TBD HQ USMC USMC
An Integrative Literature Review of Patient Turnover in Inpatient Hospital Settings.
Park, Shin Hye; Weaver, Lindsay; Mejia-Johnson, Lydia; Vukas, Rachel; Zimmerman, Julie
2016-05-01
High patient turnover can result in fragmentation of nursing care. It can also increase nursing workload and thus impede the ability of nurses to provide safe and high-quality care. We reviewed 20 studies that examined patient turnover in relation to nursing workload, staffing, and patient outcomes as well as interventions in inpatient hospital settings. The studies consistently addressed the importance of accounting for patient turnover when estimating nurse staffing needs. They also showed that patient turnover varied by time, day, and unit type. Researchers found that higher patient turnover was associated with adverse events; however, further research on this topic is needed because evidence on the effect of patient turnover on patient outcomes is not yet strong and conclusive. We suggest that researchers and administrators need to pay more attention to patterns and levels of patient turnover and implement managerial strategies to reduce nursing workload and improve patient outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nassau County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Westbury, NY.
This is a compilation of articles examining many aspects of differentiated staffing and creating a basic document for all school districts. The articles are grouped into seven sections: 1) "Why Change?"; 2) "A Consideration of Staffing Problems"; 3) "Critics and Crusaders: An Analysis of Differentiated Staffing" (subsections on concept and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Costrell, Robert M.; Podgursky, Michael
2009-01-01
This article examines the pattern of incentives for work versus retirement in six state teacher pension systems. We do this by examining the annual accrual of pension wealth from an additional year of work over a teacher's career. Accrual of wealth is highly nonlinear and heavily loaded at arbitrary years that would normally be considered…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-29
... Human Capital Staffing (TA-W-64,715C); Cadence Innovation, LLC, Hillsdale Plant, Hillsdale, Michigan... Innovation, LLC, Groesbeck Plant, Including On-Site Leased Workers from Michigan Staffing, LLC, Modern Professional Services, LLC, TAC Transportation, Time Services, Inc., and Human Capital Staffing Clinton...
42 CFR 491.8 - Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Staffing and staff responsibilities. 491.8 Section...: Conditions for Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.8 Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Staffing. (1) The clinic or center has a health care staff that includes one or more physicians...
42 CFR 491.8 - Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Staffing and staff responsibilities. 491.8 Section...: Conditions for Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.8 Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Staffing. (1) The clinic or center has a health care staff that includes one or more physicians...
42 CFR 491.8 - Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Staffing and staff responsibilities. 491.8 Section...: Conditions for Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.8 Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Staffing. (1) The clinic or center has a health care staff that includes one or more physicians...
42 CFR 491.8 - Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Staffing and staff responsibilities. 491.8 Section...: Conditions for Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.8 Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Staffing. (1) The clinic or center has a health care staff that includes one or more physicians...
42 CFR 491.8 - Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Staffing and staff responsibilities. 491.8 Section...: Conditions for Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.8 Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Staffing. (1) The clinic or center has a health care staff that includes one or more physicians...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-07
... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-73,762] Rain Bird Corporation, Arizona Molding Division Including On-Site Leased Workers From Lumea Staffing Services, Tri-State Staffing Services and Remedy Staffing (AKA Select Staffing) Tucson, AZ; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-19
... Ingersoll Rand Including On-Site Leased Workers From Aerotek, Express Personnel Services, Select Staffing... Ingersoll Rand, including on-site leased workers from Aerotek, Express Personnel Staffing, and Select... from Aerotek, Express Personnel Staffing, Select Staffing, and Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Pueblo...
Are Today's Economics Crunching Counselor Services?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shay, Mel J.
1981-01-01
In the current economy, available resources for staffing of counselor positions are unlikely to expand in real dollars. Educators and their clients who feel that counseling services should be expanded need to express their opinions in the public forum where allocations are decided. (Author/WD)
USMC Identity Operations Strategy
2011-01-01
safety, situational awareness and mission accomplishment • Action Officer Staffing – 2-4 November 2010 – USMC IdOps OIPT • MCATS Staffing – 21 December...10 March 2011 • Location: TBD – Enter into MCATS O-6/GS-15 Staffing – Late March 2011 – GO/SES Staffing – Early April 2011 – ACMC Signature – TBD 10
Staff Assist: A Resource to Improve Nursing Home Quality and Staffing
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Castle, Nicholas G.
2011-01-01
Purpose: This study describes the creation and use of a web-based resource, designed to help nursing homes implement quality improvements through changes in staffing characteristics. Design and Methods: Information on staffing characteristics (i.e., staffing levels, turnover, stability, and use of agency staff), facility characteristics (e.g.,…
Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, Second Edition.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, Alexandria, VA.
The 20 chapters of this guide to custodial staffing in educational facilities are grouped into five parts addressing: (1) staffing, (2) evaluation, (3) special considerations, (4) staff development tools, and (5) case studies. The five chapters on staffing are all by Jack C. Dudley and are titled: "General Methods"; "The Mathematics of Change";…
Preparing for Staffings: 10 Tips for Parents and Educators
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Romaneck, Greg
2005-01-01
Staffings are designed to be problem-solving meetings. In theory, all participants come to a staffing with information, knowledge or general input aimed at designing an effective educational program for a child. However, in some cases, staffings become discordant sessions laced with conflict. In order to avoid this negative outcome, it may be…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-10-17
... Resources, Inc., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time Staffing, Inc., Personnel Management Group, Inc...., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time Staffing, Inc., Personnel Management Group, Inc., Select Staffing, and... follows: ''All workers of Alternative Management Resources, Inc., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time...
Effects of State Minimum Staffing Standards on Nursing Home Staffing and Quality of Care
Park, Jeongyoung; Stearns, Sally C
2009-01-01
Objective To investigate the impact of state minimum staffing standards on the level of staffing and quality of nursing home care. Data Sources Online Survey and Certification Reporting System (OSCAR) merged with the Area Resource File from 1998 through 2001. Study Design Between 1998 and 2001, 16 states implemented or expanded staffing standards in excess of federal requirements, creating a natural experiment in comparison with facilities in states without new standards. Difference-in-differences models using facility fixed effects were estimated to determine the effect of state standards. Data Collection/Extraction Methods OSCAR data were linked to the data on market conditions and state policies. A total of 55,248 facility-year observations from 15,217 freestanding facilities were analyzed. Principal Findings Increased standards resulted in small staffing increases for facilities with staffing initially below or close to new standards. Yet the standards were associated with reductions in restraint use and the number of total deficiencies at all types of facilities. Conclusions Mandated staffing standards affect only low-staff facilities facing potential for penalties, and effects are small. Selected facility-level outcomes may show improvement at all facilities due to a general response to increased standards or to other quality initiatives implemented at the same time as staffing standards. PMID:18823448
Kash, Bita A; Castle, Nicholas G; Naufal, George S; Hawes, Catherine
2006-10-01
We examined the effects of facility and market-level characteristics on staffing levels and turnover rates for direct care staff, and we examined the effect of staff turnover on staffing levels. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1,014 Texas nursing homes. Data were from the 2002 Texas Nursing Facility Medicaid Cost Report and the Area Resource File for 2003. After examining factors associated with staff turnover, we tested the significance and impact of staff turnover on staffing levels for registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). All three staff types showed strong dependency on resources, such as reimbursement rates and facility payor mix. The ratio of contracted to employed nursing staff as well as RN turnover increased LVN turnover rates. CNA turnover was reduced by higher administrative expenditures and higher CNA wages. Turnover rates significantly reduced staffing levels for RNs and CNAs. LVN staffing levels were not affected by LVN turnover but were influenced by market factors such as availability of LVNs in the county and women in the labor force. Staffing levels are not always associated with staff turnover. We conclude that staff turnover is a predictor of RN and CNA staffing levels but that LVN staffing levels are associated with market factors rather than turnover. Therefore, it is important to focus on management initiatives that help reduce CNA and RN turnover and ultimately result in higher nurse staffing levels in nursing homes.
Nursing work directions in Australia: does evidence drive the policy?
Roche, Michael; Duffield, Christine; Aisbett, Chris; Diers, Donna; Stasa, Helen
2012-01-01
A significant body of research has shown a relationship between nurse staffing (in particular, skill-mix: the proportion of Registered Nurses [RNs]) and both morbidity and mortality. This relationship is typically investigated by measuring the incidence of Nursing Sensitive Outcomes (NSOs) under different skill-mix levels. Yet whilst the evidence suggests that richer skill-mix is associated with a lower incidence of NSOs, recent Australian policy reforms have proposed the replacement of Registered Nurses with less qualified staff. The present study sought to examine the relationship between staffing, skill-mix, and incidence of NSOs at two hospitals in one Australian state. The study sought to determine the rate of occurrence of several NSOs, the relationship of skill-mix to that rate, and the number of patients affected per annum. It was found that the current rate of NSOs across wards ranged from 0.17% to 1.05%, and that there was an inverse relationship between the proportion of hours worked by RNs and NSO rates: an increase of 10% in the proportion of hours worked by RNs was linked to a decrease in NSO rates by between 11% and 45%. It was estimated that increasing the RN staffing percentage by 10% would mean 160 fewer adverse outcomes for patients per year across these two hospitals. Importantly, increases in nursing hours overall (without increases in skill-mix) had no significant effect on patient outcomes. These findings challenge current policy recommendations, which propose increasing the number of unregistered staff without increasing skill-mix.
A Special Report on Middle Schools.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hollifield, John H.
1988-01-01
The first Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools (CREM) report describes the structures and practices currently used at all school levels for staffing, grouping, and scheduling. The report assesses the effects of departmentalization, tracking, ability grouping, and grade spans on student learning and development. (MLH)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jennings, Wayne
2005-01-01
The Community Learning Centers plan provides a systemically changed model for the 21st century. This top-to-bottom transformation of current education addresses all aspects of schools with a detailed framework to guide serious educational reformers. This fresh approach to principles of learning, curriculum, staffing, facilities, student as…
What Public Libraries Must Do To Survive.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
St. Lifer, Evan
2001-01-01
Considers the challenges facing public libraries in meeting the current needs of its users while still delivering traditional information and recreational services. Topics include keeping up with technological trends; recruitment, staffing, and continuing education; the role as community center; and creating effective marketing strategies. (LRW)
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-02-06
...., Including On-Site Leased Workers from People Link Staffing, Forge Staffing, Career Transitions and Talent... Career Transitions and Talent Source were employed on-site at the South Bend, Indiana location of Heraeus... workers leased from Career Transitions and Talent Source working on-site at the South Bend, Indiana...
10 CFR 719.15 - What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan... Management Plan § 719.15 What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan? (a) For significant matters, the contractor must require retained legal counsel providing legal services to prepare a staffing...
10 CFR 719.15 - What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan... Management Plan § 719.15 What are the requirements for a staffing and resource plan? (a) For significant matters, the contractor must require retained legal counsel providing legal services to prepare a staffing...
Staffing Practices in the Private Sector in Sri Lanka
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wickramasinghe, Vathsala
2007-01-01
Purpose: This paper seeks to present and discuss the findings of a study of staffing practices in the Sri Lankan private sector with particular reference to junior level managerial jobs. The scope of staffing practices consisted of six major areas, namely the usage of information from job analysis in staffing, the sources of labour, selection…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-03-05
..., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Metro Staffing, Snelling and Office Team Itasca, IL; Amended... from Metro Staffing, Snelling and Office Team were employed on-site at the Itasca, Illinois location of... amending this certification to include workers leased from Metro Staffing, Snelling and Office Team working...
Dodds, Naomi; Emerson, Philip; Phillips, Stephanie; Green, David R; Jansen, Jan O
2017-03-01
Trauma systems in remote and rural regions often rely on helicopter emergency medical services to facilitate access to definitive care. The siting of such resources is key, but often relies on simplistic modeling of coverage, using circular isochrones. Scotland is in the process of implementing a national trauma network, and there have been calls for an expansion of aeromedical retrieval capacity. The aim of this study was to analyze population and area coverage of the current retrieval service configuration, with three aircraft, and a configuration with an additional helicopter, in the North East of Scotland, using a novel methodology. Both overall coverage and coverage by physician-staffed aircraft, with enhanced clinical capability, were analyzed. This was a geographical analysis based on calculation of elliptical isochrones, which consider the "open-jaw" configuration of many retrieval flights. Helicopters are not always based at hospitals. We modeled coverage based on different outbound and inbound flights. Areally referenced population data were obtained from the Scottish Government. The current helicopter network configuration provides 94.2% population coverage and 59.0% area coverage. The addition of a fourth helicopter would marginally increase population coverage to 94.4% and area coverage to 59.1%. However, when considering only physician-manned aircraft, the current configuration provides only 71.7% population coverage and 29.4% area coverage, which would be increased to 91.1% and 51.2%, respectively, with a second aircraft. Scotland's current helicopter network configuration provides good population coverage for retrievals to major trauma centers, which would only be increased minimally by the addition of a fourth aircraft in the North East. The coverage provided by the single physician-staffed aircraft is more limited, however, and would be increased considerably by a second physician-staffed aircraft in the North East. Elliptical isochrones provide a useful means of modeling "open-jaw" retrieval missions and provide a more realistic estimate of coverage. Epidemiological study, level IV; therapeutic study, level IV.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Levin, Jesse; Manship, Karen; Chambers, Jay; Johnson, Jerry; Blankenship, Charles
2011-01-01
This report presents the first detailed comparison of resource allocation between rural and nonrural districts in the West Region. Three regional characteristics often associated with rural districts were chosen for the analysis: district enrollment, student population density within a district (students per square mile), and drive time from the…
Unregistered health care staff's perceptions of 12 hour shifts: an interview study.
Thomson, Louise; Schneider, Justine; Hare Duke, Laurie
2017-10-01
The purpose of the study was to explore unregistered health care staff's perceptions of 12 hour shifts on work performance and patient care. Many unregistered health care staff work 12 hour shifts, but it is unclear whether these are compatible with good quality care or work performance. Twenty five health care assistants from a range of care settings with experience of working 12 hour shifts took part in interviews or focus groups. A wide range of views emerged on the perceived impact of 12 hour shifts in different settings. Negative outcomes were perceived to occur when 12 hour shifts were combined with short-staffing, consecutive long shifts, high work demands, insufficient breaks and working with unfamiliar colleagues. Positive outcomes were perceived to be more likely in a context of control over shift patterns, sufficient staffing levels, and a supportive team climate. The perceived relationship between 12 hour shifts and patient care and work performance varies by patient context and wider workplace factors, but largely focuses on the ability to deliver relational aspects of care. Nursing managers need to consider the role of other workplace factors, such as shift patterns and breaks, when implementing 12 hour shifts with unregistered health care staff. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Bakhru, Rita N; McWilliams, David J; Wiebe, Douglas J; Spuhler, Vicki J; Schweickert, William D
2016-09-01
Early mobilization (EM) improves outcomes for mechanically ventilated patients. Variation in structure and organizational characteristics may affect implementation of EM practices. We queried intensive care unit (ICU) environment and standardized ICU practices to evaluate organizational characteristics that enable EM practice. We recruited 151 ICUs in France, 150 in Germany, 150 in the United Kingdom, and 500 in the United States by telephone. Survey domains included respondent characteristics, hospital and ICU characteristics, and ICU practices and protocols. We surveyed 1,484 ICU leaders and received a 64% response rate (951 ICUs). Eighty-eight percent of respondents were in nursing leadership roles; the remainder were physiotherapists. Surveyed ICUs were predominantly mixed medical-surgical units (67%), and 27% were medical ICUs. ICU staffing models differed significantly (P < 0.001 each) by country for high-intensity staffing, nurse/patient ratios, and dedicated physiotherapists. ICU practices differed by country, with EM practices present in 40% of French ICUs, 59% of German ICUs, 52% of U.K. ICUs, and 45% of U.S. ICUs. Formal written EM protocols were present in 24%, 30%, 20%, and 30%, respectively, of those countries' ICUs. In multivariate analysis, EM practice was associated with multidisciplinary rounds (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; P = 0.001), setting daily goals for patients (OR, 1.62; P = 0.02), presence of a dedicated physiotherapist (OR, 2.48; P < 0.001), and the ICU's being located in Germany (reference, United States; OR, 2.84; P < 0.001). EM practice was also associated with higher nurse staffing levels (1:1 nurse/patient ratio as a reference; 1:2 nurse/patient ratio OR, 0.59; P = 0.05; 1:3 nurse/patient ratio OR, 0.33; P = 0.005; 1:4 or less nurse/patient ratio OR, 0.37; P = 0.005). Those responding rarely cited ambulation of mechanically ventilated patients, use of a bedside cycle, or neuromuscular electrical stimulation as part of their EM practice. Physical therapy initiation, barriers to EM practice, and EM equipment were highly variable among respondents. International ICU structure and practice is quite heterogeneous, and several factors (multidisciplinary rounds, setting daily goals for patients, presence of a dedicated physiotherapist, country, and nurse/patient staffing ratio) are significantly associated with the practice of EM. Practice and barriers may be far different based upon staffing structure. To achieve successful implementation, whether through trials or quality improvement, ICU staffing and practice patterns must be taken into account.
Systematic review of studies of staffing and quality in nursing homes.
Bostick, Jane E; Rantz, Marilyn J; Flesner, Marcia K; Riggs, C Jo
2006-07-01
To evaluate a range of staffing measures and data sources for long-term use in public reporting of staffing as a quality measure in nursing homes. Eighty-seven research articles and government documents published from 1975 to 2003 were reviewed and summarized. Relevant content was extracted and organized around 3 themes: staffing measures, quality measures, and risk adjustment variables. Data sources for staffing information were also identified. There is a proven association between higher total staffing levels (especially licensed staff) and improved quality of care. Studies also indicate a significant relationship between high turnover and poor resident outcomes. Functional ability, pressure ulcers, and weight loss are the most sensitive quality indicators linked to staffing. The best national data sources for staffing and quality include the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and On-line Survey and Certification Automated Records (OSCAR). However, the accuracy of this self-reported information requires further reliability and validity testing. A nationwide instrument needs to be developed to accurately measure staff turnover. Large-scale studies using payroll data to measure staff retention and its impact on resident outcomes are recommended. Future research should use the most nurse-sensitive quality indicators such as pressure ulcers, functional status, and weight loss.
Harless, David W.; Pink, George H.; Spetz, Joanne; Mark, Barbara
2010-01-01
This study assesses whether California’s minimum nurse staffing legislation affected the amount of uncompensated care provided by California hospitals. Using data from California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and InterStudy, we divide hospitals into quartiles based on pre-regulation staffing levels. Controlling for other factors, we estimate changes in the growth rate of uncompensated care in the three lowest staffing quartiles relative to the quartile of hospitals with the highest staffing level. Our sample includes short-term general hospitals over the period 1999 to 2006. We find that growth rates in uncompensated care are lower in the first three staffing quartiles as compared to the highest quartile; however, results are statistically significant only for county and for-profit hospitals in quartiles one and three. We conclude that minimum nurse staffing ratios may lead some hospitals to limit uncompensated care, likely due to increased financial pressure. PMID:21156707
Buckley, Thomas A; Burdette, Glenn; Kelly, Kassandra
2015-08-01
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has published concussion-management practice guidelines consistent with recent position and consensus statements. Whereas NCAA Division I athletic trainers appear highly compliant, little is known about the concussion-management practice patterns of athletic trainers at smaller institutions where staffing and resources may be limited. To descriptively define the concussion-management practice patterns of NCAA Division II and III athletic trainers. Cross-sectional study. Web-based questionnaire. A total of 755 respondents (response rate = 40.2%) from NCAA Division II and Division III institutions. The primary outcome measures were the rate of multifaceted concussion-assessment techniques, defined as 3 or more assessments; the specific practice patterns of each assessment battery; and tests used during a clinical examination. Most respondents indicated using a multifaceted assessment during acute assessment (Division II = 76.9%, n = 473; Division III = 76.0%, n = 467) and determination of recovery (Division II = 65.0%, n = 194; Division III = 63.1%, n = 288) but not at baseline (Division II = 43.1%, n = 122; Division III = 41.0%, n = 176). Typically, when a postconcussion assessment was initiated, testing occurred daily until baseline values were achieved, and most respondents (80.6% [244/278]) reported using a graded exercise protocol before return to participation. We found limited use of the multifaceted assessment battery at baseline but higher rates at both acute assessment and return-to-participation time points. A primary reason cited for not using test-battery components was a lack of staffing or funding for the assessments. We observed limited use of neuropsychologists to interpret neuropsychological testing. Otherwise, most respondents reported concussion-management protocols consistent with recommendations, including a high level of use of objective measures and incorporation of a progressive return-to-participation protocol.
Dickstein, Y; Nir-Paz, R; Pulcini, C; Cookson, B; Beović, B; Tacconelli, E; Nathwani, D; Vatcheva-Dobrevska, R; Rodríguez-Baño, J; Hell, M; Saenz, H; Leibovici, L; Paul, M
2016-09-01
We aimed to assess the current status of infectious diseases (ID), clinical microbiology (CM) and infection control (IC) staffing in hospitals and to analyse modifiers of staffing levels. We conducted an Internet-based survey of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases members and affiliates, collecting data on hospital characteristics, ID management infrastructure, ID/IC-related activities and the ratio of physicians per 100 hospital beds. Regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with the physician-bed ratio. Five hundred sixty-seven hospital responses were collected between April and June 2015 from 61 countries, 81.2% (384/473) from Europe. A specialized inpatient ward for ID patients was reported in 58.4% (317/543) of hospitals. Rates of antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASP) and surveillance activities in survey hospitals were high, ranging from 88% to 90% for local antibiotic guidelines and 70% to 82% for programmes monitoring hospital-acquired infections. The median ID/CM/IC physician per 100 hospital beds ratio was 1.12 (interquartile range 0.56-2.13). In hospitals performing basic ASP and IC (including local antibiotic guidelines and monitoring device-related or surgical site infections), the ratio was 1.21 (interquartile range 0.57-2.14). Factors independently associated with higher ratios included compliance with European Union of Medical Specialists standards, smaller hospital size, tertiary-care institution, presence of a travel clinic, beds dedicated to ID and a CM unit. More than half of respondents estimated that additional staffing is needed for appropriate IC or ID management. No standard of physician staffing for ID/CM/IC in hospitals is available. A ratio of 1.21/100 beds will serve as an informed point of reference enabling ASP and infection surveillance. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Physical Therapist Practice in the Intensive Care Unit: Results of a National Survey
Ridgeway, Kyle; Nordon-Craft, Amy; Moss, Parker; Schenkman, Margaret; Moss, Marc
2015-01-01
Background Early rehabilitation improves outcomes, and increased use of physical therapist services in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been recommended. Little is known about the implementation of early rehabilitation programs or physical therapists' preparation and perceptions of care in the United States. Objective A national survey was conducted to determine the current status of physical therapist practice in the ICU. Design This study used a cross-sectional, observational design. Methods Self-report surveys were mailed to members of the Acute Care Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Questions addressed staffing, training, barriers, and protocols, and case scenarios were used to determine perceptions about providing rehabilitation. Results The response rate was 29% (667/2,320). Staffing, defined as the number of physical therapists per 100 ICU beds, was highest in community hospitals (academic: median=5.4 [range=3.6–9.2]; community: median=6.7 [range=4.4–10.0]) and in the western United States (median=7.5 [range=4.2–12.9]). Twelve percent of physical therapists reported no training. Barriers to providing ICU rehabilitation included insufficient staffing and training, departmental prioritization policies, and inadequate consultation criteria. Responses to case scenarios demonstrated differences in the likelihood of consultation and physical therapists' prescribed frequency and intensity of care based on medical interventions rather than characteristics of patients. Physical therapists in academic hospitals were more likely to be involved in the care of patients in each scenario and were more likely to perform higher-intensity mobilization. Limitations Members of the Acute Care Section of the American Physical Therapy Association may not represent most practicing physical therapists, and the 29% return rate may have contributed to response bias. Conclusions Although staffing was higher in community hospitals, therapists in academic and community hospitals cited insufficient staffing as the most common barrier to providing rehabilitation in the ICU. Implementing strategies to overcome barriers identified in this study may improve the delivery of ICU rehabilitation services. PMID:26045604
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kash, Bita A.; Hawes, Catherine; Phillips, Charles D.
2007-01-01
Purpose: This study had two goals: (a) to assess the validity of the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) staffing data by comparing them to staffing measures from audited Medicaid Cost Reports and (b) to identify systematic differences between facilities that over-report or underreport staffing in the OSCAR. Design and Methods: We…
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
STAF is a transcription activating factor for a number of RNA Pol III-and RNA Pol II-dependent genes including the selenocysteine (Sec) tRNA gene. Here, the role of STAF in regulating expression of Sec tRNA and selenoproteins was examined in an invivo model. Heterozygous inactivation of the Staf gen...
New law on staffing levels will save lives.
2016-02-17
Good news about nurse staffing levels can be hard to find, so how fantastic that a protracted campaign in Wales finally paid off last week with the passage of legislation to ensure hospital wards are staffed safely. Next month, the Queen will give royal assent to the Safe Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill, which will save lives, produce better outcomes and enhance the patient experience of care.
Impact of Nurse Staffing Mandates on Safety-Net Hospitals: Lessons from California
McHugh, Matthew D; Brooks Carthon, Margo; Sloane, Douglas M; Wu, Evan; Kelly, Lesly; Aiken, Linda H
2012-01-01
Context California is the first and only state to implement a patient-to-nurse ratio mandate for hospitals. Increasing nurse staffing is an important organizational intervention for improving patient outcomes. Evidence suggests that staffing improved in California hospitals after the mandate was enacted, but the outcome for hospitals bearing a disproportionate share of uncompensated care—safety-net hospitals—remains unclear. One concern was that California's mandate would burden safety-net hospitals without improving staffing or that hospitals would reduce their skill mix, that is, the proportion of registered nurses of all nursing staff. We examined the differential effect of California's staffing mandate on safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. Methods We used a time-series design with Annual Hospital Disclosure data files from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) for the years 1998 to 2007 to assess differences in the effect of California's mandate on staffing outcomes in safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. Findings The mandate resulted in significant staffing improvements, on average nearly a full patient per nurse fewer (−0.98) for all California hospitals. The greatest effect was in those hospitals with the lowest staffing levels at the outset, both safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals, as the legislation intended. The mandate led to significantly improved staffing levels for safety-net hospitals, although there was a small but significant difference in the effect on staffing levels of safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. Regarding skill mix, a marginally higher proportion of registered nurses was seen in non-safety-net hospitals following the mandate, while the skill mix remained essentially unchanged for safety-net hospitals. The difference between the two groups of hospitals was not significant. Conclusions California's mandate improved staffing for all hospitals, including safety-net hospitals. Furthermore, improvement did not come at the cost of a reduced skill mix, as was feared. Alternative and more targeted designs, however, might yield further improvement for safety-net hospitals and reduce potential disparities in the staffing and skill mix of safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. PMID:22428696
Lane-Fall, Meghan B; Ramaswamy, Tara S; Brown, Sydney E S; He, Xu; Gutsche, Jacob T; Fleisher, Lee A; Neuman, Mark D
2017-09-01
Cardiac surgery ICU characteristics and clinician staffing patterns have not been well characterized. We sought to describe Pennsylvania cardiac ICUs and to determine whether ICU characteristics are associated with mortality in the 30 days after cardiac surgery. From 2012 to 2013, we conducted a survey of cardiac surgery ICUs in Pennsylvania to assess ICU structure, care practices, and clinician staffing patterns. ICU data were linked to an administrative database of cardiac surgery patient discharges. We used logistic regression to measure the association between ICU variables and death in 30 days. Cardiac surgery ICUs in Pennsylvania. Patients having coronary artery bypass grafting and/or cardiac valve repair or replacement from 2009 to 2011. None. Of the 57 cardiac surgical ICUs in Pennsylvania, 43 (75.4%) responded to the facility survey. Rounds included respiratory therapists in 26 of 43 (60.5%) and pharmacists in 23 of 43 (53.5%). Eleven of 41 (26.8%) reported that at least 2/3 of their nurses had a bachelor's degree in nursing. Advanced practice providers were present in most of the ICUs (37/43; 86.0%) but residents (8/42; 18.6%) and fellows (7/43; 16.3%) were not. Daytime intensivists were present in 21 of 43 (48.8%) responding ICUs; eight of 43 (18.6%) had nighttime intensivists. Among 29,449 patients, there was no relationship between mortality and nurse ICU experience, presence of any intensivist, or absence of residents after risk adjustment. To exclude patients who may have undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement, we conducted a subgroup analysis of patients undergoing only coronary artery bypass grafting, and results were similar. Pennsylvania cardiac surgery ICUs have variable structures, care practices, and clinician staffing, although none of these are statistically significantly associated with mortality in the 30 days following surgery after adjustment.
A grid to facilitate physics staffing justification.
Klein, Eric E
2009-12-03
Justification of clinical physics staffing levels is difficult due to the lack of direction as how to equate clinical needs with the staffing levels and competency required. When a physicist negotiates staffing requests to administration, she/he often refers to American College of Radiology staffing level suggestions, and resources such as the Abt studies. This approach is often met with questions as to how to fairly derive the time it takes to perform tasks. The result is often insufficient and/or inexperienced staff handling complex and cumbersome tasks. We undertook development of a staffing justification grid to equate the clinical needs to the quantity and quality of staffing required. The first step is using the Abt study, customized to the clinical setting, to derive time per task multiplied by the anticipated number of such tasks. Inclusion of vacation, meeting, and developmental time may be incorporated along with allocated time for education and administration. This is followed by mapping the tasks to the level of competency/experience needed. For example, in an academic setting the faculty appointment levels correlate with experience. Non-staff personnel, such as IMRT QA technicians or clerical staff, should also be part of the equation. By using the staffing justification grid, we derived strong documentation to justify a substantial budget increase. The grid also proved useful when our clinical demands changed. Justification for physics staffing can be significantly strengthened with a properly developed data-based time and work analysis. A staffing grid is presented, along with a development methodology that facilitated our justification. Though our grid is for a large academic facility, the methodology can be extended to a non-academic setting, and to a smaller scale. This grid method not only equates the clinical needs with the quantity of staffing, but can also help generate the personnel budget, based on the type of staff and personnel required. The grid is easily adaptable when changes to the clinical environment change, such as an increase in IMRT or IGRT applications.
Koontz, Lynne; Lambert, Heather
2005-01-01
This report first provides a description of the local community and economy near the Refuge. An analysis of current and proposed management strategies that could affect the local economy is then presented. The Refuge management activities of economic concern in this analysis are Refuge personnel staffing and Refuge spending within the local community, and spending in the local community by Refuge visitors.
Koontz, Lynne; Lambert, Heather
2005-01-01
This report first provides a description of the local community and economy near the Refuge. An analysis of current and proposed management strategies that could affect the local economy is then presented. The Refuge management activities of economic concern in this analysis are Refuge personnel staffing and Refuge spending within the local community, and spending in the local community by Refuge visitors.
Dexter, Franklin; Abouleish, Amr E; Epstein, Richard H; Whitten, Charles W; Lubarsky, David A
2003-10-01
Potential benefits to reducing turnover times are both quantitative (e.g., complete more cases and reduce staffing costs) and qualitative (e.g., improve professional satisfaction). Analyses have shown the quantitative arguments to be unsound except for reducing staffing costs. We describe a methodology by which each surgical suite can use its own numbers to calculate its individual potential reduction in staffing costs from reducing its turnover times. Calculations estimate optimal allocated operating room (OR) time (based on maximizing OR efficiency) before and after reducing the maximum and average turnover times. At four academic tertiary hospitals, reductions in average turnover times of 3 to 9 min would result in 0.8% to 1.8% reductions in staffing cost. Reductions in average turnover times of 10 to 19 min would result in 2.5% to 4.0% reductions in staffing costs. These reductions in staffing cost are achieved predominantly by reducing allocated OR time, not by reducing the hours that staff work late. Heads of anesthesiology groups often serve on OR committees that are fixated on turnover times. Rather than having to argue based on scientific studies, this methodology provides the ability to show the specific quantitative effects (small decreases in staffing costs and allocated OR time) of reducing turnover time using a surgical suite's own data. Many anesthesiologists work at hospitals where surgeons and/or operating room (OR) committees focus repeatedly on turnover time reduction. We developed a methodology by which the reductions in staffing cost as a result of turnover time reduction can be calculated for each facility using its own data. Staffing cost reductions are generally very small and would be achieved predominantly by reducing allocated OR time to the surgeons.
Optimizing staffing, quality, and cost in home healthcare nursing: theory synthesis.
Park, Claire Su-Yeon
2017-08-01
To propose a new theory pinpointing the optimal nurse staffing threshold delivering the maximum quality of care relative to attendant costs in home health care. Little knowledge exists on the theoretical foundation addressing the inter-relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing, and cost. Theory synthesis. Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, EBSCOhost Web and Web of Science (25 February - 26 April 2013; 20 January - 22 March 2015). Most of the existing theories/models lacked the detail necessary to explain the relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing and cost. Two notable exceptions are: 'Production Function for Staffing and Quality in Nursing Homes,' which describes an S-shaped trajectory between quality of care and nurse staffing and 'Thirty-day Survival Isoquant and Estimated Costs According to the Nurse Staff Mix,' which depicts a positive quadric relationship between nurse staffing and cost according to quality of care. A synthesis of these theories led to an innovative multi-dimensional econometric theory helping to determine the maximum quality of care for patients while simultaneously delivering nurse staffing in the most cost-effective way. The theory-driven threshold, navigated by Mathematical Programming based on the Duality Theorem in Mathematical Economics, will help nurse executives defend sufficient nurse staffing with scientific justification to ensure optimal patient care; help stakeholders set an evidence-based reasonable economical goal; and facilitate patient-centred decision-making in choosing the institution which delivers the best quality of care. A new theory to determine the optimum nurse staffing maximizing quality of care relative to cost was proposed. © 2017 The Author. Journal of Advanced Nursing © John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Moses, X J Ethan; Walters, Kevin M; Fisher, Gwenith G
2016-06-01
This study sought to identify factors associated with occupational health staffing in health care settings, provide benchmarking data, and investigate relationships between staffing and worker stress and satisfaction. Members of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare were sent an online survey. Data on facility served, staffing, job attitudes, and work stress were collected and analyzed. Number and types of personnel served were the largest predictors of staffing, accounting for 38 and 41% of the variability seen, respectively. Number of personnel served was related to worker stress and lack of work/life balance. Offices that required a provider presence had roughly one provider, seven nurses, and three clerical staff per 8000 personnel served. Occupational health workers are generally highly satisfied, and staffing has little relation to sources of job stress and satisfaction.
Riessen, R; Hermes, C; Bodmann, K-F; Janssens, U; Markewitz, A
2018-02-01
The reimbursement of intensive care and nursing services in the German health system is based on the diagnosis-related groups (G-DRG) system. Due to the lack of a central hospital planning, the G‑DRG system has become the most important influence on the development of the German health system. Compared to other countries, intensive care in Germany is characterized by a high number of intensive care beds, a low nurse-to-patient ratio, no official definition of the level of care, and a minimal available data set from intensive care units (ICUs). Under the given circumstances, a shortage of qualified intensive care nurses and physicians is currently the largest threat for intensive care in Germany. To address these deficiencies, we suggest the following measures: (1) Integration of ICUs into the levels of care which are currently developed for emergency centers at hospitals. (2) Mandatory collection of structured data sets from all ICUs including quality criteria. (3) A reform of intensive care and nursing reimbursement under consideration of adequate staffing in the individual ICU. (4) Actions to improve ICU staffing and qualification.
Qualifications and Assignments of Alternatively Certified Teachers: Testing Core Assumptions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cohen-Vogel, Lora; Smith, Thomas M.
2007-01-01
By analyzing data from the Schools and Staffing Survey, the authors empirically test four of the core assumptions embedded in current arguments for expanding alternative teacher certification (AC): AC attracts experienced candidates from fields outside of education; AC attracts top-quality, well-trained teachers; AC disproportionately trains…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gunter, Helen M.
2012-01-01
Reading current accounts of higher education demonstrates the flux and damage of rapid neoliberal changes to the type and conduct of academic work. Opening the Times Higher Education magazine on the 28 April 2011 shows articles about cuts in staffing and undergraduate provision in England, concerns about the quality of for-profit higher education…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bard, Therese Bissen
This paper outlines the history, functions, administration, and current focus of school library services in Hawaii, which is the only state in the United States with a library staffed by a trained librarian in every public school. Its first school library was established in 1882. Elementary school libraries developed concurrently with secondary…
Family Advocacy Program Standards and Self-Assessment Tool
1992-08-01
child abuse and neglect and spouse abuse. The standards are based upon a complete review of relevant criteria, accepted professional practices and current military FAP practices. Standards are... Child Abuse and Neglect Cases; Intervention and Treatment in Spouse Abuse Cases; Case Accountability in FAP Cases; Staffing for FAP Services;
Teacher Turnover in Charter Schools. Research Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stuit, David; Smith, Thomas M.
2010-01-01
The current study aimed to contribute to a deeper understanding of the organizational conditions of charter schools by examining teacher turnover. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey (TFS), researchers from the National Center on School…
Maintaining Faculty Excellence. New Directions for Community Colleges, Number 79.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kroll, Keith, Ed.
1992-01-01
Offering new perspectives on community college faculty recruitment and training, and on the renewal of current faculty, this journal issue contains articles on preservice training, faculty development, and teacher improvement. The following 10 chapters are included: (1) "Quo Vadis: Staffing the People's College 2000," by Michael H. Parsons, which…
Internships: Tapping into China's Next Generation of Talent
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rose, Philip
2013-01-01
At the current juncture of China's economic development, the mismatch between the supply of university graduates and contemporary organizations' staffing demands is becoming increasingly evident. Thus, student participation in internships and their use by organizations, as means to recruit and select graduate talent in China has undergone rapid…
IS Staffing during a Recession: Comparing Student and IS Recruiter Perceptions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pratt, Jean A.; Hauser, Karina; Ross, Steven C.
2010-01-01
The current economic situation in the United States has associated ramifications for IS employment. This study identifies IS recruiters' perceptions vis-a-vis IT budget cuts and layoffs at their organizations. Additionally, it identifies IS student perceptions vis-a-vis employment opportunities and academic preparation. Similar surveys were…
The impact of managed care penetration and hospital quality on efficiency in hospital staffing.
Mobley, Lee R; Magnussen, Jon
2002-01-01
The state of California has recently mandated minimum nurse-staffing ratios, raising concerns about possible affects on hospital efficiency. In this study, we examine how market factors and quality were related to staffing levels in California hospitals in 1995 (prior to implementation of the new law). We are particularly interested in the affect of managed care penetration on this aspect of hospital efficiency because the call to legislative action was predicated on fears that hospitals were reducing staffing below optimal levels in response to managed care pressures. We derive a unique measure of excess staffing in hospitals based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) production function model, which explicitly includes ancillary care among the inputs and outputs. This careful specification of production is important because ancillary care use has risen relative to daily hospital services, with the spread of managed care and advances in medical technology. We find that market share (adjusted for size) and market concentration are the major determinants of excess staffing while managed care penetration is insignificant. We also find that poor quality (outcomes worse than expected) is associated with less efficient staffing. These findings suggest that the larger, more efficient urban hospitals will be penalized more heavily under binding staffing ratios than smaller, less-urban hospitals.
Comparison of nurse staffing based on changes in unit-level workload associated with patient churn.
Hughes, Ronda G; Bobay, Kathleen L; Jolly, Nicholas A; Suby, Chrysmarie
2015-04-01
This analysis compares the staffing implications of three measures of nurse staffing requirements: midnight census, turnover adjustment based on length of stay, and volume of admissions, discharges and transfers. Midnight census is commonly used to determine registered nurse staffing. Unit-level workload increases with patient churn, the movement of patients in and out of the nursing unit. Failure to account for patient churn in staffing allocation impacts nurse workload and may result in adverse patient outcomes. Secondary data analysis of unit-level data from 32 hospitals, where nursing units are grouped into three unit-type categories: intensive care, intermediate care, and medical surgical. Midnight census alone did not account adequately for registered nurse workload intensity associated with patient churn. On average, units were staffed with a mixture of registered nurses and other nursing staff not always to budgeted levels. Adjusting for patient churn increases nurse staffing across all units and shifts. Use of the discharges and transfers adjustment to midnight census may be useful in adjusting RN staffing on a shift basis to account for patient churn. Nurse managers should understand the implications to nurse workload of various methods of calculating registered nurse staff requirements. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Cohen, J W; Dubay, L C
1990-01-01
In this study we analyze the effects of ownership and Medicaid cost containment initiatives on nursing home costs, payer mix, case mix, and staffing, using 1981 Medicare cost reports and Medicare/Medicaid Automated Certification files. As Medicaid cost containment incentives become stronger, nursing homes respond by decreasing case mix and commensurately decreasing staffing. When these incentives are especially strong, staffing is reduced beyond the apparently appropriate level, given the case mix. In addition, while chain facilities have lower costs than other types of facilities, these lower costs do not appear to come from either increased cream-skimming or reduced staffing levels.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Bruijn, Erik
This report discusses an ex post facto study that was done to examine the effect that the implementation of automated systems has had on libraries and support staff, labor costs, and productivity in the cataloging divisions of the library of the University of British Columbia. A comparison was made between two years: 1973, a pre-automated period…
Clark, Steven L; Saade, George A; Meyers, Janet A; Frye, Donna R; Perlin, Jonathan B
2014-02-01
To examine the relationship between nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and perinatal outcomes in women receiving oxytocin during labor. A retrospective analysis of perinatal outcomes in women receiving oxytocin for induction or augmentation of labor during 2010. Outcomes examined were fetal distress, birth asphyxia, primary cesarean delivery, chorioamnionitis, endomyometritis, and a composite of adverse events. Frequency of 1:1 nurse-to-patient staffing was determined for each hospital. Outcomes were compared between hospitals categorized into quartiles of staffing ratios. In 208,033 women delivering during 2010, there was no relation between frequency of 1:1 nurse-to-patient staffing ratio and improved perinatal outcomes. Adoption of universal 1:1 staffing in the United States would result in the need for an additional 27,000 labor nurses and a cost of $1.6 billion. Available data do not support the imposition of mandatory 1:1 nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for women receiving oxytocin in all U.S. facilities. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.
Hung, Jui-Tai; Lin, Ching-Wen; Wen, Wei-Chun; Lin, Esther Ching-Lan
2015-08-01
The nursing practice environment has been shown to wield significant influence on nursing retention and nursing quality of care. Because a large percentage of Taiwan nurses currently work at regional teaching hospitals, exploring the perception toward the practice environment of nurses working at this type of hospital is important. This study explored the perception of nurses working at a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan toward their practice environment. A cross-sectional research design with a sample of 474 nurses from a regional hospital in central Taiwan was conducted. Instruments including the demographic data and the Chinese-version Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index (CPES-NWI) were anonymously self-administered. Overall, participants were moderately satisfied with their practice environment, with the greatest dissatisfaction focused on staffing and resource adequacy. Work unit and nursing level, respectively, had significant impacts on perceptions regarding the practice environment. Furthermore, discriminant analysis identified two new compound variables: 1) adequate staffing resources and partnership in the workplace and 2) supportive administrative management environment. Participants who worked in medical and surgical units were significantly more dissatisfied with the adequacy of staffing resources and partnership in the workplace than participants who worked in acute/intensive and special units. Participants at the N2 level were significantly more dissatisfied with the supportive nature of the administrative management environment. These findings support that the nursing practice environment of regional hospitals may be improved using several measures, including: modifying the staffing and resource adequacy of nurses, fostering collaborative nurse-physician relationships, and further involving nurses in administrative management and decision-making.
French, Katy E; Guzman, Alexis B; Rubio, Augustin C; Frenzel, John C; Feeley, Thomas W
2016-09-01
With the movement towards bundled payments, stakeholders should know the true cost of the care they deliver. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) can be used to estimate costs for each episode of care. In this analysis, TDABC is used to both estimate the costs of anesthesia care and identify the primary drivers of those costs of 11 common oncologic outpatient surgical procedures. Personnel cost were calculated by determining the hourly cost of each provider and the associated process time of the 11 surgical procedures. Using the anesthesia record, drugs, supplies and equipment costs were identified and calculated. The current staffing model was used to determine baseline personnel costs for each procedure. Using the costs identified through TDABC analysis, the effect of different staffing ratios on anesthesia costs could be predicted. Costs for each of the procedures were determined. Process time and costs are linearly related. Personnel represented 79% of overall cost while drugs, supplies and equipment represented the remaining 21%. Changing staffing ratios shows potential savings between 13% and 28% across the 11 procedures. TDABC can be used to estimate the costs of anesthesia care. This costing information is critical to assessing the anesthesiology component in a bundled payment. It can also be used to identify areas of cost savings and model costs of anesthesia care. CRNA to anesthesiologist staffing ratios profoundly influence the cost of care. This methodology could be applied to other medical specialties to help determine costs in the setting of bundled payments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
French, Katy E.; Guzman, Alexis B.; Rubio, Augustin C.; Frenzel, John C.; Feeley, Thomas W
2015-01-01
Background With the movement towards bundled payments, stakeholders should know the true cost of the care they deliver. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) can be used to estimate costs for each episode of care. In this analysis, TDABC is used to both estimate the costs of anesthesia care and identify the primary drivers of those costs of 11 common oncologic outpatient surgical procedures. Methods Personnel cost were calculated by determining the hourly cost of each provider and the associated process time of the 11 surgical procedures. Using the anesthesia record, drugs, supplies and equipment costs were identified and calculated. The current staffing model was used to determine baseline personnel costs for each procedure. Using the costs identified through TDABC analysis, the effect of different staffing ratios on anesthesia costs could be predicted. Results Costs for each of the procedures were determined. Process time and costs are linearly related. Personnel represented 79% of overall cost while drugs, supplies and equipment represented the remaining 21%. Changing staffing ratios shows potential savings between 13-28% across the 11 procedures. Conclusions TDABC can be used to estimate the costs of anesthesia care. This costing information is critical to assessing the anesthesiology component in a bundled payment. It can also be used to identify areas of cost savings and model costs of anesthesia care. CRNA to anesthesiologist staffing ratios profoundly influence the cost of care. This methodology could be applied to other medical specialties to help determine costs in the setting of bundled payments. PMID:27637823
Gutierrez, Catherine; Lindor, Rachel A; Baker, Olesya; Cutler, David; Schuur, Jeremiah D
2016-10-01
Freestanding emergency departments (EDs), which offer emergency medical care at sites separate from hospitals, are a rapidly growing alternative to traditional hospital-based EDs. We evaluated state regulations of freestanding EDs and describe their effect on the EDs' location, staffing, and services. As of December 2015, thirty-two states collectively had 400 freestanding EDs. Twenty-one states had regulations that allowed freestanding EDs, and twenty-nine states did not have regulations that applied specifically to such EDs (one state had hospital regulations that precluded them). State policies regarding freestanding EDs varied widely, with no standard requirements for location, staffing patterns, or clinical capabilities. States requiring freestanding EDs to have a certificate of need had fewer of such EDs per capita than states without such a requirement. For patients to better understand the capabilities and costs of freestanding EDs and to be able to choose the most appropriate site of emergency care, consistent state regulation of freestanding EDs is needed. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weidner, Theodore J.
2008-01-01
In 2002, APPA published "Maintenance Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities," the first building maintenance trades staffing guideline designed to assist educational facilities professionals with their staffing needs. addresses how facilities professionals can determine the appropriate size and mix of their organization. Contents…
Development, Validation, and Implementation of a Clinic Nurse Staffing Guideline.
Deeken, Debra Jean; Wakefield, Douglas; Kite, Cora; Linebaugh, Jeanette; Mitchell, Blair; Parkinson, Deidre; Misra, Madhukar
2017-10-01
Ensuring that the level of nurse staffing used to care for patients is appropriate to the setting and service intensity is essential for high-quality and cost-effective care. This article describes the development, validation, and implementation of the clinic technical skills permission list developed specifically to guide nurse staffing decisions in physician clinics of an academic medical center. Results and lessons learned in using this staffing guideline are presented.
Cost-Effective Adjustments to Nursing Home Staffing to Improve Quality.
Bowblis, John R; Roberts, Amy Restorick
2018-06-01
Health care providers face fixed reimbursement rates from government sources and need to carefully adjust staffing to achieve the highest quality within a given cost structure. With data from the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (1999-2015), this study holistically examined how staffing levels affect two publicly reported measures of quality in the nursing home industry, the number of deficiency citations and the deficiency score. While higher staffing consistently yielded better quality, the largest quality improvements resulted from increasing administrative registered nurses and social service staffing. After adjusting for wages, the most cost-effective investment for improving overall deficiency outcomes was increasing social services. Deficiencies related to quality of care were improved most by increasing administrative nursing and social service staff. Quality of life deficiencies were improved most by increasing social service and activities staff. Approaches to improve quality through staffing adjustments should target specific types of staff to maximize return on investment.
Levine, Debra S; McCarthy, John F; Cornwell, Brittany; Brockmann, Laurie; Pfeiffer, Paul N
2017-05-01
The study examined whether staffing of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) services in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system is related to quality of depression care. Site surveys and administrative data from 349 VA facilities for fiscal year 2013 were used to calculate PCMHI staffing (full-time equivalents) per 10,000 primary care patients and discipline-specific staffing proportions for PCMHI psychologists, social workers, nurses, and psychiatric medication prescribers. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted at the facility level and assessed associations between PCMHI staffing ratios and the following indicators of depression treatment in the three months following a new episode of depression: any antidepressant receipt, adequacy of antidepressant receipt, any psychotherapy receipt, and psychotherapy engagement (three or more visits). Higher facility PCMHI staffing ratios were associated with a greater percentage of patients who received any psychotherapy treatment (B=1.16, p<.01) and who engaged in psychotherapy (B=.39, p<.01). When analyses controlled for total PCMHI staffing, the proportion of social workers as part of PCMHI was positively correlated with the percentage of patients with adequate antidepressant treatment continuation (B=3.16, p=.03). The proportion of nurses in PCMHI was negatively associated with the percentage of patients with engagement in psychotherapy (B=-2.83, p=.02). PCMHI programs with greater overall staffing ratios demonstrated better performance on indicators of psychotherapy for depression but not on indicators of antidepressant treatment. Further investigation is needed to determine whether differences in discipline-specific staffing play a causal role in driving associated differences in receipt of treatment.
Burmen, B; Owuor, N; Mitei, P
2017-01-26
An optimal number of health workers, who are appropriately allocated across different occupations and geographical regions, are required to ensure population coverage of health interventions. Health worker shortages in HIV care provision are highest in areas that are worst hit by the HIV epidemic. Kenya is listed among countries that experience health worker shortages (<2.5 health workers per 1000 population) and have a high HIV burden (HIV prevalence 5.6 with 15.2% in Nyanza province). We set out to determine the optimum number of clinicians required to provide quality consultancy HIV care services at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, JOOTRH, HIV Clinic, the premier HIV clinic in Nyanza province with a cumulative client enrolment of PLHIV of over 20,000 persons. The World Health's Organization's Workload Indicators of Staffing Needs (WISN) was used to compute the staffing needs and sufficiency of staffing needs at the JOOTRH HIV clinic in Kisumu, Kenya, between January and December 2011. All people living with HIV (PLHIV) who received HIV care services at the HIV clinic at JOOTRH and all the clinicians attending to them were included in this analysis. The actual staffing was divided by the optimal staff requirement to give ratios of staffing excesses or shortages. A ratio of 1.0 indicated optimal staffing, less than 1.0 indicated suboptimal staffing, and more than 1 indicated supra optimal staffing. The HIV clinic is served by 56 staff of various cadres. Clinicians (doctors and clinical officers) comprise approximately one fifth of this population (n = 12). All clinicians (excluding the clinic manager, who is engaged in administrative duties and supervisory roles that consumes approximately one third of his time) provide full-time consultancy services. To operate at maximum efficiency, the clinic therefore requires 19 clinicians. The clinic therefore operates with only 60% of its staffing requirements. Our assessment revealed a severe shortage of clinicians providing consultation services at the HIV clinic. Human resources managers should oversee the rational planning, training, retention, and management of human resources for health using the WISN which is an objective and reliable means of estimating staffing needs.
South Texas Veterans Health Care System Mobile Health Clinic: Business Case Analysis
2009-06-11
purchase a mobile health unit with no ancillary services with a clinical staffing of one physician’s assistant (PA) and one nurse practitioner (NP). A...total of four options were evaluated: (1) no ancillary with physician/registered nurse (RN) staffing, (2) no ancillary with PA/NP staffing, (3) radiology...one nurse practitioner (NP). A total of four options were evaluated: (1) no ancillary with physician/registered nurse (RN) staffing, (2) no
Developing a Nursing Database System in Kenya
Riley, Patricia L; Vindigni, Stephen M; Arudo, John; Waudo, Agnes N; Kamenju, Andrew; Ngoya, Japheth; Oywer, Elizabeth O; Rakuom, Chris P; Salmon, Marla E; Kelley, Maureen; Rogers, Martha; St Louis, Michael E; Marum, Lawrence H
2007-01-01
Objective To describe the development, initial findings, and implications of a national nursing workforce database system in Kenya. Principal Findings Creating a national electronic nursing workforce database provides more reliable information on nurse demographics, migration patterns, and workforce capacity. Data analyses are most useful for human resources for health (HRH) planning when workforce capacity data can be linked to worksite staffing requirements. As a result of establishing this database, the Kenya Ministry of Health has improved capability to assess its nursing workforce and document important workforce trends, such as out-migration. Current data identify the United States as the leading recipient country of Kenyan nurses. The overwhelming majority of Kenyan nurses who elect to out-migrate are among Kenya's most qualified. Conclusions The Kenya nursing database is a first step toward facilitating evidence-based decision making in HRH. This database is unique to developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Establishing an electronic workforce database requires long-term investment and sustained support by national and global stakeholders. PMID:17489921
Staffing and job satisfaction: nurses and nursing assistants.
Kalisch, Beatrice; Lee, Kyung Hee
2014-05-01
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between staffing and job satisfaction of registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs). Although a number of previous studies have demonstrated the link between the numbers of patients cared for on the last shift and/or perceptions of staffing adequacy, we could find only one study that utilized a measure of actual staffing (opposed to perceptions of staffing adequacy) and correlated it with job satisfaction of registered nurses. This cross-sectional study included 3523 RNs and 1012 NAs in 131 patient care units. Staff were surveyed to determine job satisfaction and demographic variables. In addition, actual staffing data were collected from each of the study units. Hours per patient day was a significant positive predictor for registered nurse job satisfaction after controlling for covariates. For NAs, a lower skill mix was marginally significant with higher job satisfaction. In addition, the more work experience the NAs reported, the lower their job satisfaction. Adequate staffing levels are essential for RN job satisfaction whereas NA job satisfaction depends on the number of assistive personnel in the mix of nursing staff. Two implications are (1) providing adequate staffing is critical to maintain RN job satisfaction and (2) the NA job needs to be re-engineered to make it a more attractive and satisfying career. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Medical physics staffing for radiation oncology: a decade of experience in Ontario, Canada
Battista, Jerry J.; Patterson, Michael S.; Beaulieu, Luc; Sharpe, Michael B.; Schreiner, L. John; MacPherson, Miller S.; Van Dyk, Jacob
2012-01-01
The January 2010 articles in The New York Times generated intense focus on patient safety in radiation treatment, with physics staffing identified frequently as a critical factor for consistent quality assurance. The purpose of this work is to review our experience with medical physics staffing, and to propose a transparent and flexible staffing algorithm for general use. Guided by documented times required per routine procedure, we have developed a robust algorithm to estimate physics staffing needs according to center‐specific workload for medical physicists and associated support staff, in a manner we believe is adaptable to an evolving radiotherapy practice. We calculate requirements for each staffing type based on caseload, equipment inventory, quality assurance, educational programs, and administration. Average per‐case staffing ratios were also determined for larger‐scale human resource planning and used to model staffing needs for Ontario, Canada over the next 10 years. The workload specific algorithm was tested through a survey of Canadian cancer centers. For center‐specific human resource planning, we propose a grid of coefficients addressing specific workload factors for each staff group. For larger scale forecasting of human resource requirements, values of 260, 700, 300, 600, 1200, and 2000 treated cases per full‐time equivalent (FTE) were determined for medical physicists, physics assistants, dosimetrists, electronics technologists, mechanical technologists, and information technology specialists, respectively. PACS numbers: 87.55.N‐, 87.55.Qr PMID:22231223
Medical physics staffing for radiation oncology: a decade of experience in Ontario, Canada.
Battista, Jerry J; Clark, Brenda G; Patterson, Michael S; Beaulieu, Luc; Sharpe, Michael B; Schreiner, L John; MacPherson, Miller S; Van Dyk, Jacob
2012-01-05
The January 2010 articles in The New York Times generated intense focus on patient safety in radiation treatment, with physics staffing identified frequently as a critical factor for consistent quality assurance. The purpose of this work is to review our experience with medical physics staffing, and to propose a transparent and flexible staffing algorithm for general use. Guided by documented times required per routine procedure, we have developed a robust algorithm to estimate physics staffing needs according to center-specific workload for medical physicists and associated support staff, in a manner we believe is adaptable to an evolving radiotherapy practice. We calculate requirements for each staffing type based on caseload, equipment inventory, quality assurance, educational programs, and administration. Average per-case staffing ratios were also determined for larger-scale human resource planning and used to model staffing needs for Ontario, Canada over the next 10 years. The workload specific algorithm was tested through a survey of Canadian cancer centers. For center-specific human resource planning, we propose a grid of coefficients addressing specific workload factors for each staff group. For larger scale forecasting of human resource requirements, values of 260, 700, 300, 600, 1200, and 2000 treated cases per full-time equivalent (FTE) were determined for medical physicists, physics assistants, dosimetrists, electronics technologists, mechanical technologists, and information technology specialists, respectively.
Griffiths, Peter; Maben, Jill; Murrells, Trevor
2011-10-01
An association between quality of care and staffing levels, particularly registered nurses, has been established in acute hospitals. Recently an association between nurse staffing and quality of care for several chronic conditions has also been demonstrated for primary care in English general practice. A smaller body of literature identifies organisational factors, in particular issues of human resource management, as being a dominant factor. However the literature has tended to consider staffing and organisational factors separately. We aim to determine whether relationships between the quality of clinical care and nurse staffing in general practice are attenuated or enhanced when organisational factors associated with quality of care are considered. We further aim to determine the relative contribution and interaction between these factors. We used routinely collected data from 8409 English general practices. The data, on organisational factors and the quality of clinical care for a range of long term conditions, is gathered as part of "Quality and Outcomes Framework" pay for performance system. Regression models exploring the relationship of staffing and organisational factors with care quality were fitted using MPLUS statistical modelling software. Higher levels of nurse staffing, clinical recording, education and reflection on the results of patient surveys were significantly associated with improved clinical care for COPD, CHD, Diabetes and Hypothyroidism after controlling for organisational factors. There was some evidence of attenuation of the estimated nurse staffing effect when organisational factors were considered, but this was small. The effect of staffing interacted significantly with the effect of organisational factors. Overall however, the characteristics that emerged as the strongest predictors of quality of clinical care were not staffing levels but the organisational factors of clinical recording, education and training and use of patient experience surveys. Organisational factors contribute significantly to observed variation in the quality of care in English general practices. Levels of nurse staffing have an independent association with quality but also interact with organisational factors. The observed relationships are not necessarily causal but a causal relationship is plausible. The benefits and importance of education, training and personal development of nursing and other practice staff was clearly indicated. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Support sought for petition on safer staffing levels in Wales.
2014-11-01
RCN WALES is urging the public to sign an e-petition supporting draft legislation on safe staffing. The petition calls for support for the Safe Nursing Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill, drawn up by Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams.
Minimum nurse staffing legislation and the financial performance of California hospitals.
Reiter, Kristin L; Harless, David W; Pink, George H; Mark, Barbara A
2012-06-01
To estimate the effect of minimum nurse staffing ratios on California acute care hospitals' financial performance. Secondary data from Medicare cost reports, the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Annual Survey, and the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) are combined from 2000 to 2006 for 203 hospitals in California and 407 hospitals in 12 comparison states. The study employs a difference-in-difference analytical approach. Hospitals are grouped into quartiles based on pre-regulation nurse staffing levels in adult medical-surgical and pediatric units (quartile 1=lowest staffing). Differences in operating margin, operating expenses per day, and inpatient operating expenses per discharge for California hospitals within a staffing quartile during the period of regulation are compared to differences at hospitals in comparison states during the same period. Hospital data from Medicare cost reports are merged with nurse staffing measures obtained from AHA and from OSPHD. Relative to hospitals in comparison states, operating margins declined significantly for California hospitals in quartiles 2 and 3. Operating expenses increased significantly in quartiles 1, 2, and 3. Implementation of minimum nurse staffing legislation in California put substantial financial pressure on some hospitals. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert
2013-01-01
Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing-related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result of better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets. In this study, we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β = 3.3, p = .02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost-cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance.
Autonomy in the Preservice Teacher: A Retention Factor for Special Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paige, Susan Mary
2007-01-01
The current shortage of teachers, owing primarily to retention and the shortfall in the field of special education, presents serious staffing concerns for serving children with special needs. Beyond supply considerations, teacher preparation programs are an integral part of the solution. Deci, Koestner, and Ryan (1999) described the role of…
Monitoring bird populations: the role of bird observatories and nongovernmental organizations
Geoffrey R. Geupel; Nadav Nur
1993-01-01
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) currently participating in Partners in Flight have been monitoring bird populations in North America for decades. These regional organization have strong grass roots and private sector support and are able to conduct truly long term studies by using nontraditional funding sources and staffing with dedicated volunteers and personnel...
Staffing for Success: Linking Teacher Evaluation and School Personnel Management in Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Master, Benjamin
2014-01-01
Teacher evaluation is at the center of current education policy reform. Most evaluation systems rely at least in part on principals' assessments of teachers, and their discretionary judgments carry substantial weight. However, we know relatively little about what they value when determining evaluations and high stakes personnel decisions.…
Describing the Status of Programs for the Gifted: A Call for Action
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Callahan, Carolyn M.; Moon, Tonya R.; Oh, Sarah
2017-01-01
Using three leveled surveys of school district personnel (elementary, middle, and high school), we collected data on the current status of practices and procedures in gifted education across the nation. Results from 1,566 respondents in separate school districts to questions relating to administration (staffing), identification of gifted students,…
How Pennsylvania School Libraries Pay Off: Investments in Student Achievement and Academic Standards
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lance, Keith Curry; Schwarz, Bill
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Pennsylvania school library programs on student learning--specifically, the infrastructure (staffing, budgets, collections, technology, and access hours) that contributes most to student achievement, the costs and benefits associated with them, and the gap between current Pennsylvania school…
Special Education in East Germany under Communist Domination.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sengstock, Wayne L.; Ruttgardt, Sieglind Ellger
1995-01-01
This article describes the development of special education in East Germany from the close of World War II through the cold war period, and examines the problems and challenges currently facing special education in a reunified Germany. These include a lack of infrastructure, economic needs, staffing problems, and needed curriculum changes. (DB)
Measuring nursing essential contributions to quality patient care outcomes.
Wolgast, Kelly A; Taylor, Katherine; Garcia, Dawn; Watkins, Miko
2011-01-01
Workload Management System for Nursing (WMSN) is a core Army Medical Department business system that has provided near real-time, comprehensive nursing workload and manpower data for decision making at all levels for over 25 years. The Army Manpower Requirements and Documentation Agency populates data from WMSN into the Manpower Staffing Standards System (Inpatient module within Automated Staffing Assessment Model). The current system, Workload Management System for Nursing Internet (WMSNi), is an interim solution that requires additional functionalities for modernization and integration at the enterprise level. The expanding missions and approved requirements for WMSNi support strategic initiatives on the Army Medical Command balanced scorecard and require continued sustainment for multiple personnel and manpower business processes for both inpatient and outpatient nursing care. This system is currently being leveraged by the TRICARE Management Activity as an interim multiservice solution, and is being used at 24 Army medical treatment facilities. The evidenced-based information provided to Army decision makers through the methods used in the WMSNi will be essential across the Army Medical Command throughout the system's life cycle.
We cannot staff for 'what ifs': the social organization of rural nurses' safeguarding work.
MacKinnon, Karen
2012-09-01
Rural nurses play an important role in the provision of maternity care for Canadian women. This care is an important part of how rural nurses safeguard the patients who receive care in small rural hospitals. This study utilized institutional ethnography as an approach for describing rural nursing work and for exploring how nurses' work experiences are socially organized. Rural nurses advocated for safe healthcare environments by ensuring that skilled nurses were available for every shift, day and night, at their local hospital. Rural nurses noted that this work was particularly difficult for the provision of maternity care. This article explores two threads or cues to institutional organization that were identified in our interviews and observations; namely staffing and safety standards, and the need for flexibility in staffing in small rural hospitals. Rural nurses' concerns about ensuring that skilled nurses are available in small rural hospitals do not enter into current management discourses that focus on efficiency and cost savings or find a home within current discourses of patient safety 'competencies'. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Staffing effectiveness evaluation: a best kept secret for educational needs assessment.
Hanna, Lee Ann
2005-01-01
Staff development educators use many sources of information to conduct educational needs assessments to improve existing educational programs and to develop new ones. Staffing effectiveness evaluation information targets patient care and staffing outcomes. The overall objective of this article is to familiarize staff development educators with the staffing effectiveness evaluation process, events that have led to organizational efforts to measure it, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) expectations, methods for assessing variation and relationships of indicators, and implications for staff development educators.
The Results of an Experimental Restructuring of EO Staffing Patterns in a Infantry Division
1979-10-01
Research, Inc. ARI FIELD UNIT AT PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA JI NV 8 1984 -U 1 S: U. S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social ...12. REPORT DATE Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social October 1979 Sciences, 5001 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, VA 22333 I. NUMBER OF...one of thiree prepared under this contract. The other reports are: Unit Equal Opportunity Training Diagnosis and Assessment System, and Development and
Costa, Deena Kelly; Wallace, David J; Kahn, Jeremy M
2015-11-01
Daytime intensivist physician staffing is associated with improved outcomes in the ICU. However, it is unclear whether this association persists in the era of interprofessional, protocol-directed critical care. We sought to reexamine the association between daytime intensivist physician staffing and ICU mortality and determine if interprofessional rounding and protocols for mechanical ventilation in part mediate this relationship. Retrospective cohort study of ICUs in the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation clinical information system from 2009 to 2010. Forty-nine ICUs in 25 U.S. hospitals. Adults (17 yr and older) admitted to a study ICU. None. We defined high-intensity daytime intensivist staffing as either a mandatory consult or closed ICU model; interprofessional rounds as rounds that included a respiratory therapist, pharmacist, physician and nurse; and protocol use as having protocols for liberation from mechanical ventilation and lung protective mechanical ventilation. Using multivariable logistic regression, we estimated the independent effect of daytime intensivist physician staffing on in-hospital mortality controlling for interprofessional rounds and protocols for mechanical ventilation, as well as other patient and hospital characteristics. Twenty-seven ICUs (55%) reported high-intensity daytime physician staffing, 42 ICUs (85%) reported daily interprofessional rounds, and 31 (63%) reported having protocols for mechanical ventilation. There was no association between daytime intensivist physician staffing and in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.65-1.14). After adjusting for interprofessional rounds and protocols for mechanical ventilation, the effect of daytime intensivist physician staffing remained nonsignificant (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.70-1.17). High-intensity daytime physician staffing in the ICU was not significantly associated with lower mortality in a modern cohort. This association was not affected by interprofessional rounds or protocols for mechanical ventilation.
Intensivist physician staffing and the process of care in academic medical centres
Kahn, Jeremy M; Brake, Helga; Steinberg, Kenneth P
2007-01-01
Background Although intensivist physician staffing is associated with improved outcomes in critical care, little is known about the mechanism leading to this observation. Objective To determine the relationship between intensivist staffing and select process‐based quality indicators in the intensive care unit. Research design Retrospective cohort study in 29 academic hospitals participating in the University HealthSystem Consortium Mechanically Ventilated Patient Bundle Benchmarking Project. Patients 861 adult patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit. Results Patient‐level information on physician staffing and process‐of‐care quality indicators were collected on day 4 of mechanical ventilation. By day 4, 668 patients received care under a high intensity staffing model (primary intensivist care or mandatory consult) and 193 patients received care under a low intensity staffing model (optional consultation or no intensivist). Among eligible patients, those receiving care under a high intensity staffing model were more likely to receive prophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis (risk ratio 1.08, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.17), stress ulcer prophylaxis (risk ratio 1.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.18), a spontaneous breathing trial (risk ratio 1.37, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.94), interruption of sedation (risk ratio 1.64, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.38) and intensive insulin treatment (risk ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.79) on day 4 of mechanical ventilation. Models accounting for clustering by hospital produced similar estimates of the staffing effect, except for prophylaxis against thrombosis and stress ulcers. Conclusions High intensity physician staffing is associated with increased use of evidence‐based quality indictors in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. PMID:17913772
Wolf, Lisa A; Perhats, Cydne; Delao, Altair M; Clark, Paul R; Moon, Michael D
2017-03-01
The emergency department is a unique practice environment in that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which mandates a medical screening examination for all presenting patients, effectively precludes any sort of patient volume control; staffing needs are therefore fluid and unpredictable. The purpose of this study is to explore emergency nurses' perceptions of factors involved in safe staffing levels and to identify factors that negatively and positively influence staffing levels and might lend themselves to more effective interventions and evaluations. We used a qualitative exploratory design with focus group data from a sample of 26 emergency nurses. Themes were identified using a constructivist perspective and an inductive approach to content analysis. Five themes were identified: (1) unsafe environment of care, (2) components of safety, (3) patient outcomes: risky care, (4) nursing outcomes: leaving the profession, and (5) possible solutions. Participants reported that staffing levels are determined by the number of beds in the department (as in inpatient units) but not by patient acuity or the number of patients waiting for treatment. Participants identified both absolute numbers of staff, as well as experience mix, as components of safe staffing. Inability to predict the acuity of patients waiting to be seen was a major component of nurses' perceptions of unsafe staffing. Emergency nurses perceive staffing to be inadequate, and therefore unsafe, because of the potential for poor patient outcomes, including missed or delayed care, missed deterioration (failure to rescue), and additional ED visits resulting from ineffective discharge teaching. Both absolute numbers of staff, as well as skill and experience mix, should be considered to provide staffing levels that promote optimal patient and nurse outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Systematic review of the evidence related to mandated nurse staffing ratios in acute hospitals.
Olley, Richard; Edwards, Ian; Avery, Mark; Cooper, Helen
2018-04-17
Objective The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate and summarise available research on nurse staffing methods and relate these to outcomes under three overarching themes of: (1) management of clinical risk, quality and safety; (2) development of a new or innovative staffing methodology; and (3) equity of nursing workload. Methods The PRISMA method was used. Relevant articles were located by searching via the Griffith University Library electronic catalogue, including articles on PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Medline. Only English language publications published between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2016 focusing on methodologies in acute hospital in-patient units were included in the present review. Results Two of the four staffing methods were found to have evidenced-based articles from empirical studies within the parameters set for inclusion. Of the four staffing methodologies searched, supply and demand returned 10 studies and staffing ratios returned 11. Conclusions There is a need to develop an evidence-based nurse-sensitive outcomes measure upon which staffing for safety, quality and workplace equity, as well as an instrument that reliability and validly projects nurse staffing requirements in a variety of clinical settings. Nurse-sensitive indicators reflect elements of patient care that are directly affected by nursing practice In addition, these measures must take into account patient satisfaction, workload and staffing, clinical risks and other measures of the quality and safety of care and nurses' work satisfaction. i. What is known about the topic? Nurse staffing is a controversial topic that has significant patient safety, quality of care, human resources and financial implications. In acute care services, nursing accounts for approximately 70% of salaries and wages paid by health services budgets, and evidence as to the efficacy and effectiveness of any staffing methodology is required because it has workforce and industrial relations implications. Although there is significant literature available on the topic, there is a paucity of empirical evidence supporting claims of increased patient safety in the acute hospital setting, but some evidence exists relating to equity of workload for nurses. What does this paper add? This paper provides a contemporary qualitative analysis of empirical evidence using PRISMA methodology to conduct a systematic review of the available literature. It demonstrates a significant research gap to support claims of increased patient safety in the acute hospital setting. The paper calls for greatly improved datasets upon which research can be undertaken to determine any associations between mandated patient to nurse ratios and other staffing methodologies and patient safety and quality of care. What are the implications for practitioners? There is insufficient contemporary research to support staffing methodologies for appropriate staffing, balanced workloads and quality, safe care. Such research would include the establishment of nurse-sensitive patient outcomes measures, and more robust datasets are needed for empirical analysis to produce such evidence.
2016-04-29
In 2014, aides provided more hours of care in the major sectors of long-term care than the other staffing types shown. Aides accounted for 60% of all staffing hours in nursing homes, compared with licensed practical or vocational nurses (21%), registered nurses (13%), activities staff members (5%), and social workers (2%). Aides accounted for 75% of all staffing hours in residential care communities, in contrast to activities staff members (11%), registered nurses (7%), licensed practical or vocational nurses (6%), and social workers (1%). In adult day services centers, aides provided 41% of all staffing hours, followed by activities staff members (32%), registered nurses (12%), licensed practical or vocational nurses (9%), and social workers (6%).
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-02-06
..., Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Peoplelink Staffing Solutions, Remedy Intelligent Staffing... the immediate certification. The Department has received information that workers from Remedy..., the Department is amending this certification to include workers leased from Remedy Intelligent...
McHugh, Matthew D; Berez, Julie; Small, Dylan S
2013-10-01
The Affordable Care Act's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) penalizes hospitals based on excess readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries. The aim of the program is to reduce readmissions while aligning hospitals' financial incentives with payers' and patients' quality goals. Many evidence-based interventions that reduce readmissions, such as discharge preparation, care coordination, and patient education, are grounded in the fundamentals of basic nursing care. Yet inadequate staffing can hinder nurses' efforts to carry out these processes of care. We estimated the effect that nurse staffing had on the likelihood that a hospital was penalized under the HRRP. Hospitals with higher nurse staffing had 25 percent lower odds of being penalized compared to otherwise similar hospitals with lower staffing. Investment in nursing is a potential system-level intervention to reduce readmissions that policy makers and hospital administrators should consider in the new regulatory environment as they examine the quality of care delivered to US hospital patients.
McHugh, Matthew D.; Berez, Julie; Small, Dylan S.
2015-01-01
The Affordable Care Act’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) penalizes hospitals based on excess readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries. The aim of the program is to reduce readmissions while aligning hospitals’ financial incentives with payers’ and patients’ quality goals. Many evidence-based interventions that reduce readmissions, such as discharge preparation, care coordination, and patient education, are grounded in the fundamentals of basic nursing care. Yet inadequate staffing can hinder nurses’ efforts to carry out these processes of care. We estimated the effect that nurse staffing had on the likelihood that a hospital was penalized under the HRRP. Hospitals with higher nurse staffing had 25 percent lower odds of being penalized compared to otherwise similar hospitals with lower staffing. Investment in nursing is a potential system-level intervention to reduce readmissions that policy makers and hospital administrators should consider in the new regulatory environment as they examine the quality of care delivered to US hospital patients. PMID:24101063
Staffing and Worker Injury in Nursing Homes
Trinkoff, Alison M.; Johantgen, Meg; Muntaner, Carles; Le, Rong
2005-01-01
Objectives. We examined the relationship between nursing home staffing levels and worker injury rates in 445 nursing homes in 3 states. Methods. We obtained First Reports of Injury and workers’ compensation data from 3 states (Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland) for the year 2000. We then linked these data to Medicare’s Online Survey, Certification and Reporting system to obtain nursing home staffing details and organizational descriptors. We used ordinary least squares and log-transformed regression models to examine the association between worker injury rate and nursing home staffing and organizational characteristics. Results. Total nursing hours per resident day were significantly associated with worker injury rates in nursing homes after we adjusted for organizational characteristics and state dummy variables (P=.0004). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that nursing home staffing levels have an important impact on worker health. These findings were supported for multiple facilities across different states; therefore, policies and resources that increase staffing levels in nursing homes are warranted. PMID:15983274
Do Medicaid incentive payments boost quality? Florida's direct care staffing adjustment program.
Hyer, Kathryn; Thomas, Kali S; Johnson, Christopher E; Harman, Jeffrey S; Weech-Maldonado, Robert
2013-01-01
Beginning in April 2000 and continuing for 21 months, Florida's legislature allocated $31.6 million (annualized) to nursing homes through a Medicaid direct care staffing adjustment. Florida's legislature paid the highest incentives to nursing homes with the lowest staffing levels and the greatest percentage of Medicaid residents--the bottom tier of quality. Using Donabedian's structure-process-outcomes framework, this study tracks changes in staffing, wages, process of care, and outcomes. The incentive payments increased staffing and wages in nursing home processes (decreased restraint use and feeding tubes) for the facilities receiving the largest amount of money but had no change on pressure sores or decline in activities of daily living. The group receiving the lowest incentives payment (those highest staffed at baseline) saw significant improvement in two quality measures: pressure sores and decline in activities of daily living. All providers receiving more resources improved on deficiency scores, suggesting more Medicaid spending improves quality of care regardless of total incentive payments.
Kim, Youngsang; Ployhart, Robert E
2014-05-01
This study integrates research from strategy, economics, and applied psychology to examine how organizations may leverage their human resources to enhance firm performance and competitive advantage. Staffing and training are key human resource management practices used to achieve firm performance through acquiring and developing human capital resources. However, little research has examined whether and why staffing and training influence firm-level financial performance (profit) growth under different environmental (economic) conditions. Using 359 firms with over 12 years of longitudinal firm-level profit data, we suggest that selective staffing and internal training directly and interactively influence firm profit growth through their effects on firm labor productivity, implying that staffing and training contribute to the generation of slack resources that help buffer and then recover from the effects of the Great Recession. Further, internal training that creates specific human capital resources is more beneficial for prerecession profitability, but staffing is more beneficial for postrecession recovery, apparently because staffing creates generic human capital resources that enable firm flexibility and adaptation. Thus, the theory and findings presented in this article have implications for the way staffing and training may be used strategically to weather economic uncertainty (recession effects). They also have important practical implications by demonstrating that firms that more effectively staff and train will outperform competitors throughout all pre- and postrecessionary periods, even after controlling for prior profitability. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
Cummings, Greta G; Doupe, Malcolm; Ginsburg, Liane; McGregor, Margaret J; Norton, Peter G; Estabrooks, Carole A
2017-06-01
To (a) describe A Scheduled Shifts Staffing measure (ASSiST) to derive care aide worked hours per resident day (HCA WHRD) at facility and unit levels in nursing homes, (b) report reliability through comparisons to administrative staffing data; (c) report validity by examining associations between HCA WHRD, staff outcomes (job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion), and resident quality indicators (QIs) (e.g. falls, delirium, stage 2+ pressure ulcers), and (d) explore intrafacility variation in staffing intensity levels related to unit-level variation in resident and staff outcomes. We used data from 40 care units in 12 Canadian nursing homes between 2007 and 2012. Descriptive statistics and tests of association and difference described relationships of two measures of staffing with resident and staff outcomes. Annualized rates of HCA WHRD from both data sources compared well at the facility level (Pearson Product Correlation; R = 0.847, p < .001), and were correlated similarly to staff work life and many QIs. Using ASSiST data, we show that staffing levels can vary by up to 40% at the unit-level within nursing homes. ASSiST is easy to collect, more timely to retrieve than administrative data, has good criterion and construct validity, and reflects intrafacility variation in health care aide staffing levels. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
The relationship of California's Medicaid reimbursement system to nurse staffing levels.
Mukamel, Dana B; Kang, Taewoon; Collier, Eric; Harrington, Charlene
2012-10-01
Policy initiatives at the Federal and state level are aimed at increasing staffing in nursing homes. These include direct staffing standards, public reporting, and financial incentives. To examine the impact of California's Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes which includes incentives directed at staffing. Two-stage limited-information maximum-likelihood regressions were used to model the relationship between staffing [registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants hours per resident day] and the Medicaid payment rate, accounting for the specific structure of the payment system, endogeneity of payment and case-mix, and controlling for facility and market characteristics. A total of 927 California free-standing nursing homes in 2006. The model included facility characteristics (case-mix, size, ownership, and chain affiliation), market competition and excess demand, labor supply and wages, unemployment, and female employment. The instrumental variable for Medicaid reimbursement was the peer group payment rate for 7 geographical market areas, and the instrumental variables for resident case-mix were the average county revenues for professional therapy establishments and the percent of county population aged 65 and over. Consistent with the rate incentives and rational expectation behavior, expected nursing home reimbursement rates in 2008 were associated with increased RN staffing levels in 2006 but had no relationship with licensed practical nurse and certified nursing assistant staffing. The effect was estimated at 2 minutes per $10 increase in rate. The incentives in the Medicaid system impacted only RN staffing suggesting the need to improve the state's rate setting methodology.
Improving Staffing and Nurse Engagement in a Neuroscience Intermediate Unit.
Nadolski, Charles; Britt, Pheraby; Ramos, Leah C
2017-06-01
The neuroscience intermediate unit is a 23-bed unit that was initially staffed with a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:4 to 1:5. In time, the unit's capacity to care for the exceeding number of progressively acute patients fell short of the desired goals in the staff affecting the nurse satisfaction. The clinical nurses desired a lower nurse-patient ratio. The purpose of this project was to justify a staffing increase through a return on investment and increased quality metrics. This initiative used mixed methodology to determine the ideal staffing for a neuroscience intermediate unit. The quantitative section focused on a review of the acuity of the patients. The qualitative section was based on descriptive interviews with University Healthcare Consortium nurse managers from similar units. The study reviewed the acuity of 9,832 patient days to determine the accurate acuity of neuroscience intermediate unit patients. Nurse managers at 12 University Healthcare Consortium hospitals and 8 units at the Medical University of South Carolina were contacted to compare staffing levels. The increase in nurse staffing contributed to an increase in many quality metrics. There were an 80% decrease in controllable nurse turnover and a 75% reduction in falls with injury after the lowered nurse-patient ratio. These 2 metrics established a return on investment for the staffing increase. In addition, the staffing satisfaction question on the Press Ganey employee engagement survey increased from 2.44 in 2013 to 3.72 in 2015 in response to the advocacy of the bedside nurses.
The relationship between nurse staffing and failure to rescue: where does it matter most?
Talsma, AkkeNeel; Jones, Katherine; Guo, Ying; Wilson, Deleise; Campbell, Darrell A
2014-09-01
This study further expands on the relationship between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes, in particular, failure to rescue. Many studies are based on single-site hospitals or single-year data, thus limiting the generalizations of the findings. The purpose was to evaluate in a multisite multiyear study the relationship between unit-level nurse staffing and FTR mortality, for ICU and non-ICU patients. Using administrative and actual unit level nurse staffing data, we used AHRQ 2003 Patient Safety Indicator (2003) software and matched those with the patient's discharge month. Fixed effects multilevel logistic analyses were used to take into account the hierarchical structure of the database and patient clustering within units. We controlled for patient demographics, clinical conditions, and CCS categories. The majority (94%) of cases were discharged from general care units, ICUs reported higher nurse staffing levels based on patient complexity. Expired cases were 3 years older, male, and nonwhite. For general care discharges, the relationship between RN level HPPD approached significance (P = 0.07), suggesting increased odds of higher FTR mortality with higher staffing levels. We did not observe any of the expected associations between the nurse staffing variables and FTR for either general care unit or ICU discharges. The comprehensive risk adjustments provided adequate "leveling of the playing field" to evaluate the impact of unit-based nurse staffing levels on FTR mortality. Future studies should evaluate the influence of unit environment and patient risk.
42 CFR 9.9 - Facility staffing.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... CHIMPANZEES HELD IN THE FEDERALLY SUPPORTED SANCTUARY SYSTEM § 9.9 Facility staffing. How many personnel are required to staff the chimpanzee sanctuary and what qualifications and training must the staff possess? (a... of the activities and chimpanzee population of the sanctuary. The level of staffing shall be adequate...
42 CFR 9.9 - Facility staffing.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... CHIMPANZEES HELD IN THE FEDERALLY SUPPORTED SANCTUARY SYSTEM § 9.9 Facility staffing. How many personnel are required to staff the chimpanzee sanctuary and what qualifications and training must the staff possess? (a... of the activities and chimpanzee population of the sanctuary. The level of staffing shall be adequate...
42 CFR 9.9 - Facility staffing.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... CHIMPANZEES HELD IN THE FEDERALLY SUPPORTED SANCTUARY SYSTEM § 9.9 Facility staffing. How many personnel are required to staff the chimpanzee sanctuary and what qualifications and training must the staff possess? (a... of the activities and chimpanzee population of the sanctuary. The level of staffing shall be adequate...
42 CFR 9.9 - Facility staffing.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... CHIMPANZEES HELD IN THE FEDERALLY SUPPORTED SANCTUARY SYSTEM § 9.9 Facility staffing. How many personnel are required to staff the chimpanzee sanctuary and what qualifications and training must the staff possess? (a... of the activities and chimpanzee population of the sanctuary. The level of staffing shall be adequate...
42 CFR 1007.13 - Staffing requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Staffing requirements. 1007.13 Section 1007.13 Public Health OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL-HEALTH CARE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES STATE MEDICAID FRAUD CONTROL UNITS § 1007.13 Staffing requirements. (a) The unit will employ...
22 CFR 62.72 - Staffing and support services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Staffing and support services. 62.72 Section 62.72 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) § 62.72 Staffing and support services. (a...
STAF: A Powerful and Sophisticated CAI System.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Loach, Ken
1982-01-01
Describes the STAF (Science Teacher's Authoring Facility) computer-assisted instruction system developed at Leeds University (England), focusing on STAF language and major program features. Although programs for the system emphasize physical chemistry and organic spectroscopy, the system and language are general purpose and can be used in any…
Brown & Smith Communication Solutions: A Staffing System Simulation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Small, Erika E.; Doll, Jessica L.; Bergman, Shawn M.; Heggestad, Eric D.
2018-01-01
Developing students' practical skills in strategic staffing and selection within the classroom can be challenging. This article describes a staffing system simulation designed to engage students and develop applied skills in strategic recruiting, assessment, and evaluation of job applicants. Instructors looking for a multifaceted team project…
The predictable swarm: staying on top of radiology's cyclical staffing "bug".
Ryan, Mary Jane
2005-01-01
Partners HealthCare System in Boston, MA, took some progressive and bold steps to address the recent staffing shortages in radiology. By addressing the shortage at the system level versus the individual hospital level, Partners was able to successfully recruit and support more than 80 new radiologic technologists from initial interest through graduation in 2 years. The recruitment effort helped reduce the utilization of temporary/agency personnel that cost the system more than dollar 6 million in 2001. The system utilized a multi-disciplinary team of professionals at many levels in the organization to achieve significant results in a relatively short period of time. Further, the organization channeled all available resources, including a grant from the US Department of Labor (DOL). The Boston Private Industry Council (BPIC), a local organization well known to the Partners HealthCare community benefits and human resources departments, managed the DOL grant. At least 64 of the first 80 graduates have accepted positions within Partners HealthCare radiology departments. The organization has further populated a database of more than 1,000 interested candidates, some of whom are currently in school and preparing for a future career in radiology, hopefully within the Partners HealthCare System. Partners HealthCare has managed to maintain a diversity rate at over 25% people of color by utilizing targeted recruiting efforts. Partners plans to continue to offer scholarships and other methods of support and career laddering for radiologic technologists in order to continue to meet staffing needs well in to the future. Partners HealthCare developed and implemented a "grow your own" strategy, and the system's leaders hold the philosophy that workforce development is a long-term investment requiring a flexible, permanent plan to stay ahead of the clinical staffing curve.
Patient-days: a better measure of incidence of occupational bloodborne exposures.
Chen, Luke F; Sexton, Daniel J; Kaye, Keith S; Anderson, Deverick J
2009-09-01
There is currently no accepted standard denominator to calculate and to report the incidence of occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens (OEBBPs) in health care. We performed a multicenter study of OEBBP injuries reported from 31 community hospitals in the southeastern United States from January 2003 to December 2006. A qualitative design was used to assess 4 commonly used denominators to calculate the incidence of OEBBP: patient-days; staffed beds; occupied beds and full-time employee equivalents (FTEs). Six criteria were used to assess the quality and suitability of each denominator as a standard method to calculate incidence of OEBBP. We also analyzed the correlation of hospital rankings produced by these 4 denominators. During 4 years of study, a total of 3375 occupational exposures were reported. Patient-days outperformed others as a denominator to calculate rates of OEBBP when judged by 6 predefined criteria. Data for staffed beds, occupied beds, and FTE were manually collected, infrequently reported, and often subject to missing data. Furthermore, FTE and staffed beds data also captured unoccupied beds and non-clinical employee data that were not associated with risk of OEBBP. Patient-days may be the most suitable and readily available denominator for standard reporting and benchmarking of incidence of OEBBP. Patient-days may be used as a standard method for comparing rates of OEBBP.
Pelt, Christopher E; Anderson, Mike B; Pendleton, Robert; Foulks, Matthew; Peters, Christopher L; Gililland, Jeremy M
2017-03-01
An early physical therapy (PT) care pathway was implemented to provide same-day ambulation after total joint arthroplasty by changing PT staffing hours. After receiving an exemption from our institutional review board, we performed a secondary data analysis on a cohort of patients that underwent primary TJA of the hip or knee 6 months before and 12 months after implementation of the change. Data on same-day ambulation rates, length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital costs were reviewed. Early evaluation and mobilization of patients by PT improved on postoperative day (POD) 0 from 64% to 85% after the change ( P ≤ .001). The median LOS before the change was 3.27 days compared to 3.23 days after the change ( P = .014). Patients with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists scores were less likely to ambulate on POD 0 ( P = .038) and had longer hospital stays ( P < .001). Early mobilization in the entire cohort was associated with a greater cost savings ( P < .001). A relatively simple change to staffing hours, using resources currently available to us, and little additional financial or institutional investment resulted in a significant improvement in the number of patients ambulating on POD 0, with a modest reduction in both LOS and inpatient costs.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-03-06
..., Volt Workforce Solutions and Select Staffing, Osceola, WI; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility... recreational vehicles. The company reports that workers leased from Select Staffing were employed on-site at... Select Staffing working on-site at the Osceola, Wisconsin location of Polaris Industries. The amended...
Optimizing the patient transport function at Mayo Clinic.
Kuchera, Dustin; Rohleder, Thomas R
2011-01-01
In this article, we report on the implementation of a computerized scheduling tool to optimize staffing for patient transport at the Mayo Clinic. The tool was developed and implemented in Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic for Applications and includes an easy-to-use interface. The tool allows transport management to consider the trade-offs between patient waiting time and staffing levels. While improved staffing efficiency was a desire of the project, it was important that patient service quality was also maintained. The results show that staffing could be reduced while maintaining historical patient service levels.
Pediatric nurse staffing and quality of care in the hospital setting.
Stratton, Karen M
2008-01-01
Indicators of quality and nurse staffing in pediatrics are distinct from adults. A retrospective, correlational, linear mixed model design was used to describe relationships between pediatric nurse staffing and 5 indicators of quality care from a convenience sample of 7 academic children's hospitals. Key findings supported a strong inverse relationship between the proportion of hours of pediatric nursing care delivered by registered nurses and the rate of occurrence of central line (P < .001) and bloodstream infections (P < .05). Supplemental nurse staffing hours also demonstrated relationships between bloodstream infections and parent/family complaints.
Crist-Grundman, Deborah; Mulrooney, Gail
2011-01-01
Effective staffing is at the very core of quality patient care. Staffing that achieves a balance between quality, safety, labor costs, and staff satisfaction is incredibly complex. Technology can make the complexity manageable and provide health care leaders with the tools to optimize their most valuable resource--their employees. Through such a partnership, the business intelligence brought forth will not only meet the unique needs and goals of each organization, but will also result in innovations and advancements in best practices around excellence in staffing.
Minimum Nurse Staffing Legislation and the Financial Performance of California Hospitals
Reiter, Kristin L; Harless, David W; Pink, George H; Mark, Barbara A
2012-01-01
Objective To estimate the effect of minimum nurse staffing ratios on California acute care hospitals’ financial performance. Data Sources/Study Setting Secondary data from Medicare cost reports, the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Annual Survey, and the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) are combined from 2000 to 2006 for 203 hospitals in California and 407 hospitals in 12 comparison states. Study Design The study employs a difference-in-difference analytical approach. Hospitals are grouped into quartiles based on pre-regulation nurse staffing levels in adult medical-surgical and pediatric units (quartile 1 = lowest staffing). Differences in operating margin, operating expenses per day, and inpatient operating expenses per discharge for California hospitals within a staffing quartile during the period of regulation are compared to differences at hospitals in comparison states during the same period. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Hospital data from Medicare cost reports are merged with nurse staffing measures obtained from AHA and from OSPHD. Principal Findings Relative to hospitals in comparison states, operating margins declined significantly for California hospitals in quartiles 2 and 3. Operating expenses increased significantly in quartiles 1, 2, and 3. Conclusions Implementation of minimum nurse staffing legislation in California put substantial financial pressure on some hospitals. PMID:22150627
Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert
2013-01-01
Background Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets Purpose In this study we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. Methodology/Approach By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Findings Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β=3.3; p=0.02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Practice Implications Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance. PMID:22543824
Assessment of pharmacy manpower and services in West Virginia.
Robinson, Evan T; Bowyer, David
2006-09-01
The shortage of pharmacists across the nation has been much publicized and has been identified as one of the reasons for new schools of pharmacy to open or for existing colleges and schools of pharmacy to increase their class sizes. This article represents the assessment of a new school of pharmacy's evaluation of staffing and practice in its geographic area. This survey represents the first data point within the School of Pharmacy assessment plan and will be repeated at several intervals after the program opens to longitudinally evaluate its impact on pharmacy staffing and services within West Virginia. Using a modified Dillman survey methodology a random sample of 548 pharmacists in West Virginia, approximately one-third the active roster, were surveyed regarding staffing and services in West Virginia. A response rate of 32.78% was achieved and findings indicated that there is a staffing shortage of pharmacists within West Virginia, that staffing impacts the services pharmacists provide, and that more pharmacists would be willing to offer disease management services if staffing levels were at appropriate levels. A shortage of pharmacists does exist in West Virginia and it has implications on patient care. Longitudinal evaluation of the impact of a new pharmacy program will be conducted and the staffing and services within West Virginia should be continued to be studied.
Harrington, Charlene; Olney, Brian; Carrillo, Helen; Kang, Taewoon
2012-02-01
To compare staffing levels and deficiencies of the 10 largest U.S. for-profit nursing home chains with five other ownership groups and chain staffing and deficiencies before and after purchase by four private equity (PE) companies. Facilities for the largest for-profit chains were identified through Internet searches and company reports and matched with federal secondary data for 2003-2008 for each ownership group. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimation equation panel regression models examined staffing and deficiencies by ownership groups in the 2003-2008 period, controlling for facility characteristics, resident acuity, and market factors with state fixed effects. The top 10 for-profit chains had lower registered nurse and total nurse staffing hours than government facilities, controlling for other factors. The top 10 chains received 36 percent higher deficiencies and 41 percent higher serious deficiencies than government facilities. Other for-profit facilities also had lower staffing and higher deficiencies than government facilities. The chains purchased by PE companies showed little change in staffing levels, but the number of deficiencies and serious deficiencies increased in some postpurchase years compared with the prepurchase period. There is a need for greater study of large for-profit chains as well as those chains purchased by PE companies. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
[Structure of nurse labor market and determinants of hospital nurse staffing levels].
Park, Bohyun; Seo, Sukyung; Lee, Taejin
2013-02-01
To analyze the structure of Korean nurse labor market and examine its effect on hospital nurse staffing. Secondary data were obtained from Statistics Korea, Education Statistics, and Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service and Patient Survey. Intensity of monopsony in the nurse labor market was measured by Herfindahl Hirshman Index (HHI). Hospital nurse staffing level was divided into high and low. While controlling for confounding factors such as inpatient days and severity mix of patients, effects of characteristics of nurse labor markets on nurse staffing levels were examined using multi-level logistic regressions. For characteristics of nurse labor markets, metropolitan areas had high intensity of monopsony, while the capital area had competitive labor market and the unemployed nurse rate was higher than other areas. Among hospital characteristics, bed occupancy rate was significantly associated with nurse staffing levels. Among characteristics of nurse labor markets, the effect of HHI was indeterminable. The Korean nurse labor market has different structure between the capital and other metropolitan areas. But the effect of the structure of nurse labor market on nurse staffing levels is indeterminable. Characteristics such as occupancy rate and number of beds are significantly associated with nurse staffing levels. Further study in support of the effect of nurse labor market is needed.
Excellence and evidence in staffing: a data-driven model for excellence in staffing (2nd edition).
Baggett, Margarita; Batcheller, Joyce; Blouin, Ann Scott; Behrens, Elizabeth; Bradley, Carol; Brown, Mary J; Brown, Diane Storer; Bolton, Linda Burnes; Borromeo, Annabelle R; Burtson, Paige; Caramanica, Laura; Caspers, Barbara A; Chow, Marilyn; Christopher, Mary Ann; Clarke, Sean P; Delucas, Christine; Dent, Robert L; Disser, Tony; Eliopoulos, Charlotte; Everett, Linda Q; Garcia, Amy; Glassman, Kimberly; Goodwin, Susan; Haagenson, Deb; Harper, Ellen; Harris, Kathy; Hoying, Cheryl L; Hughes-Rease, Marsha; Kelly, Lesly; Kiger, Anna J; Kobs-Abbott, Ann; Krueger, Janelle; Larson, Jackie; March, Connie; Martin, Deborah Maust; Mazyck, Donna; Meenan, Penny; McGaffigan, Patricia; Myers, Karen K; Nell, Kate; Newcomer, Britta; Cathy, Rick; O'Rourke, Maria; Rosa, Billy; Rose, Robert; Rudisill, Pamela; Sanford, Kathy; Simpson, Roy L; Snowden, Tami; Strickland, Bob; Strohecker, Sharon; Weems, Roger B; Welton, John; Weston, Marla; Valentine, Nancy M; Vento, Laura; Yendro, Susan
2014-01-01
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, 2010) and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM, 2011) Future of Nursing report have prompted changes in the U.S. health care system. This has also stimulated a new direction of thinking for the profession of nursing. New payment and priority structures, where value is placed ahead of volume in care, will start to define our health system in new and unknown ways for years. One thing we all know for sure: we cannot afford the same inefficient models and systems of care of yesterday any longer. The Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing was created as the organizing framework to lead the development of best practices for nurse staffing across the continuum through research and innovation. Regardless of the setting, nurses must integrate multiple concepts with the value of professional nursing to create new care and staffing models. Traditional models demonstrate that nurses are a commodity. If the profession is to make any significant changes in nurse staffing, it is through the articulation of the value of our professional practice within the overall health care environment. This position paper is organized around the concepts from the Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing. The main concepts are: Core Concept 1: Users and Patients of Health Care, Core Concept 2: Providers of Health Care, Core Concept 3: Environment of Care, Core Concept 4: Delivery of Care, Core Concept 5: Quality, Safety, and Outcomes of Care. This position paper provides a comprehensive view of those concepts and components, why those concepts and components are important in this new era of nurse staffing, and a 3-year challenge that will push the nursing profession forward in all settings across the care continuum. There are decades of research supporting various changes to nurse staffing. Yet little has been done to move that research into practice and operations. While the primary goal of this position paper is to generate research and innovative thinking about nurse staffing across all health care settings, a second goal is to stimulate additional publications. This includes a goal of at least 20 articles in Nursing Economic$ on best practices in staffing and care models from across the continuum over the next 3 years.
Human resource management in general practice: survey of current practice.
Newton, J; Hunt, J; Stirling, J
1996-01-01
BACKGROUND: The organization and management of general practice is changing as a result of government policies designed to expand primary health care services. One aspect of practice management which has been underresearched concerns staffing: the recruitment, retention, management and motivation of practice managers. AIM: A study set out to find out who is routinely involved in making decisions about staffing matters in general practice, to establish the extent to which the human resource management function is formalized and specialized, and to describe the characteristics of the practice managers. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to a stratified random sample of 750 general practices in England and Wales in February 1994 enquiring about the practice (for example, the fundholding status and number of general practitioner partners), how the practice dealt with a range of staffing matters and about the practice manager (for example, employment background and training in human resource management). Practices were classed as small (single-handed and two or three general practitioner partners), medium (four or five partners) or large (six or more partners). RESULTS: Replies were received from 477 practices (64%). Practice managers had limited authority to make decisions alone in the majority of practices although there was a greater likelihood of them taking independent action as the size of practice increased. Formality in handling staffing matters (as measured by the existence and use of written policies and procedures) also increased with practice size. Larger practices were more likely than smaller practices to have additional tiers in their management structure through the creation of posts with the titles assistant practice manager, fund manager and senior receptionist. Most practice managers had been recruited from within general practice but larger practices were more likely than smaller practices to recruit from outwith general practice. Three quarters of practice managers reported having received some type of formal training in staff management. CONCLUSION: This study shows that practice size is a major factor associated with differences in the organization and management of staffing. Any initiatives which increase the scale of primary care functions and services would have to address the issues of communication and coordination that might be associated with such a change. PMID:8855013
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pine, Pamela; Savage, William
1989-01-01
Examines the history of language issues and educational policies in the Marshall Islands. Discussion focuses on the administrative, financial, curricular, and staffing features of current language and educational programs, and an immersion model of bilingual Marshallese-English education is proposed to counteract some of the negative outcomes of…
An Examination of Current Navy Medical Professionals Management Oriented Service Short Courses
1993-06-17
diversity in the workplace .83 52. Building a climate that promotes ethical...staffing needs 50. Managing labor relations(union negotiations, grievances, etc.) 51. Managing multi-cultural diversity in the workplace 1.33 52. Building...needs 1.25 50. Managing labor relationsfunion negotiations, grievances. etc.) 51. Managing multi-cultural diversity in the workplace 52. Building
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bowen, Bradley; Marx, Adam; Williams, Thomas; Napoleon, Larry, Jr.
2017-01-01
Teacher retention in the STEM fields is of national interest. Several factors, such as job satisfaction, classroom control, and school influence have been linked to teachers leaving the profession. By statistically analyzing various questions from the Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire, this study evaluated the current state of how…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Christoff, Joseph A.
This report examines the use of foreign language skills within the Army, Department of State, Department of Commerce's Foreign Commercial Service, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, discussing the nature and impact of foreign language shortages, strategies for addressing these shortages, and efforts to address current and projected shortages.…
Werner, G
1979-01-01
This paper reports the major findings of a questionnaire sent to the 708 U. S. and Canadian institutions which were using the National Library of Medicine's search services as of November 1977. Development of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on-line network is traced characterizes type of institution, use of NLM and non-NLM data bases, operational service patterns, staffing levels, fee-for-service policies, and perceived impact. PMID:371720
The association between nurse staffing and omissions in nursing care: A systematic review.
Griffiths, Peter; Recio-Saucedo, Alejandra; Dall'Ora, Chiara; Briggs, Jim; Maruotti, Antonello; Meredith, Paul; Smith, Gary B; Ball, Jane
2018-03-08
To identify nursing care most frequently missed in acute adult inpatient wards and to determine evidence for the association of missed care with nurse staffing. Research has established associations between nurse staffing levels and adverse patient outcomes including in-hospital mortality. However, the causal nature of this relationship is uncertain and omissions of nursing care (referred as missed care, care left undone or rationed care) have been proposed as a factor which may provide a more direct indicator of nurse staffing adequacy. Systematic review. We searched the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase and Medline for quantitative studies of associations between staffing and missed care. We searched key journals, personal libraries and reference lists of articles. Two reviewers independently selected studies. Quality appraisal was based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality appraisal checklist for studies reporting correlations and associations. Data were abstracted on study design, missed care prevalence and measures of association. Synthesis was narrative. Eighteen studies gave subjective reports of missed care. Seventy-five per cent or more nurses reported omitting some care. Fourteen studies found low nurse staffing levels were significantly associated with higher reports of missed care. There was little evidence that adding support workers to the team reduced missed care. Low Registered Nurse staffing is associated with reports of missed nursing care in hospitals. Missed care is a promising indicator of nurse staffing adequacy. The extent to which the relationships observed represent actual failures, is yet to be investigated. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
2012-01-01
Background Studies over the past decades have shown an association between nurse staffing and patient outcomes, however, most of these studies were conducted in the West. Accordingly, the purpose of this study aimed to provide an overview of the research/evidence base which has clarified the relationship between nurse staffing and patient mortality of acute care hospital wards under a universal health insurance system and attempted to provide explanations for some of the phenomena that are unique in Taiwan. Methods Through stratified random sampling, a total of 108 wards selected from 32 hospitals in Taiwan were collected over a consecutive seven month period. The mixed effect logit model was used to explore the relationship between nurse staffing and patient mortality. Results The medians of direct-nursing-care-hour, and nurse manpower were 2.52 h, and 378 persons, respectively. The OR for death between the long direct-nursing-care-hour (> median) group and the short direct-nursing-care-hour (≦median) group was 0.393 (95% CI = [0.245, 0.617]). The OR for death between the high (> median) and the low (≦median) nurse manpower groups was 0.589 (95% CI = [0.381, 0.911]). Conclusions Findings from this study demonstrate an association of nurse staffing and patient mortality and are consistent with findings from similar studies. These findings have policy implications for strengthening the nursing profession, nurse staffing, and the hospital quality associated with nursing. Additional research is necessary to demonstrate adequate nurse staffing ratios of different wards in Taiwan. PMID:22348278
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Steach, John C.
2011-01-01
This mixed methods study explored how high school principals prioritize their work and utilize available human resources to adjust to inadequate administrative staffing. Analysis of staffing levels across the state of Washington and specifically inside two eastern Washington districts framed interview questions for central office administration…
The Influence of Nurse Staffing Levels on Quality of Care in Nursing Homes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hyer, Kathryn; Thomas, Kali S.; Branch, Laurence G.; Harman, Jeffrey S.; Johnson, Christopher E.; Weech-Maldonado, Robert
2011-01-01
Objective: This study examines the relationship between increasing certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licensed nurse staffing ratios and deficiencies in Florida nursing homes over a 4-year period. Methods: Data from Florida staffing reports and the Online Survey Certification and Reporting database examine the relationship among staffing…
42 CFR 485.631 - Condition of participation: Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition of participation: Staffing and staff... participation: Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Standard: Staffing—(1) The CAH has a professional health care staff that includes one or more doctors of medicine or osteopathy, and may include one or more...
42 CFR 485.631 - Condition of participation: Staffing and staff responsibilities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Condition of participation: Staffing and staff... participation: Staffing and staff responsibilities. (a) Standard: Staffing—(1) The CAH has a professional health care staff that includes one or more doctors of medicine or osteopathy, and may include one or more...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-01-08
... Select Staffing, Oxnard, CA; CalAmp Wireless Networks Corporation (CWNC), Including On- Site Leased... Division, including on-site leased workers from Select Staffing, Oxnard, California (TA-W-80,399). The...-site leased workers from Select Staffing, Oxnard, California (TA-W-80,399) and CalAmp Wireless Networks...
Griffiths, Peter; Dall'Ora, Chiara; Simon, Michael; Ball, Jane; Lindqvist, Rikard; Rafferty, Anne-Marie; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Tishelman, Carol; Aiken, Linda H
2014-11-01
Despite concerns as to whether nurses can perform reliably and effectively when working longer shifts, a pattern of two 12- to 13-hour shifts per day is becoming common in many hospitals to reduce shift to shift handovers, staffing overlap, and hence costs. To describe shift patterns of European nurses and investigate whether shift length and working beyond contracted hours (overtime) is associated with nurse-reported care quality, safety, and care left undone. Cross-sectional survey of 31,627 registered nurses in general medical/surgical units within 488 hospitals across 12 European countries. A total of 50% of nurses worked shifts of ≤ 8 hours, but 15% worked ≥ 12 hours. Typical shift length varied between countries and within some countries. Nurses working for ≥ 12 hours were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety [odds ratio (OR)=1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-1.76], poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.30; 95% CI, 1.10-1.53), and more care activities left undone (RR=1.13; 95% CI, 1.09-1.16). Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety (OR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.51-1.86), poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.32; 95% CI, 1.23-1.42), and more care left undone (RR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.27-1.31). European registered nurses working shifts of ≥ 12 hours and those working overtime report lower quality and safety and more care left undone. Policies to adopt a 12-hour nursing shift pattern should proceed with caution. Use of overtime working to mitigate staffing shortages or increase flexibility may also incur additional risk to quality.
Nurses’ Shift Length and Overtime Working in 12 European Countries
Dall’Ora, Chiara; Simon, Michael; Ball, Jane; Lindqvist, Rikard; Rafferty, Anne-Marie; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Tishelman, Carol; Aiken, Linda H.
2014-01-01
Background: Despite concerns as to whether nurses can perform reliably and effectively when working longer shifts, a pattern of two 12- to 13-hour shifts per day is becoming common in many hospitals to reduce shift to shift handovers, staffing overlap, and hence costs. Objectives: To describe shift patterns of European nurses and investigate whether shift length and working beyond contracted hours (overtime) is associated with nurse-reported care quality, safety, and care left undone. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 31,627 registered nurses in general medical/surgical units within 488 hospitals across 12 European countries. Results: A total of 50% of nurses worked shifts of ≤8 hours, but 15% worked ≥12 hours. Typical shift length varied between countries and within some countries. Nurses working for ≥12 hours were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety [odds ratio (OR)=1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–1.76], poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.30; 95% CI, 1.10–1.53), and more care activities left undone (RR=1.13; 95% CI, 1.09–1.16). Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety (OR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.51–1.86), poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.32; 95% CI, 1.23–1.42), and more care left undone (RR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.27–1.31). Conclusions: European registered nurses working shifts of ≥12 hours and those working overtime report lower quality and safety and more care left undone. Policies to adopt a 12-hour nursing shift pattern should proceed with caution. Use of overtime working to mitigate staffing shortages or increase flexibility may also incur additional risk to quality. PMID:25226543
Applying management information systems to staffing.
Hanson, R L
1982-10-01
A management information system (MIS) is a tool for managing resources effectively. After reviewing some concepts and principles for effective data management, Hanson clearly applies the concepts to nurse staffing systems, which manage human resources. He defines a seven-step process for establishing an MIS, from defining the management objective to implementing the system. Pointing out that an MIS need not be computerized to be effective, Hanson presents a positive perspective and clarifies some often-misconceived notions about management information systems and the paper printouts they generate. In the next issue of JONA, a second article by Hanson will take a more detailed look at the variety, use, and usefulness of staffing statistics available from an MIS for staffing. These articles are based on material in a forthcoming book, Management Systems for Nursing Service Staffing, to be published by Aspen Systems Corporation, Rockville, Maryland.
The impact of HMO penetration on the relationship between nurse staffing and quality.
Mark, Barbara A; Harless, David W; McCue, Michael
2005-07-01
While there are a number of studies examining the relationship between nurse staffing and quality, none has examined structural differences in the relationship between nurse staffing and quality contingent upon the level of managed care penetration. We used administrative data, and a dynamic panel data model to examine this relationship in a panel of 422 acute care hospitals from 1990 to 1995. We found that there were significant differences in the relationship between nurse staffing and both mortality and length of stay depending upon the level of HMO penetration in the hospital's market.
A certain ratio? The policy implications of minimum staffing ratios in nursing.
Buchan, James
2005-10-01
The debate about how best to determine nurse staffing levels continues. The conventional wisdom is that determining staffing levels is something best left to local management, taking account of local workload and resources. This 'bottom up' philosophy has now been challenged by the use of a different approach--the use of 'top down'standardized, and mandatory, nurse:patient or nurse:bed ratios. This paper examines the characteristics and early results of the use of staffing ratios in the two health systems where nurse staffing ratios are now mandatory--the states of Victoria (Australia) and California (USA). It then discusses the policy implications of using ratios. The paper identifies the main weaknesses of the use of nurse:patient ratios as being their relative inflexibility and their potential inefficiency, if they are wrongly calibrated. Their strength is their simplicity and their transparency. Their impact will be most pronounced when ratios are mandatory and where they offer a mechanism to improve and then to maintain staffing levels at some pre-determined level. The biggest challenges in their use are calibration (what is 'safe'? or 'minimum'?) and achieving the support of all stake-holders. The paper concludes that nurse:patient ratios are a blunt instrument for achieving employer compliance, where reliance on alternative, voluntary (and often more sophisticated) methods of determining nurse staffing have not been effective.
Harrington, Charlene; Olney, Brian; Carrillo, Helen; Kang, Taewoon
2012-01-01
Objective To compare staffing levels and deficiencies of the 10 largest U.S. for-profit nursing home chains with five other ownership groups and chain staffing and deficiencies before and after purchase by four private equity (PE) companies. Data Sources Facilities for the largest for-profit chains were identified through Internet searches and company reports and matched with federal secondary data for 2003–2008 for each ownership group. Study Design Descriptive statistics and generalized estimation equation panel regression models examined staffing and deficiencies by ownership groups in the 2003–2008 period, controlling for facility characteristics, resident acuity, and market factors with state fixed effects. Principal Findings The top 10 for-profit chains had lower registered nurse and total nurse staffing hours than government facilities, controlling for other factors. The top 10 chains received 36 percent higher deficiencies and 41 percent higher serious deficiencies than government facilities. Other for-profit facilities also had lower staffing and higher deficiencies than government facilities. The chains purchased by PE companies showed little change in staffing levels, but the number of deficiencies and serious deficiencies increased in some postpurchase years compared with the prepurchase period. Conclusions There is a need for greater study of large for-profit chains as well as those chains purchased by PE companies. PMID:22091627
Bowers, L; Simpson, A; Nijman, H; Hall, C
2008-04-01
Psychiatric care units provide care to disturbed patients in a context of higher security and staffing levels. Although such units are numerous, few systematic comparisons have been made, and there are indications that ethnic minority groups may be over-represented. The aim of this study was to compare the rates of adverse incidents and patterns of usage of three psychiatric intensive care units. The study used a triangulation or multi-method design, bringing together data from official statistics, local audit and interviews conducted with staff. Intensive care patients were more likely to be young, male and suffering a psychotic disorder, as compared with general acute ward patients. Caribbean patients were twice as likely, and Asian patients half as likely, to receive intensive care (age, gender and diagnosis controlled). There were large differences in service levels, staffing, team functioning and adverse incidents between the three units. Various aspects of physical security were important in preventing absconds. More evaluative research is required in order to define effective service levels, and to explore the nature of the interaction between ethnicity and inpatient care provision during acute illness.
Worthy Work, Unlivable Wages: The National Child Care Staffing Study, 1988-1997.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whitebook, Marcy; Howes, Carollee; Phillips, Deborah
In 1988, the National Child Care Staffing Study first gathered information on staffing and quality from a sample of child care centers in five metropolitan areas--Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle--and returned for updated information in 1992. In 1997, directors of the original sample of centers still in operation were contacted again…
The School Staffing Surge: Decades of Employment Growth in America's Public Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Scafidi, Benjamin
2012-01-01
This report analyzes changes in public school staffing over time by examining data from the annual editions of the Digest of Education Statistics, which is compiled by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The report's main part analyzes changes in public school staffing over the past generation, the fiscal…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Houseman, Susan N.
Use of flexible staffing arrangements--including temporary help agency, short-term, on-call, regular part-time, and contract workers--is widespread and two-thirds of employers believe this trend will increase in the near future. A study examined which employers use flexible staffing arrangements, why they use these arrangements, and their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kanda, Katsuya; Mezey, Mathy
1991-01-01
Examined changes in resident acuity and registered nurse staffing in all nursing homes in Pennsylvania before and after introduction of Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) in 1983. Found that acuity of nursing home residents increased significantly since introduction of PPS, full-time registered nurse staffing remained unchanged, and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harvey, Michael; Kiessling, Tim; Moeller, Miriam
2011-01-01
Assembling a diverse global workforce is becoming a critical dimension in gaining successful global performance. In the past, staffing has focused on control of the multinational organization as the primary goal when staffing overseas positions. As organizations globalize their operations, the goal of staffing is shifting from control to…
Flexible Staffing and Scheduling in U.S. Corporations. Research Bulletin No. 240.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Christensen, Kathleen
A national survey in 1988 probed the use of flexible staffing and scheduling alternatives in 521 of the largest U.S. corporations. Company executives indicated they expected their companies to decrease their rate of growth of contingent staffing and increase their use of flextime, job sharing, and home-based work. Several specifics stood out…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-12-13
..., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing and Andrews International, Fort Smith... Staffing, Fort Smith, Arkansas. The notice was published in the Federal Register on October 25, 2010 (75 FR... reports that workers leased from Andrews International were employed on-site at the Fort Smith, Arkansas...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-09-04
..., LLC, Including On-Site Leased Workers From FirstStaff, Trac Staffing, and Worksource, Inc., Fort Smith... Staffing, Worksource, Inc., Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Department's notice of determination was published in... Worksource, Inc. were employed on-site at the Fort Smith, Arkansas location of River Bend Industries, LLC...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cox, John
2017-01-01
New research needs, global developments and local shifts in emphasis are demanding a broader range of interactions by librarians with researchers and are challenging previous staffing structures. Research has a higher institutional profile and academic libraries have responded by creating new roles and staffing models, with stronger linkage across…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-03-14
... Subsidiary of Legrand North America; Including On-Site Leased Workers From Select Staffing, also Known as... subsidiary of Legrand North America, including on-site leased workers from Select Staffing and Aerotek... reviewed the certification for workers of the subject firm. The company reports that Select Staffing, an on...
Mitchell, Christine C; Ashley, Stanley W; Zinner, Michael J; Moore, Francis D
2007-04-01
To develop a model to predict future staffing for the surgery service at a teaching hospital. Tertiary hospital. A computer model with potential future variables was constructed. Some of the variables were distribution of resident staff, fellows, and physician extenders; salary/wages; work hours; educational value of rotations; work units, inpatient wards, and clinics; future volume growth; and efficiency savings. Outcomes Number of staff to be hired, staffing expense, and educational impact. On a busy general surgery service, we estimated the impact of changes in resident work hours, service growth, and workflow efficiency in the next 5 years. Projecting a reduction in resident duty hours to 60 hours per week will require the hiring of 10 physician assistants at a cost of $1 134 000, a cost that is increased by $441 000 when hiring hospitalists instead. Implementing a day of didactic and simulator time (10 hours) will further increase the costs by $568 000. A 10% improvement in the efficiency of floor care, as might be gained by advanced information technology capability or by regionalization of patients, can mitigate these expenses by as much as 21%. On the other hand, a modest annual growth of 2% will increase the costs by $715 000 to $2 417 000. To simply replace residents with alternative providers requires large amounts of human and fiscal capital. The potential for simple efficiencies to mitigate some of this expense suggests that traditional patterns of care in teaching hospitals will have to change in response to educational mandates.
Does daily nurse staffing match ward workload variability? Three hospitals' experiences.
Gabbay, Uri; Bukchin, Michael
2009-01-01
Nurse shortage and rising healthcare resource burdens mean that appropriate workforce use is imperative. This paper aims to evaluate whether daily nursing staffing meets ward workload needs. Nurse attendance and daily nurses' workload capacity in three hospitals were evaluated. Statistical process control was used to evaluate intra-ward nurse workload capacity and day-to-day variations. Statistical process control is a statistics-based method for process monitoring that uses charts with predefined target measure and control limits. Standardization was performed for inter-ward analysis by converting ward-specific crude measures to ward-specific relative measures by dividing observed/expected. Two charts: acceptable and tolerable daily nurse workload intensity, were defined. Appropriate staffing indicators were defined as those exceeding predefined rates within acceptable and tolerable limits (50 percent and 80 percent respectively). A total of 42 percent of the overall days fell within acceptable control limits and 71 percent within tolerable control limits. Appropriate staffing indicators were met in only 33 percent of wards regarding acceptable nurse workload intensity and in only 45 percent of wards regarding tolerable workloads. The study work did not differentiate crude nurse attendance and it did not take into account patient severity since crude bed occupancy was used. Double statistical process control charts and certain staffing indicators were used, which is open to debate. Wards that met appropriate staffing indicators prove the method's feasibility. Wards that did not meet appropriate staffing indicators prove the importance and the need for process evaluations and monitoring. Methods presented for monitoring daily staffing appropriateness are simple to implement either for intra-ward day-to-day variation by using nurse workload capacity statistical process control charts or for inter-ward evaluation using standardized measure of nurse workload intensity. The real challenge will be to develop planning systems and implement corrective interventions such as dynamic and flexible daily staffing, which will face difficulties and barriers. The paper fulfils the need for workforce utilization evaluation. A simple method using available data for daily staffing appropriateness evaluation, which is easy to implement and operate, is presented. The statistical process control method enables intra-ward evaluation, while standardization by converting crude into relative measures enables inter-ward analysis. The staffing indicator definitions enable performance evaluation. This original study uses statistical process control to develop simple standardization methods and applies straightforward statistical tools. This method is not limited to crude measures, rather it uses weighted workload measures such as nursing acuity or weighted nurse level (i.e. grade/band).
Backhaus, Ramona; Verbeek, Hilde; van Rossum, Erik; Capezuti, Elizabeth; Hamers, Jan P H
2014-06-01
The relationship between nurse staffing and quality of care (QoC) in nursing homes continues to receive major attention. The evidence supporting this relationship, however, is weak because most studies employ a cross-sectional design. This review summarizes the findings from recent longitudinal studies. In April 2013, the databases PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were systematically searched. Studies were eligible if they (1) examined the relationship between nurse staffing and QoC outcomes, (2) included only nursing home data, (3) were original research articles describing quantitative, longitudinal studies, and (4) were written in English, Dutch, or German. The methodological quality of 20 studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, excluding 2 low-quality articles for the analysis. No consistent relationship was found between nurse staffing and QoC. Higher staffing levels were associated with better as well as lower QoC indicators. For example, for restraint use both positive (ie, less restraint use) and negative outcomes (ie, more restraint use) were found. With regard to pressure ulcers, we found that more staff led to fewer pressure ulcers and, therefore, better results, no matter who (registered nurse, licensed practical nurse/ licensed vocational nurse, or nurse assistant) delivered care. No consistent evidence was found for a positive relationship between staffing and QoC. Although some positive indications were suggested, major methodological and theoretical weaknesses (eg, timing of data collection, assumed linear relationship between staffing and QoC) limit interpretation of results. Our findings demonstrate the necessity for well-designed longitudinal studies to gain a better insight into the relationship between nurse staffing and QoC in nursing homes. Copyright © 2014 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Surviving the perfect storm: staff perceptions of mandatory overtime.
Jacobsen, Catherine; Holson, Deborah; Farley, Jean; Charles, Jennell; Suel, Patricia
2002-09-01
Historically, mandatory overtime has been used to provide adequate staffing in times of crisis; however, as a result of today's severe nursing shortage, hospitals and other healthcare institutions are more commonly using mandatory overtime as a daily management tool to meet staffing requirements. This practice has created turmoil between management and staff in providing quality healthcare. Nursing literature describing staff nurses' views of overtime is limited. This article offers a description of the environment at the Hospital for Sick Children, a private nonprofit rehabilitation and transitional care pediatric hospital in Washington, DC, and the challenges the hospital faces in staffing the patient care units. This article also reports the results of the hospital's efforts to poll the nursing staff on their opinions regarding both voluntary and mandatory overtime and identifies conditions that influence the nursing staff's decisions and perceptions about overtime. Survey results will be used to modify existing staffing strategies and implement new staffing policies.
Wage, Work Environment, and Staffing: Effects on Nurse Outcomes
McHugh, Matthew D.; Ma, Chenjuan
2015-01-01
Research has shown that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments have better nurse outcomes—less burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave the job. Many studies, however, have not accounted for wage effects, which may confound findings. By using a secondary analysis with cross-sectional administrative data and a four-state survey of nurses, we investigated how wage, work environment, and staffing were associated with nurse outcomes. Logistic regression models, with and without wage, were used to estimate the effects of work environment and staffing on burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave. We discovered that wage was associated with job dissatisfaction and intent to leave but had little influence on burnout, while work environment and average patient-to-nurse ratio still have considerable effects on nurse outcomes. Wage is important for good nurse outcomes, but it does not diminish the significant influence of work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes. PMID:25121923
Anderson, G F; Han, K C; Miller, R H; Johns, M E
1997-01-01
OBJECTIVE: To compare three methods of computing the national requirements for otolaryngologists in 1994 and 2010. DATA SOURCES: Three large HMOs, a Delphi panel, the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), and published sources. STUDY DESIGN: Three established methods of computing requirements for otolaryngologists were compared: managed care, demand-utilization, and adjusted needs assessment. Under the managed care model, a published method based on reviewing staffing patterns in HMOs was modified to estimate the number of otolaryngologists. We obtained from BHPr estimates of work force projections from their demand model. To estimate the adjusted needs model, we convened a Delphi panel of otolaryngologists using the methodology developed by the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC). DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Not applicable. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Wide variation in the estimated number of otolaryngologists required occurred across the three methods. Within each model it was possible to alter the requirements for otolaryngologists significantly by changing one or more of the key assumptions. The managed care model has a potential to obtain the most reliable estimates because it reflects actual staffing patterns in institutions that are attempting to use physicians efficiently. CONCLUSIONS: Estimates of work force requirements can vary considerably if one or more assumptions are changed. In order for the managed care approach to be useful for actual decision making concerning the appropriate number of otolaryngologists required, additional research on the methodology used to extrapolate the results to the general population is necessary. PMID:9180613
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Meyer, G. R.
The development of new courses is described and weaknesses are identified. The current position of the project is reviewed in terms of production of syllabuses and books, production of equipment, acceptability in schools, and administration and staffing. Biology syllabuses and textbooks are discussed in more detail. Appendices include reports of…
A Baseline Description of DTIC Scientific and Technical Information Support System
1986-09-01
discussed below. Operations Research And Economic Analysis Office (DTIC-LO) This organizational element is currently being staffed. Its primary planned... Analysis Centers DASIAC - Ed Martin, Dave Reitz GACIAC - Richard Bartl* MCIAC - Helen Pestel * MMIAC - Sarah Ellingsworth...Overall Organization 2-5 Office Of The Administrator And Personal Staff 2-7 Equal Employment Opportunity Manager 2-7 Information Analysis
Applying APPA Guidelines for Custodial Staffing: The Case of Slippery Rock University
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Iossifova, Albena; Hemphill, Dennis; Brest, Diana; Albert, Scott
2009-01-01
Founded in 1889, Slippery Rock University (SRU) is a state university with 8,500 students and 400 faculty. Facilities and planning (F&P) employs 178 staff, of which 50 are custodians. F&P is responsible for the maintenance of 560 acres and 60 major buildings that comprise approximately 2.3 million gross square feet. Currently work is…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stearns, Sally C.; Park, Jeongyoung; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Gruber-Baldini, Ann L.; Konrad, Thomas R.; Sloane, Philip D.
2007-01-01
Purpose: Residential care/assisted living facilities have become an alternative to nursing homes for many individuals, yet little information exists about staffing in these settings and the effect of staffing. This study analyzed the intensity and skill mix of nursing staff using data from a four-state study, and their relationship to outcomes.…
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... organization table, including: (a) The structure and composition of the Board of Directors of the RLF; (b) The... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Staffing and organization of the Revolving Loan... Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Demonstration Project § 1336.65 Staffing and organization of the Revolving...
Using Data to Assess Staffing and Services: University of Iowa Main Library
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paulus, Amy R.
2014-01-01
The Main Library Service Desk is a one-stop academic help center located between a newly renovated student-focused space called the Learning Commons and the library collections. Services began with the first day of classes, August 26, 2013, and assessment has been ongoing, in part due to the availability of data. Staffing levels, staffing hours,…
Staffing levels in endoscopy units.
Ott, B J; Igo, M; Shields, N
1994-04-01
Staffing the endoscopy area has become increasingly complex. Growth in procedure volumes, changes in technology, and the application of endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of disease contribute to the complexities. The manager must deal with these changes, maintain costs, and still provide adequate staffing to ensure patient safety and quality care. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a laboratory manager survey conducted in 1990. Of 51 laboratory managers who responded, those who rated their laboratories to be adequately staffed averaged 4.2 hr per procedure. The survey results may be useful to laboratory managers seeking to calculate staff needs in a typical endoscopy area.
Staffing Subsidies and the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes
Foster, Andrew D.; Lee, Yong Suk
2015-01-01
Concerns about the quality of state-financed nursing home care has led to the wide-scale adoption by states of pass-through subsidies, in which Medicaid reimbursement rates are directly tied to staffing expenditure. We examine the effects of Medicaid pass-through on nursing home staffing and quality of care by adapting a two-step FGLS method that addresses clustering and state-level temporal autocorrelation. We find that pass-through subsidies increases staffing by about 1% on average and 2.7% in nursing homes with a low share of Medicaid patients. Furthermore, pass-through subsidies reduce the incidences of pressure ulcer worsening by about 0.9%. PMID:25814437
[Staffing in medical radiation physics in Germany--summary of a questionnaire].
Leetz, Hans-Karl; Eipper, Hermann Hans; Gfirtner, Hans; Schneider, Peter; Welker, Klaus
2003-01-01
To obtain an overview of the actual staffing levels in Medical Radiation Physics, a survey was carried out in 1999 by the task-group "Staffing requirements" of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Physik (DGMP; German Society of Medical Physics) among all DGMP members active in this field. The main components for equipment and activities are defined as in Report 8 and 10 of the DGMP for staffing requirements in Medical Radiation Physics. The survey focused on these main components. Of 322 forms sent out, 173 answers could be evaluated. From the answers regarding equipment and activities, theoretical staff requirements were calculated on the basis of this spot-check target and compared with the effective staffing levels documented in the survey. The spot-check data were then extrapolated to the whole Germany. The calculation revealed a deficit of 72% for the whole physics staff and of 58% for the number of physicists. Considering the age distribution of the DGMP members and the calculated staffing deficit, a training need was calculated of approximately 100 medical physicists per year in Germany, provided that the goal is set of cutting back the deficit in 10 years.
Ade-Oshifogun, Jochebed Bosede; Dufelmeier, Thaddeus
2012-01-01
This article describes a quality improvement process for "do not return" (DNR) notices for healthcare supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities that use them. It is imperative that supplemental staffing agencies partner with healthcare facilities in assuring the quality of supplemental staff. Although supplemental staffing agencies attempt to ensure quality staffing, supplemental staff are sometimes subjectively evaluated by healthcare facilities as "DNR." The objective of this article is to describe a quality improvement process to prevent and manage "DNR" within healthcare organizations. We developed a curriculum and accompanying evaluation tool by adapting Rampersad's problem-solving discipline approach: (a) definition of area(s) for improvement; (b) identification of all possible causes; (c) development of an action plan; (d) implementation of the action plan; (e) evaluation for program improvement; and (f) standardization of the process. Face and content validity of the evaluation tool was ascertained by input from a panel of experienced supplemental staff and nursing faculty. This curriculum and its evaluation tool will have practical implications for supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities in reducing "DNR" rates and in meeting certification/accreditation requirements. Further work is needed to translate this process into future research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nurse staffing levels and Medicaid reimbursement rates in nursing facilities.
Harrington, Charlene; Swan, James H; Carrillo, Helen
2007-06-01
To examine the relationship between nursing staffing levels in U.S. nursing homes and state Medicaid reimbursement rates. Facility staffing, characteristics, and case-mix data were from the federal On-Line Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) system and other data were from public sources. Ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares regression analyses were used to separately examine the relationship between registered nurse (RN) and total nursing hours in all U.S. nursing homes in 2002, with two endogenous variables: Medicaid reimbursement rates and resident case mix. RN hours and total nursing hours were endogenous with Medicaid reimbursement rates and resident case mix. As expected, Medicaid nursing home reimbursement rates were positively related to both RN and total nursing hours. Resident case mix was a positive predictor of RN hours and a negative predictor of total nursing hours. Higher state minimum RN staffing standards was a positive predictor of RN and total nursing hours while for-profit facilities and the percent of Medicaid residents were negative predictors. To increase staffing levels, average Medicaid reimbursement rates would need to be substantially increased while higher state minimum RN staffing standards is a stronger positive predictor of RN and total nursing hours.
Using a complex audit tool to measure workload, staffing and quality in district nursing.
Kirby, Esther; Hurst, Keith
2014-05-01
This major community, workload, staffing and quality study is thought to be the most comprehensive community staffing project in England. It involved over 400 staff from 46 teams in 6 localities and is unique because it ties community staffing activity to workload and quality. Scotland was used to benchmark since the same evidence-based Safer Nursing Care Tool methodology developed by the second-named author was used (apart from quality) and took into account population and geographical similarities. The data collection method tested quality standards, acuity, dependency and nursing interventions by looking at caseloads, staff activity and service quality and funded, actual, temporary and recommended staffing. Key findings showed that 4 out of 6 localities had a heavy workload index that stretched staffing numbers and time spent with patients. The acuity and dependency of patients leaned heavily towards the most dependent and acute categories requiring more face-to-face care. Some areas across the localities had high levels of temporary staff, which affected quality and increased cost. Skill and competency shortages meant that a small number of staff had to travel significantly across the county to deliver complex care to some patients.
Cost analysis of nursing home registered nurse staffing times.
Dorr, David A; Horn, Susan D; Smout, Randall J
2005-05-01
To examine potential cost savings from decreased adverse resident outcomes versus additional wages of nurses when nursing homes have adequate staffing. A retrospective cost study using differences in adverse outcome rates of pressure ulcers (PUs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and hospitalizations per resident per day from low staffing and adequate staffing nursing homes. Cost savings from reductions in these events are calculated in dollars and compared with costs of increasing nurse staffing. Eighty-two nursing homes throughout the United States. One thousand three hundred seventy-six frail elderly long-term care residents at risk of PU development. Event rates are from the National Pressure Ulcer Long-Term Care Study. Hospital costs are estimated from Medicare statistics and from charges in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. UTI costs and PU costs are from cost-identification studies. Time horizon is 1 year; perspectives are societal and institutional. Analyses showed an annual net societal benefit of 3,191 dollars per resident per year in a high-risk, long-stay nursing home unit that employs sufficient nurses to achieve 30 to 40 minutes of registered nurse direct care time per resident per day versus nursing homes that have nursing time of less than 10 minutes. Sensitivity analyses revealed a robust set of estimates, with no single or paired elements reaching the cost/benefit equality threshold. Increasing nurse staffing in nursing homes may create significant societal cost savings from reduction in adverse outcomes. Challenges in increasing nurse staffing are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kash, Bita A.; Castle, Nicholas G.; Naufal, George S.; Hawes, Catherine
2006-01-01
Purpose: We examined the effects of facility and market-level characteristics on staffing levels and turnover rates for direct care staff, and we examined the effect of staff turnover on staffing levels. Design and Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1,014 Texas nursing homes. Data were from the 2002 Texas Nursing Facility Medicaid Cost…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Felce, David; Perry, Jonathan
2004-01-01
Background: The aims were to: (i) explore the association between age and size of setting and staffing per resident; and (ii) report resident and setting characteristics, and indicators of service process and resident activity for a national random sample of staffed housing provision. Methods: Sixty settings were selected randomly from those…
Fox, Rebekah L; Abrahamson, Kathleen
2009-01-01
BACKGROUND. Despite short-lived periods of adequacy in nurse availability, the nursing shortage has endured. In order to better understand the myriad factors that influence the current shortage of nurses, as well as possible solutions, this project addresses the influence of social factors and government policy on nurse staffing inadequacy. When the government intervenes in a philosophically free-market economy, the assumption is that a problem, such as the current nursing shortage, could not be solved without such intervention. PURPOSE. Nursing care arguably falls into the realm of protecting the common good, and therefore requires government oversight. We provide a critical analysis of policy intervention efforts into the nursing shortage debate by examining the passage of legislation, the provision of educational assistance, and the establishment of minimum staffing requirements and minimum quality standards for reimbursement, which all impact nursing supply and demand. RESULTS. Arguments supporting and opposing policy intervention in general, and its impact on the overall provision of nursing care in the United States, were examined. Without policy incentive to place financial value on the quality of care provided by nurses, a simple increase in the number of available nurses is unlikely to solve the current problem. IMPLICATIONS. Important considerations that should be factored into policy creation include measurement and compensation for quality care, the nature of recruitment efforts of new nurses, and the complex nature of a nursing work.
What is the harm in imposing mandatory hospital nurse staffing regulations?
Buerhaus, P I
1997-01-01
Efforts to establish mandated staffing ratios are shortsighted, and, though proponents may have the best intentions, many negative outcomes would flow from the public airing of this issue. The Institute of Medicine concluded in 1996 that there was insufficient quality outcome evidence to support the imposition of mandated nurse staffing ratios. The Massachusetts Nursing Association got legislation introduced in early 1996 which, if passed, would turn over to state lawmakers decisions governing nurse staffing in hospitals and other employment settings. There are high opportunity costs. Staffing regulations (if imposed) would force employers to ignore the dynamic interactions of economic, technology, capital, and labor supply variables, and thus needlessly impose the effect of increased labor costs on hospitals, taxpayers and nurses themselves. Chance for passage of this highly controversial legislation is unlikely, but the expenditure of political chips (and the loss of credibility) will increase the difficulty of obtaining a hearing from legislators the next time a nursing issue comes up.
Pediatric intensive care unit admission tool: a colorful approach.
Biddle, Amy
2007-12-01
This article discusses the development, implementation, and utilization of our institution's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Color-Coded Admission Status Tool. Rather than the historical method of identifying a maximum number of staffed beds, a tool was developed to color code the PICU's admission status. Previous methods had been ineffective and led to confusion between the PICU leadership team and the administration. The tool includes the previously missing components of staffing and acuity, which are essential in determining admission capability. The PICU tool has three colored levels: green indicates open for admissions; yellow, admission alert resulting from available beds or because staffing is not equal to the projected patient numbers or required acuity; and red, admissions on hold because only one trauma or arrest bed is available or staffing is not equal to the projected acuity. Yellow and red designations require specific actions and the medical director's approval. The tool has been highly successful and significantly impacted nursing with the inclusion of the essential component of nurse staffing necessary in determining bed availability.
Wage, work environment, and staffing: effects on nurse outcomes.
McHugh, Matthew D; Ma, Chenjuan
2014-01-01
Research has shown that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments have better nurse outcomes-less burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave the job. Many studies, however, have not accounted for wage effects, which may confound findings. By using a secondary analysis with cross-sectional administrative data and a four-state survey of nurses, we investigated how wage, work environment, and staffing were associated with nurse outcomes. Logistic regression models, with and without wage, were used to estimate the effects of work environment and staffing on burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave. We discovered that wage was associated with job dissatisfaction and intent to leave but had little influence on burnout, while work environment and average patient-to-nurse ratio still have considerable effects on nurse outcomes. Wage is important for good nurse outcomes, but it does not diminish the significant influence of work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.
Turnover, staffing, skill mix, and resident outcomes in a national sample of US nursing homes.
Trinkoff, Alison M; Han, Kihye; Storr, Carla L; Lerner, Nancy; Johantgen, Meg; Gartrell, Kyungsook
2013-12-01
The authors examined the relationship of staff turnover to selected nursing home quality outcomes, in the context of staffing and skill mix. Staff turnover is a serious concern in nursing homes as it has been found to adversely affect care. When employee turnover is minimized, better care quality is more likely in nursing homes. Data from the National Nursing Home Survey, a nationally representative sample of US nursing homes, were linked to Nursing Home Compare quality outcomes and analyzed using logistic regression. Nursing homes with high certified nursing assistant turnover had significantly higher odds of pressure ulcers, pain, and urinary tract infections even after controlling for staffing, skill mix, bed size, and ownership. Nurse turnover was associated with twice the odds of pressure ulcers, although this was attenuated when staffing was controlled. This study suggests turnover may be more important in explaining nursing home (NH) outcomes than staffing and skill mix and should therefore be given greater emphasis.
Physician Reimbursement: From Fee-for-Service to MACRA, MIPS and APMs.
Miller, Phillip; Mosley, Kurt
2016-01-01
To a significant degree, "healthcare reform" is a movement to change how both physicians and healthcare facilities are compensated, with value replacing volume as the key compensation metric. The goal of this movement has not yet been accomplished, but the process is accelerating. In this article, we track how the arc of physician compensation is bending, how the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act will drive further changes to physician compensation models, and how these changes may affect physician practice patterns and physician staffing in the future.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Association of Research Libraries, Washington, DC.
Program presentations on issues related to staffing considerations in research libraries and business meeting minutes are combined in this report from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Under the program title, "Organizational Futures: Staffing Research Libraries in the 1990's," a report by the Task Force on Research Library Staffing…
Kim, Yunmi; Lee, Ji Yun; Kang, Hyuncheol
2014-02-01
This study was conducted to explore the impact of registered nurse/nurses' aid (RN/NA) staffing and turnover rate on inpatient health outcomes in long term care hospitals. A secondary analysis was done of national data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services including evaluation of long term care hospitals in October-December 2010 and hospital general characteristics in July-September 2010. Final analysis of data from 610 hospitals included RN/NA staffing, turnover rate of nursing staff and 5 patient health outcome indicators. Finding showed that, when variables of organization and community level were controlled, patients per RN was a significant indicator of decline in ADL for patients with dementia, and new pressure ulcer development in the high risk group and worsening of pressure ulcers. Patients per NA was a significant indicator for new pressure ulcer development in the low risk group. Turnover rate was not significant for any variable. To maintain and improve patient health outcomes of ADL and pressure ulcers, policies should be developed to increase the staffing level of RN. Studies are also needed to examine causal relation of NA staffing level, RN staffing level and patient health outcomes with consideration of the details of nursing practice.
Assessing nursing staffing ratios: variability in workload intensity.
Upenieks, Valda V; Kotlerman, Jenny; Akhavan, Jaleh; Esser, Jennifer; Ngo, Myha J
2007-02-01
In 2004, California became the first state to implement specific nurse-to-patient ratios for all hospitals. These mandated enactments have caused significant controversy among health care professionals as well as nursing unions and professional organizations. Supporters of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios cite patient care quality, safety, and outcomes, whereas critics point to the lack of solid data and the use of a universally standardized acuity tool. Much more remains to be learned about staffing policies before mature links may be made regarding set staffing ratios and patient outcomes - specifically, how nurses spend their time in terms of variability in their daily work. This study examines two comparable telemetry units with a 1:3 staffing ratio within a California hospital system to determine the relative rates of variability in nursing activities. The results demonstrate significant differences in categorical nursing activities (e.g., direct care, indirect care, etc.) between the two telemetry units (chi(2) = 91.2028; p < or = .0001). No correlation was noted between workload categories with daily staffing ratios and staffing mix between the two units. Although patients were grouped in a similar telemetry classification category and care was mandated at a set ratio, patient needs were variable, creating a significant difference in registered nurse (RN) categorical activities on the two units.
The effects of RN staffing hours on nursing home quality: a two-stage model.
Lee, Hyang Yuol; Blegen, Mary A; Harrington, Charlene
2014-03-01
Based on structure-process-outcome approach, this study examined the association of registered nurse (RN) staffing hours and five quality indicators, including two process measures (catheter use and antipsychotic drug use) and three outcome measures (pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, and weight loss). We used data on resident assessments, RN staffing, organizational characteristics, and market factors to examine the quality of 195 nursing homes operating in a rural state of United States - Colorado. Two-stage least squares regression models were performed to address the endogenous relationships between RN staffing and the outcome-related quality indicators, and ordinary least squares regression was used for the process-related ones. This analysis focused on the relationship of RN staffing to nursing home quality indicators, controlling for organizational characteristics, resources, resident casemix, and market factors with clustering to control for geographical differences. Higher RN hours were associated with fewer pressure ulcers, but RN hours were not related to the other quality indicators. The study finding shows the importance of understanding the role of 'nurse staffing' under nursing home care, as well as the significance of associated/contextual factors with nursing home quality even in a small rural state. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1980-08-01
individual services. Furthermore, while historical workload statistics for the facility as a whole are available, individual services’ workload...the linear production function statistically fitted to workload data associated with these areas in order to determine the numbers of different...scheduled replacement hospital, this study was conducted to reveal that regardless of increased facility efficiency design, current manpower
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Further Education Unit, London (England).
A 1983 site-visit survey of 20 colleges actively engaged in developing their information technology (IT) expertise and resources indicate that many teachers do not appreciate the relevance of the computer to their work; few colleges have an effective and structured approach to IT in terms of staffing, equipment, or application; and lack of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldring, Rebecca; Taie, Soheyla; Riddles, Minsun
2014-01-01
This report presents selected findings from the Current Teacher and Former Teacher Data Files of the 2012-13 Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS). TFS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private school K-12 teachers who participated in the previous year's Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). First fielded in school year 1988-89,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rogers, Raymond
The change in the organizational structure and goals of Mount Wachusett Community College (Massachusetts) from its inception to its current state is analyzed with respect to decision-making concerning staffing. At its infancy, the administration is seen as a rational focal structure; a central power grants resources and staff members are afforded…
A Worm in the Apple? The Implications of Seniority-Based Teacher Layoffs. NRI Working Paper 2011-01
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldhaber, Dan
2011-01-01
Stories abound about the staffing cuts that will have to be made currently, and in the next couple of years, as the ripple effects of the economic crisis impact local and state education budgets. Major budget cuts make teacher layoffs a near inevitability. This raises two very timely questions: what now determines which teachers are laid off, and…
Bowers, Len; Crowder, Martin
2012-01-01
The link between positive outcomes and qualified nurse staffing levels is well established for general hospitals. Evidence on staffing levels and outcomes for mental health nursing is more sparse, contradictory and complicated by the day to day allocation of staff resources to wards with more seriously ill patients. To assess whether rises in staffing numbers precede or follow levels of adverse incidents on the wards of psychiatric hospitals. Time series analysis of the relationship between shift to shift changes over a six month period in total conflict incidents (aggression, self-harm, absconding, drug/alcohol use, medication refusal), total containment incidents (pro re nata medication, special observation, manual restraint, show of force, time out, seclusion, coerced intramuscular medication) and nurse staffing levels. 32 acute psychiatric wards in England. At the end of every shift, nurses on the participating wards completed a checklist reporting the numbers of conflict and containment incidents, and the numbers of nursing staff on duty. Regular qualified nurse staffing levels in the preceding shifts were positively associated with raised conflict and containment levels. Conflict and containment levels in preceding shifts were not associated with nurse staffing levels. Results support the interpretation that raised qualified nurse staffing levels lead to small increases in risks of adverse incidents, whereas adverse incidents do not lead to consequent increases in staff. These results may be explicable in terms of the power held and exerted by psychiatric nurses in relation to patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of Medicare payment changes on nursing home staffing and deficiencies.
Konetzka, R Tamara; Yi, Deokhee; Norton, Edward C; Kilpatrick, Kerry E
2004-06-01
To investigate the effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and associated rate changes on quality of care as represented by staffing ratios and regulatory deficiencies. Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from 1996-2000 were linked with Area Resource File (ARF) and Medicare Cost Report data to form a panel dataset. A difference-in-differences model was used to assess effects of the PPS and the BBRA (Balanced Budget Refinement Act) on staffing and deficiencies, a design that allows the separation of the effects of the policies from general trends. Ordinary least squares and negative binomial models were used. The OSCAR and Medicare Cost Report data are self-reported by nursing facilities; ARF data are publicly available. Data were linked by provider ID and county. We find that professional staffing decreased and regulatory deficiencies increased with PPS, and that both effects were mitigated with the BBRA rate increases. The effects appear to increase with the percent of Medicare residents in the facility except, in some cases, at the highest percentage of Medicare. The findings on staffing are statistically significant. The effects on deficiencies, though exhibiting consistent signs and magnitudes with the staffing results, are largely insignificant. Medicare's PPS system and associated rate cuts for SNFs have had a negative effect on staffing and regulatory compliance. Further research is necessary to determine whether these changes are associated with worse outcomes. Findings from this investigation could help guide policy modifications that support the provision of quality nursing home care.
Effects of Medicare Payment Changes on Nursing Home Staffing and Deficiencies
Konetzka, R Tamara; Yi, Deokhee; Norton, Edward C; Kilpatrick, Kerry E
2004-01-01
Objective To investigate the effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and associated rate changes on quality of care as represented by staffing ratios and regulatory deficiencies. Data Sources Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from 1996–2000 were linked with Area Resource File (ARF) and Medicare Cost Report data to form a panel dataset. Study Design A difference-in-differences model was used to assess effects of the PPS and the BBRA (Balanced Budget Refinement Act) on staffing and deficiencies, a design that allows the separation of the effects of the policies from general trends. Ordinary least squares and negative binomial models were used. Data Collection Methods The OSCAR and Medicare Cost Report data are self-reported by nursing facilities; ARF data are publicly available. Data were linked by provider ID and county. Principal Findings We find that professional staffing decreased and regulatory deficiencies increased with PPS, and that both effects were mitigated with the BBRA rate increases. The effects appear to increase with the percent of Medicare residents in the facility except, in some cases, at the highest percentage of Medicare. The findings on staffing are statistically significant. The effects on deficiencies, though exhibiting consistent signs and magnitudes with the staffing results, are largely insignificant. Conclusions Medicare's PPS system and associated rate cuts for SNFs have had a negative effect on staffing and regulatory compliance. Further research is necessary to determine whether these changes are associated with worse outcomes. Findings from this investigation could help guide policy modifications that support the provision of quality nursing home care. PMID:15149474
Helfrich, Christian D; Simonetti, Joseph A; Clinton, Walter L; Wood, Gordon B; Taylor, Leslie; Schectman, Gordon; Stark, Richard; Rubenstein, Lisa V; Fihn, Stephan D; Nelson, Karin M
2017-07-01
Work-related burnout is common in primary care and is associated with worse patient safety, patient satisfaction, and employee mental health. Workload, staffing stability, and team completeness may be drivers of burnout. However, few studies have assessed these associations at the team level, and fewer still include members of the team beyond physicians. To study the associations of burnout among primary care providers (PCPs), nurse care managers, clinical associates (MAs, LPNs), and administrative clerks with the staffing and workload on their teams. We conducted an individual-level cross-sectional analysis of survey and administrative data in 2014. Primary care personnel at VA clinics responding to a national survey. Burnout was measured with a validated single-item survey measure dichotomized to indicate the presence of burnout. The independent variables were survey measures of team staffing (having a fully staffed team, serving on multiple teams, and turnover on the team), and workload both from survey items (working extended hours), and administrative data (patient panel overcapacity and average panel comorbidity). There were 4610 respondents (estimated response rate of 20.9%). The overall prevalence of burnout was 41%. In adjusted analyses, the strongest associations with burnout were having a fully staffed team (odds ratio [OR] = 0.55, 95% CI 0.47-0.65), having turnover on the team (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.43-1.94), and having patient panel overcapacity (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.40). The observed burnout prevalence was 30.1% lower (28.5% vs. 58.6%) for respondents working on fully staffed teams with no turnover and caring for a panel within capacity, relative to respondents in the inverse condition. Complete team staffing, turnover among team members, and panel overcapacity had strong, cumulative associations with burnout. Further research is needed to understand whether improvements in these factors would lower burnout.
Variation Across U.S. Assisted Living Facilities: Admissions, Resident Care Needs, and Staffing.
Han, Kihye; Trinkoff, Alison M; Storr, Carla L; Lerner, Nancy; Yang, Bo Kyum
2017-01-01
Though more people in the United States currently reside in assisted living facilities (ALFs) than nursing homes, little is known about ALF admission policies, resident care needs, and staffing characteristics. We therefore conducted this study using a nationwide sample of ALFs to examine these factors, along with comparison of ALFs by size. Cross-sectional secondary data analysis using data from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities. Measures included nine admission policy items, seven items on the proportion of residents with selected conditions or care needs, and six items on staffing characteristics (e.g., access to licensed nurse, aide training). Facilities (n = 2,301) were divided into three categories by size: small, 4 to 10 beds; medium, 11 to 25 beds; and large, 26 or more beds. Analyses took complex sampling design effects into account to project national U.S. estimates. More than half of ALFs admitted residents with considerable healthcare needs and served populations that required nursing care, such as for transfers, medications, and eating or dressing. Staffing was largely composed of patient care aides, and fewer than half of ALFs had licensed care provider (registered nurse, licensed practical nurse) hours. Smaller facilities tended to have more inclusive admission policies and residents with more complex care needs (more mobility, eating and medication assistance required, short-term memory issues, p < .01) and less access to licensed nurses than larger ALFs (p < .01). This study suggests ALFs are caring for and admitting residents with considerable care needs, indicating potential overlap with nursing home populations. Despite this finding, ALF regulations lag far behind those in effect for nursing homes. In addition, measurement of care outcomes is critically needed to ensure appropriate ALF care quality. As more people choose ALFs, outcome measures for ALFs, which are now unavailable, should be developed to allow for oversight and monitoring of care quality. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Drug use patterns at major rock concert events.
Erickson, T B; Aks, S E; Koenigsberg, M; Bunney, E B; Schurgin, B; Levy, P
1996-07-01
To describe alcohol and drug use patterns in patients presenting to first aid stations at major rock concerts. We retrospectively reviewed all charts generated at the first aid stations of five major rock concerts featuring the rock groups Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, and the Rolling Stones. The first aid stations, located at a sports stadium, were staffed by paramedics, emergency medicine nurses, and physicians. We recorded the following data: patient demographics, history of drug or ethanol use, time spent by patient in first aid station, treatment rendered, diagnosis, and patient disposition. A total of 253, 286 spectators attended the five concert events. The rate of use of the first aid station was 1.2 per 1,000 patrons. The average age of the patrons was 26.3 +/- 7.9 years (range, 3 to 56 years). The most common diagnoses were minor trauma 130 (42%) and ethanol or illicit drug intoxication 98 (32%). Of the patients treated, 147 (48%) admitted to using illicit drugs or ethanol while attending the concerts. The median time spent in the first aid station was 15 +/- 22.5 minutes (range, 5 to 150 minutes). One hundred patients (32.5%) were treated and released, 98 (32%) were transported to emergency departments, and 110 (35.5%) signed out against medical advice. Minor trauma and the use of illicit drugs and ethanol were common in spectators presenting to first aid stations at these concert events. Physicians and paramedical personnel working at rock concerts should be aware of the current drug use patterns and should be trained in treating such drug use.
Patterns of care for brachytherapy in Europe: updated results for Spain.
Guedea, Ferran; López-Torrecilla, José; Londres, Bradley; Ventura, Montse; Bilbao, Pedro; Borràs, Josep M
2012-01-01
The aim of this follow-up pattern of care study was to evaluate current clinical practices, staffing and equipment, and to compare these results to a study performed 5 years previously. This descriptive, pattern of care study was carried out via an online questionnaire. The survey was sent to a total of 95 cancer care centres in Spain. Seventy-three centres (76.8%) responded to the survey. More than half (57.5%) of responding centres offered brachytherapy (BT). A mean of 120 patients/centre were treated by BT in 2007. The most common localisations were the endometrium (29.6% of cases), prostate (29.6%), cervix uteri (14.6%), breast (12.6%), head and neck (3.6%) and vagina (2.5%). Other sites accounted for less than 2% of cases each. Most centres that offered BT (33/40 = 82.5%) were equipped with a dedicated BT operating room. The most commonly reported dosimetric method was CT dosimetry (31 of 40 centres = 77.5%), followed by plain film (30/40 = 75%), ultrasound (26/40 = 65%), MRI (8/40 = 20%), in vivo (7/40 = 17.5%) and PET-CT (5/40 = 12.5%) dosimetry. The three most common treatment sites (gynaecological, breast and prostate) remain unchanged from 2002, with prostate treatments showing large increase. Advanced dosimetric techniques (MRI, PET-CT and CT-dosimetry) continue to gain adherents. Some centres treat small numbers of patients, a finding that deserves more attention in terms of cost and quality of care. Although BT remains strong in Spain, it could be further strengthened by making modern dosimetric techniques and treatments more widely available.
Hours per Patient Day: Not the Problem, Nor the Solution.
Kirby, Karen K
2015-01-01
Hours per patient day (HPPD) is a metric that is easy to use in determining budgeted FTE and in comparing staffing across organizations. There are many considerations in determining the appropriate HPPD. The combination of automated patient acuity, staffing, and human resource systems provide a wealth of information for determining the budgeted HPPD and in making defensible requests for adjustments in HPPD. No matter how much data we have about staffing levels, nurse education and skill levels, the environment of care, or patient acuity, the real key is determining the outcomes we need to compare staffing against. We must quantify the savings associated with positive outcomes and get this information in the hands of the public so they can make informed decisions.
Prepaid group practices offer lessons in staffing ratios.
2004-05-01
Capitated physician organizations and prepaid group practices share many similarities in staffing, care processes and infrastructure. Use these benchmarks to help conduct physician workforce planning.
Jacobs, N; Rourke, K; Rutherford, J; Hicks, A; Smith, S R C; Templeton, P; Adams, S A; Jansen, J O
2014-09-01
Complex lower limb injury caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has become the signature wounding pattern of the conflict in Afghanistan. Current classifications neither describe this injury pattern well, nor correlate with management. There is need for a new classification, to aid communication between clinicians, and help evaluate interventions and outcomes. We propose such a classification, and present the results of an initial prospective evaluation. The classification was developed by a panel of military surgeons whilst deployed to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Injuries were divided into five classes, by anatomic level. Segmental injuries were recognised as a distinct entity. Associated injuries to the intraperitoneal abdomen, genitalia and perineum, pelvic ring, and upper limbs, which impact on clinical management and resources, were also accounted for. Between 1 November 2010 and 20 February 2011, 179 IED-related lower limb injuries in 103 consecutive casualties were classified, and their subsequent vascular and musculoskeletal treatment recorded. 69% of the injuries were traumatic amputations, and the remainder segmental injuries. 49% of casualties suffered bilateral lower limb amputation. The most common injury was class 3 (involving proximal lower leg or thigh, permitting effective above-knee tourniquet application, 49%), but more proximal patterns (class 4 or 5, preventing effective tourniquet application) accounted for 18% of injuries. Eleven casualties had associated intraperitoneal abdominal injuries, 41 suffered genital or perineal injuries, 9 had pelvic ring fractures, and 66 had upper limb injuries. The classification was easy to apply and correlated with management. The 'Bastion classification' is a pragmatic yet clinically relevant injury categorisation, which describes current injury patterns well, and should facilitate communication between clinicians, and the evaluation of interventions and outcomes. The validation cohort confirms that the injury burden from IEDs in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan remains high, with most casualties sustaining amputation through or above the knee. The rates of associated injury to the abdomen, perineum, pelvis and upper limbs are high. These findings have important implications for the training of military surgeons, staffing and resourcing of medical treatment facilities, to ensure an adequate skill mix to manage these complex and challenging injuries. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lindrooth, Richard C; Bazzoli, Gloria J; Needleman, Jack; Hasnain-Wynia, Romana
2006-06-01
The financial savings from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) are attractive to policy makers, but such savings come at a cost. We measure changes in nurse staffing at hospitals related to potential declines in reimbursement through the BBA. Following Hadley, Zuckerman, and Feder (1989), we define a fiscal pressure index (FPI) to measure the differential effect of the BBA. We estimate the effect of the FPI on the number of full-time equivalent registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) per adjusted patient day using American Hospital Association (AHA) data of a panel of hospitals from 1996 to 2001. The AHA data are combined with the Area Resource Files and health maintenance organizations penetration data. We control for hospital heterogeneity using fixed effects. All urban short-term general hospitals that responded to the staffing and uncompensated care questions in the AHA survey between 1996 and 2001. We define safety net hospitals as those with a high ratio of uncompensated costs to total hospital expenses (see, e.g., Zuckerman et al. 2001). We find that the nonsafety net hospitals that were most susceptible to the provisions of the BBA experienced a decline in RN staffing ratios about twice the rate of the nonsafety net hospitals that were least susceptible to the BBA. We are unable to detect an effect of the BBA on staffing at safety net hospitals. RN and LPN staffing levels per adjusted patient day declined, on average, between 1996 and 2001. Within the context of the general decline, we find that RN staffing per adjusted patient day declined even more at nonsafety net hospitals that were most susceptible to lower reimbursement related to the BBA. Thus, there was a small but statistically significant incremental effect of potential BBA losses on RN staffing at hospitals that were expected to be affected most. This incremental decline represented about a 6 percent increase in nurse workload that in isolation might not affect quality. Nevertheless, the BBA contributed to the contemporaneous trends toward higher nurse workloads that could have deleterious effects on quality. In contrast, safety net hospitals did not respond to the provisions of the BBA by reducing staffing ratios. This conclusion is tempered by the fact that we have few safety net hospitals in the sample.
Melnick, Glenn A; Green, Lois; Rich, Jeremy
2016-01-01
In 2009 HealthCare Partners Affiliates Medical Group, based in Southern California, launched House Calls, an in-home program that provides, coordinates, and manages care primarily for recently discharged high-risk, frail, and psychosocially compromised patients. Its purpose is to reduce preventable emergency department visits and hospital readmissions. We present data over time from this well-established program to provide an example for other new programs that are being established across the United States to serve this population with complex needs. The findings show that the initial House Calls structure, staffing patterns, and processes differed across the geographic areas that it served, and that they also evolved over time in different ways. In the same time period, all areas experienced a reduction in operating costs per patient and showed substantial reductions in monthly per patient health care spending and hospital utilization after enrollment in the House Calls program, compared to the period before enrollment. Despite more than five years of experience, the program structure continues to evolve and adjust staffing and other features to accommodate the dynamic nature of this complex patient population. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
Van den Heede, Koen; Sermeus, Walter; Diya, Luwis; Clarke, Sean P; Lesaffre, Emmanuel; Vleugels, Arthur; Aiken, Linda H
2009-07-01
Studies have linked nurse staffing levels (number and skill mix) to several nurse-sensitive patient outcomes. However, evidence from European countries has been limited. This study examines the association between nurse staffing levels (i.e. acuity-adjusted Nursing Hours per Patient Day, the proportion of registered nurses with a Bachelor's degree) and 10 different patient outcomes potentially sensitive to nursing care. DESIGN-SETTING-PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional analyses of linked data from the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset (general acute care and intensive care nursing units: n=1403) and Belgian Hospital Discharge Dataset (general, orthopedic and vascular surgery patients: n=260,923) of the year 2003 from all acute hospitals (n=115). Logistic regression analyses, estimated by using a Generalized Estimation Equation Model, were used to study the association between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. The mean acuity-adjusted Nursing Hours per Patient Day in Belgian hospitals was 2.62 (S.D.=0.29). The variability in patient outcome rates between hospitals is considerable. The inter-quartile ranges for the 10 patient outcomes go from 0.35 for Deep Venous Thrombosis to 3.77 for failure-to-rescue. No significant association was found between the acuity-adjusted Nursing Hours per Patient Day, proportion of registered nurses with a Bachelor's degree and the selected patient outcomes. The absence of associations between hospital-level nurse staffing measures and patient outcomes should not be inferred as implying that nurse staffing does not have an impact on patient outcomes in Belgian hospitals. To better understand the dynamics of the nurse staffing and patient outcomes relationship in acute hospitals, further analyses (i.e. nursing unit level analyses) of these and other outcomes are recommended, in addition to inclusion of other study variables, including data about nursing practice environments in hospitals.
Laquintana, Dario; Pazzaglia, Silvia; Demarchi, Antonia
2017-01-01
. The new methods to define the staffing requirements for doctors, nurses and nurses aides: an example of their implementation in an Italian hospital. The Italian government, after the transposition of European Union legislation on working hours, made a declaration of commitment to increase the number of staff of the National Health Service (NHS). The method for assessing the staffing needs innovates the old one that dated back a few decades. To implement the method proposed by the Ministry of Health to an Italian hospital and assess its impact on staffing and costs. The model was implemented on all the wards, multiplying the minutes of care expected in 2016, dividing the result by 60 to obtain the hours of care, and further dividing by the number of yearly hours of work of a nurse (1418). Same was done for nurses aides. The minutes of care were related to mean weight of the Diagnosis Related Groups of the ward and the results obtained compared to the actual staffing of nurses and nurses aides. The costs of the differences were calculated. The implementation of the model produced an excess of 23 nurses and a scarcity of 95 nurses aides compared to the actual staffing, with an increase of the costs of € 1.828.562,00. The results obtained and the criticisms received so far show the need of major changes. The data from international studies that associate staffing and patients outcomes and the nurse/patient ratio are macro-indicators already available that may orient choices and investments on the health care professions.
Kunkel, Amber; McLay, Laura A
2013-03-01
Emergency medical services (EMS) provide life-saving care and hospital transport to patients with severe trauma or medical conditions. Severe weather events, such as snow events, may lead to adverse patient outcomes by increasing call volumes and service times. Adequate staffing levels during such weather events are critical for ensuring that patients receive timely care. To determine staffing levels that depend on weather, we propose a model that uses a discrete event simulation of a reliability model to identify minimum staffing levels that provide timely patient care, with regression used to provide the input parameters. The system is said to be reliable if there is a high degree of confidence that ambulances can immediately respond to a given proportion of patients (e.g., 99 %). Four weather scenarios capture varying levels of snow falling and snow on the ground. An innovative feature of our approach is that we evaluate the mitigating effects of different extrinsic response policies and intrinsic system adaptation. The models use data from Hanover County, Virginia to quantify how snow reduces EMS system reliability and necessitates increasing staffing levels. The model and its analysis can assist in EMS preparedness by providing a methodology to adjust staffing levels during weather events. A key observation is that when it is snowing, intrinsic system adaptation has similar effects on system reliability as one additional ambulance.
Boone, M. Dustin; Massa, Jennifer; Mueller, Ariel; Jinadasa, Sayuri P; Lee, Joon; Kothari, Rishi; Scott, Daniel J.; Callahan, Julie; Celi, Leo Anthony; Hacker, Michele R.
2016-01-01
Purpose Prior studies report that weekend admission to an intensive care unit is associated with increased mortality, potentially attributed to the organizational structure of the unit. This study aims to determine whether treatment of hypotension, a risk factor for mortality, differs according to level of staffing. Methods Using the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care database, we conducted a retrospective study of patients admitted to an intensive care unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who experienced one or more episodes of hypotension. Episode(s) were categorized according to the staffing level, defined as high during weekday daytime (7am–7pm) and low during weekends or nighttime (7pm–7am). Results Patients with a hypotensive event on a weekend were less likely to be treated compared to those that occurred during the weekday daytime (p=0.02). No association between weekday daytime versus weekday nighttime staffing levels and treatment of hypotension was found (RR 1.02; 95% CI 0.98–1.07). Conclusion Patients with a hypotensive event on a weekend were less likely to be treated than patients with an event during high-staffing periods. No association between weekday nighttime staffing and hypotension treatment was observed. We conclude that treatment of a hypotensive episode relies on more than solely staffing levels. PMID:26975737
Incorporating nurse absenteeism into staffing with demand uncertainty.
Maass, Kayse Lee; Liu, Boying; Daskin, Mark S; Duck, Mary; Wang, Zhehui; Mwenesi, Rama; Schapiro, Hannah
2017-03-01
Increased nurse-to-patient ratios are associated negatively with increased costs and positively with improved patient care and reduced nurse burnout rates. Thus, it is critical from a cost, patient safety, and nurse satisfaction perspective that nurses be utilized efficiently and effectively. To address this, we propose a stochastic programming formulation for nurse staffing that accounts for variability in the patient census and nurse absenteeism, day-to-day correlations among the patient census levels, and costs associated with three different classes of nursing personnel: unit, pool, and temporary nurses. The decisions to be made include: how many unit nurses to employ, how large a pool of cross-trained nurses to maintain, how to allocate the pool nurses on a daily basis, and how many temporary nurses to utilize daily. A genetic algorithm is developed to solve the resulting model. Preliminary results using data from a large university hospital suggest that the proposed model can save a four-unit pool hundreds of thousands of dollars annually as opposed to the crude heuristics the hospital currently employs.
Balakrishnan, Karthik; Goico, Brian; Arjmand, Ellis M
2015-04-01
(1) To describe the application of a detailed cost-accounting method (time-driven activity-cased costing) to operating room personnel costs, avoiding the proxy use of hospital and provider charges. (2) To model potential cost efficiencies using different staffing models with the case study of outpatient adenotonsillectomy. Prospective cost analysis case study. Tertiary pediatric hospital. All otolaryngology providers and otolaryngology operating room staff at our institution. Time-driven activity-based costing demonstrated precise per-case and per-minute calculation of personnel costs. We identified several areas of unused personnel capacity in a basic staffing model. Per-case personnel costs decreased by 23.2% by allowing a surgeon to run 2 operating rooms, despite doubling all other staff. Further cost reductions up to a total of 26.4% were predicted with additional staffing rearrangements. Time-driven activity-based costing allows detailed understanding of not only personnel costs but also how personnel time is used. This in turn allows testing of alternative staffing models to decrease unused personnel capacity and increase efficiency. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.
The labor market effects of California's minimum nurse staffing law.
Munnich, Elizabeth L
2014-08-01
In 2004, California became the first state to implement statewide minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in general hospitals. In spite of years of work to establish statewide staffing regulations, there is little evidence that the law was effective in attracting more nurses to the hospital workforce or improving patient outcomes. This paper examines the effects of this legislation on employment and wages of registered nurses. By using annual financial data from California hospitals, I show that nurse-to-patient ratios in medical/surgical units increased substantially following the staffing mandate. However, survey data from two nationally representative datasets indicate that the law had no effect on the aggregate number of registered nurses or the hours they worked in California hospitals, and at most a modest effect on wages. My findings suggest that offsetting changes in labor demand due to hospital closures, combined with reclassification of workers within hospitals, and mitigated the employment effects of California's staffing regulation. This paper cautions that California's experience with minimum nurse staffing legislation may not be generalizable to states considering similar policies in very different hospital markets. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Westin, Susan S.
This statement examines the nature and impact of foreign language proficiency and personnel shortages in the Army, State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), discussing strategies used to address these shortages and efforts made to address current and projected shortages. All four agencies reported…
In, Haejin; Simon, Cassie A; Phillips, Jerri Linn; Posner, Mitchell C; Ko, Clifford Y; Winchester, David P
2015-05-01
Cancer recurrence is a critical outcome in cancer care. However, population-level recurrence information is currently unavailable. Tumor registries provide an opportunity to generate this information, but require major reform. Our objectives were to (1) determine causes for variability in collection of recurrence, and (2) identify targets for intervention. On-site interviews and observations of tumor registry follow-up procedures were conducted at Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredited hospitals. Information regarding registry resources (caseload, staffing, chart availability), follow-up methods and perceived causes for difficulty in obtaining recurrence information was obtained. Seven NCI/academic, 5 comprehensive community and 2 community centers agreed to participate. Hospitals were inconsistent in their investigation of cancer recurrence, resulting in underreporting of rates of recurrence. Hospital characteristics, registry staffing, staff qualifications and medical chart access influenced follow-up practices. Coding standards and definitions for recurrence were suboptimal, resulting in hospital variability of recurrence reporting. Finally, inability to identify cases lost to follow-up in collected data prevents accurate analysis of recurrence rates. Tumor registries collect varying degrees of recurrence information and provide the underpinnings to capture population-level cancer recurrence data. Targets for intervention are listed, and provide a roadmap to obtain this critical information in cancer care. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Anesthesia Practices for Interventional Radiology in Europe.
Vari, Alessandra; Gangi, Afshin
2017-06-01
The Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) prompted an initiative to frame the current European status of anesthetic practices for interventional radiology, in consideration of the current variability of IR suite settings, staffing and anesthetic practices reported in the literature and of the growing debate on sedation administered by non-anesthesiologists, in Europe. Anonymous online survey available to all European CIRSE members to assess IR setting, demographics, peri-procedural care, anesthetic management, resources and staffing, pain management, data collection, safety, management of emergencies and personal opinions on the role CIRSE should have in promoting anesthetic care for interventional radiology. Predictable differences between countries and national regulations were confirmed, showing how significantly many "local" factors (type and size of centers, the availability of dedicated inpatient bed, availability of anesthesia staff) can affect the routine practice and the expansion of IR as a subspecialty. In addition, the perception of the need for IR to acquire more sedation-related skills is definitely stronger for those who practice with the lowest availability of anesthesia care. Significant country variations and regulations along with a controversial position of the anesthesia community on the issue of sedation administered by non-anesthesiologists substantially represent the biggest drawbacks for the expansion of peri-procedural anesthetic care for IR and for potential initiatives at an European level.
The hospital based staffing agency.
Manion, J; Reid, S B
1989-01-01
Before a hospital considers creating an internal staffing agency, a detailed business plan must be developed. By addressing marketing and operational issues in advance, nurse executives can avoid unnecessary business problems.
de Cordova, Pamela B; Phibbs, Ciaran S; Schmitt, Susan K; Stone, Patricia W
2014-04-01
In hospitals, nurses provide patient care around the clock, but the impact of night staff characteristics on patient outcomes is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between night nurse staffing and workforce characteristics and the length of stay (LOS) in 138 veterans affairs (VA) hospitals using panel data from 2002 through 2006. Staffing in hours per patient day was higher during the day than at night. The day nurse workforce had more educational preparation than the night workforce. Nurses' years of experience at the unit, facility, and VA level were greater at night. In multivariable analyses controlling for confounding variables, higher night staffing and a higher skill mix were associated with reduced LOS. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Parker, Stephen; Dark, Frances; Newman, Ellie; Korman, Nicole; Meurk, Carla; Siskind, Dan; Harris, Meredith
2016-06-02
A novel staffing model integrating peer support workers and clinical staff within a unified team is being trialled at community based residential rehabilitation units in Australia. A mixed-methods protocol for the longitudinal evaluation of the outcomes, expectations and experiences of care by consumers and staff under this staffing model in two units will be compared to one unit operating a traditional clinical staffing. The study is unique with regards to the context, the longitudinal approach and consideration of multiple stakeholder perspectives. The longitudinal mixed methods design integrates a quantitative evaluation of the outcomes of care for consumers at three residential rehabilitation units with an applied qualitative research methodology. The quantitative component utilizes a prospective cohort design to explore whether equivalent outcomes are achieved through engagement at residential rehabilitation units operating integrated and clinical staffing models. Comparative data will be available from the time of admission, discharge and 12-month period post-discharge from the units. Additionally, retrospective data for the 12-month period prior to admission will be utilized to consider changes in functioning pre and post engagement with residential rehabilitation care. The primary outcome will be change in psychosocial functioning, assessed using the total score on the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). Planned secondary outcomes will include changes in symptomatology, disability, recovery orientation, carer quality of life, emergency department presentations, psychiatric inpatient bed days, and psychological distress and wellbeing. Planned analyses will include: cohort description; hierarchical linear regression modelling of the predictors of change in HoNOS following CCU care; and descriptive comparisons of the costs associated with the two staffing models. The qualitative component utilizes a pragmatic approach to grounded theory, with collection of data from consumers and staff at multiple time points exploring their expectations, experiences and reflections on the care provided by these services. It is expected that the new knowledge gained through this study will guide the adaptation of these and similar services. For example, if differential outcomes are achieved for consumers under the integrated and clinical staffing models this may inform staffing guidelines.
Associations of Nurse Staffing and Education With the Length of Stay of Surgical Patients.
Cho, Eunhee; Park, Jeongyoung; Choi, Miyoung; Lee, Hye Sun; Kim, Eun-Young
2018-03-01
To examine the association of nurse staffing and education with the length of stay of surgical patients in acute care hospitals in South Korea. A cross-sectional survey design was used for a nurse survey in acute hospitals collected between 2008 and 2009. The survey data (N = 1,665) were linked with patient discharge data (N = 113,438) and hospital facility data from 58 hospitals with 100 or more beds in South Korea. The dependent variable was the length of stay, that is, the number of days a patient remained in the hospital. The independent variables were nurse staffing (number of patients per nurse) and nurses' education level (percentage of nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing [BSN] degree). A multilevel analysis was used to analyze the associations of nurse staffing and education level with the length of stay by controlling for both hospital and patient characteristics. The average proportion of nurses with a BSN in all the hospitals was 30.86%, while the average number of patients per nurse was 14.31. The median length of hospital stay for patients was about 7 days. The multilevel analysis showed that nurse staffing and nurse education level were significantly associated with the length of stay of surgical patients in acute care hospitals. A 10% increase in the average number of patients per nurse increased the length of stay by 0.284 days (p = .037). When the number of nurses with a BSN was increased by 1%, the length of stay decreased by 0.42 days (p = .025). Nurse staffing and nurses' education levels were significantly associated with the length of stay of surgical patients in South Korean hospitals. The findings from this study suggest that the South Korea healthcare system should develop appropriate strategies to improve the nurse staffing and education levels to ensure high-quality patient care in hospitals. Healthcare policymakers and nurse managers need to modify adequate nurse staffing and education levels in order to reduce the length of stay of patients. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-02-28
..., Including Leased Workers: Keystone Staffing, Aerotek Staffing. 81,296 Pentair Water Filtration Monticello, IN February 3, 2011. Indiana, LLC, Water Purification Division, Manpower. The following...
The effect of physician staffing model on patient outcomes in a medical progressive care unit.
Yoo, E J; Damaghi, N; Shakespeare, W G; Sherman, M S
2016-04-01
Although evidence supports the impact of intensivist physician staffing in improving intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes, the optimal coverage for progressive care units (PCU) is unknown. We sought to determine how physician staffing models influence outcomes for intermediate care patients. We conducted a retrospective observational comparison of patients admitted to the medical PCU of an academic hospital during 12-month periods of high-intensity and low-intensity staffing. A total of 318 PCU patients were eligible for inclusion (143 high-intensity and 175 low-intensity). We found that low-intensity patients were more often stepped up from the emergency department and floor, whereas high-intensity patients were ICU transfers (61% vs 42%, P = .001). However, Mortality Probability Model scoring was similar between the 2 groups. In adjusted analysis, there was no association between intensity of staffing and hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-1.99; P = .69) or PCU mortality (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-2.45; P = .69). There was also no difference in subsequent ICU admission rates or in PCU length of stay. We found no evidence that high-intensity intensivist physician staffing improves outcomes for intermediate care patients. In a strained critical care system, our study raises questions about the role of the intensivist in the graded care options between intensive and conventional ward care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Improving operating room schedules.
Li, Fei; Gupta, Diwakar; Potthoff, Sandra
2016-09-01
Operating rooms (ORs) in US hospitals are costly to staff, generate about 70 % of a hospital's revenues, and operate at a staffed-capacity utilization of 60-70 %. Many hospitals allocate blocks of OR time to individual or groups of surgeons as guaranteed allocation, who book surgeries one at a time in their blocks. The booking procedure frequently results in unused time between surgeries. Realizing that this presents an opportunity to improve OR utilization, hospitals manually reschedule surgery start times one or two days before each day of surgical operations. The purpose of rescheduling is to decrease OR staffing costs, which are determined by the number of concurrently staffed ORs. We formulate the rescheduling problem as a variant of the bin-packing problem with interrelated items, which are the surgeries performed by the same surgeon. We develop a lower bound (LB) construction algorithm and prove that the LB is at least (2/3) of the optimal staffing cost. A key feature of our approach is that we allow hospitals to have two shift lengths. Our analytical results form the basis of a branch-and-bound algorithm, which we test on data obtained from three hospitals. Experiments show that rescheduling saves significant staffing costs.
Jooste, Karien; Prinsloo, Carine
2013-03-13
Staffing needs affect the nursing department's budget, staff productivity, the quality of care provided to patients and even the retention of nurses. It is unclear how the role players (the nursing agency manager, the nurse manager and the agency nurse) perceive the staffing of agency nurses in intensive care units (ICUs). The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the factors that guide nurse managers regarding the staffing of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. A quantitative exploratory and descriptive design was used. A survey by means of a structured questionnaire was carried out. Probability sampling was implemented to obtain a study sample (n=124). One similar self-administered 5-point scale instrument was completed by the participants. Data was analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The principles of validity and reliability were adhered to and ethical considerations were also taken into account. The results indicated limitations in the determining of posts, recruitment and advertising, as well as the selection and appointment of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. Recommendations on staffing are made to nurse managers in ICUs.
The Rural Obstetric Workforce in US Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities
Kozhimannil, Katy B.; Casey, Michelle M.; Hung, Peiyin; Han, Xinxin; Prasad, Shailendra; Moscovice, Ira S.
2015-01-01
Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the types and combinations of clinicians who are delivering babies in rural hospitals, their employment status, the relationship between hospital birth volume and staffing models, and the staffing challenges faced by rural hospitals. Methods We conducted a telephone survey of 306 rural hospitals in 9 states: Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, from November 2013-March 2014 to assess their obstetric workforce. Bivariate associations between hospitals’ annual birth volume and obstetric workforce characteristics were examined, as well as qualitative analysis of workforce changes and staffing challenges. Findings Hospitals with lower birth volume (< 240 births per year) are more likely to have family physicians and general surgeons attending deliveries, while those with a higher birth volume more frequently have obstetricians and midwives attending deliveries. Reported staffing challenges include scheduling, training, census fluctuation, recruitment and retention, and intra-hospital relationships. Conclusions Individual hospitals working in isolation may struggle to address staffing challenges. Federal and state policy makers, regional collaboratives, and health care delivery systems can facilitate solutions through programs such as telehealth, simulation training, and interprofessional education. PMID:25808202
Wiltse Nicely, Kelly L; Sloane, Douglas M; Aiken, Linda H
2013-01-01
Objective To determine whether and to what extent the lower mortality rates for patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in high-volume hospitals is explained by better nursing. Data Sources State hospital discharge data, Multi-State Nursing Care and Patient Safety Survey, and hospital characteristics from the AHA Annual Survey. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of linked patient outcomes for individuals undergoing AAA repair in four states. Data Collection Secondary data sources. Principal Findings Favorable nursing practice environments and higher hospital volumes of AAA repair are associated with lower mortality and fewer failures-to-rescue in main-effects models. Furthermore, nurse staffing interacts with volume such that there is no mortality advantage observed in high-volume hospitals with poor nurse staffing. When hospitals have good nurse staffing, patients in low-volume hospitals are 3.4 times as likely to die and 2.6 times as likely to die from complications as patients in high-volume hospitals (p < .001). Conclusions Nursing is part of the explanation for lower mortality after AAA repair in high-volume hospitals. Importantly, lower mortality is not found in high-volume hospitals if nurse staffing is poor. PMID:23088426
Association of Nurse Engagement and Nurse Staffing on Patient Safety.
Brooks Carthon, J Margo; Hatfield, Linda; Plover, Colin; Dierkes, Andrew; Davis, Lawrence; Hedgeland, Taylor; Sanders, Anne Marie; Visco, Frank; Holland, Sara; Ballinghoff, Jim; Del Guidice, Mary; Aiken, Linda H
2018-06-08
Nurse engagement is a modifiable element of the work environment and has shown promise as a potential safety intervention. Our study examined the relationship between the level of engagement, staffing, and assessments of patient safety among nurses working in hospital settings. A secondary analysis of linked cross-sectional data was conducted using survey data of 26 960 nurses across 599 hospitals in 4 states. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between nurse engagement, staffing, and nurse assessments of patient safety. Thirty-two percent of nurses gave their hospital a poor or failing patient safety grade. In 25% of hospitals, nurses fell in the least or only somewhat engaged categories. A 1-unit increase in engagement lowered the odds of an unfavorable safety grade by 29% (P < .001). Hospitals where nurses reported higher levels of engagement were 19% (P < .001) less likely to report that mistakes were held against them. Nurses in poorly staffed hospitals were 6% more likely to report that important information about patients "fell through the cracks" when transferring patients across units (P < .001). Interventions to improve nurse engagement and adequate staffing serve as strategies to improve patient safety.
Nurse turnover in New Zealand: costs and relationships with staffing practises and patient outcomes.
North, Nicola; Leung, William; Ashton, Toni; Rasmussen, Erling; Hughes, Frances; Finlayson, Mary
2013-04-01
To determine the rates and costs of nurse turnover, the relationships with staffing practises, and the impacts on outcomes for nurses and patients. In the context of nursing shortages, information on the rates and costs of nursing turnover can improve nursing staff management and quality of care. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected prospectively for 12 months. A re-analysis of these data used descriptive statistics and correlational analysis techniques. The cost per registered nurse turnover represents half an average salary. The highest costs were related to temporary cover, followed by productivity loss. Both are associated with adverse patient events. Flexible management of nursing resources (staffing below budgeted levels and reliance on temporary cover), and a reliance on new graduates and international recruitment to replace nurses who left, contributed to turnover and costs. Nurse turnover is embedded in staffing levels and practises, with costs attributable to both. A culture of turnover was found that is inconsistent with nursing as a knowledge workforce. Nurse managers did not challenge flexible staffing practices and high turnover rates. Information on turnover and costs is needed to develop strategies that retain nurses as knowledge-based workers. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
An approach to radiation safety department benchmarking in academic and medical facilities.
Harvey, Richard P
2015-02-01
Based on anecdotal evidence and networking with colleagues at other facilities, it has become evident that some radiation safety departments are not adequately staffed and radiation safety professionals need to increase their staffing levels. Discussions with management regarding radiation safety department staffing often lead to similar conclusions. Management acknowledges the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) or Director of Radiation Safety's concern but asks the RSO to provide benchmarking and justification for additional full-time equivalents (FTEs). The RSO must determine a method to benchmark and justify additional staffing needs while struggling to maintain a safe and compliant radiation safety program. Benchmarking and justification are extremely important tools that are commonly used to demonstrate the need for increased staffing in other disciplines and are tools that can be used by radiation safety professionals. Parameters that most RSOs would expect to be positive predictors of radiation safety staff size generally are and can be emphasized in benchmarking and justification report summaries. Facilities with large radiation safety departments tend to have large numbers of authorized users, be broad-scope programs, be subject to increased controls regulations, have large clinical operations, have significant numbers of academic radiation-producing machines, and have laser safety responsibilities.
Dominating Duffer’s Domain: Lessons for the U.S. Marine corps Information Operations Practitioner
2017-01-01
an IO working group session, the public affairs officer pointed out that we had more latitude for broadcasts that were not MISO influence products ...this Duffer’s Drift–inspired text does for information operations ( IO ) what the original did for defensive tactics: effectively communicate timeless...fiction are Marines with current or future IO responsibilities and at least some understanding of Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) staffing processes
2017-02-01
The Selected Reserve consists of units and individuals designated as so essential to initial wartime missions that they have priority over all... designed to allow sexual assault victims to confidentially disclose an alleged sexual assault to selected individuals...decisions fall within their designated authorities, we found that the National Guard’s and Army Reserve’s current approaches to staffing pose several
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-12-13
..., Information Technology Department. 74,629 West Dermatology Medical Redlands, CA....... August 30, 2009. Management, Dermatology Management, LLC, Leased Workers T&T Staffing and Ampien Staffing. 74,763 Sungard...
Recruitment and Employment of the Water Pollution Control Specialist.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sherrard, J. H.; Sherrard, F. A.
1979-01-01
Presented are the basic principles of personnel recruitment and employment for the water pollution control field. Attention is given to determination of staffing requirements, effective planning, labor sources, affirmative action, and staffing policies. (CS)
Improving operating room coordination: communication pattern assessment.
Moss, Jacqueline; Xiao, Yan
2004-02-01
To capture communication patterns in operating room (OR) management to characterize the information needs of OR coordination. Technological applications can be used to change system processes to improve communication and information access, thereby decreasing errors and adverse events. The successful design of such applications relies on an understanding of communication patterns among healthcare professionals. Charge nurse communication was observed and documented at four OR suites at three tertiary hospitals. The data collection tool allowed rapid coding of communication patterns in terms of duration, mode, target person, and the purpose of each communication episode. Most (69.24%) of the 2074 communication episodes observed occurred face to face. Coordinating equipment was the most frequently occurring purpose of communication (38.7%) in all suites. The frequency of other purposes in decreasing order were coordinating patient preparedness (25.7%), staffing (18.8%), room assignment (10.7%), and scheduling and rescheduling surgery (6.2%). The results of this study suggest that automating aspects of preparing patients for surgery and surgical equipment management has the potential to reduce information exchange, decreasing interruptions to clinicians and diminishing the possibility of adverse events in the clinical setting.
2009-06-01
Contract versus VA-Staffed Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCS) Using Patient Satisfaction and Access Measures in the Veterans Health ...Administration 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Belote, Janna, M., Civilian - Veterans Health Administration 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e...TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System 4300 West 7th
MILSTRIP. MILitary, STandard, Requisitioning and Issue Procedures.
1987-05-01
Reduction in the Use of Exception Data Requisitions (Staffed by PMCL 483A), fully implements the use of Status Code D6 under chapter 2 and appendix B16 ...and appendices BI, B16 , C4, and C17. (1 Nov 92) C. AMCL 16, Revised Dollar Threshold for Shipment Status (DI AS3) to DRMS (Staffed by PMCL 13A...and appendices Bi, B16 , and C46, and adds new appendix A34. (1 Nov 92) F. AMCL 165A, Status Codes for Nonconsumable Items (Staffed by PMCL 478
Terrestrial Environmental Variables Derived From EOS Platform Sensors
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stadler, Stephen J.; Czajkowski, Kevin P.; Goward, Samuel N.; Xue, Yongkang
2001-01-01
The three main objectives of the overall project were: 1. Adaptation of environmental constraint methods to take advantage of EOS sensors, specifically, MODIS, ASTER, and Landsat-7, in addition to the PM AVHRR observations 2. Refinement of environmental constraint methods based on fundamental scientific knowledge. 3. Assessment of spatial scaling patterns in environmental constraint measurements to evaluate the potential biases and errors that occur when estimating regional and global-scale NPP patterns with moderate to coarse satellite observations. These goals were modified because, on one hand, MODIS data did not become available until after the first year of the project and because of project staffing issues at the University of Maryland., The OSU portion of the project contained a modest amount of funding and responsibility compared to the University of Maryland and the University of Toledo.
Yoo, Erika J; Edwards, Jeffrey D; Dean, Mitzi L; Dudley, R Adams
2016-06-01
The role of multidisciplinary teams in improving the care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients is not well defined, and it is unknown whether the use of such teams helps to explain prior research suggesting improved mortality with intensivist staffing. We sought to investigate the association between multidisciplinary team care and survival of medical and surgical patients in nonspecialty ICUs. We conducted a community-based, retrospective cohort study of data from 60 330 patients in 181 hospitals participating in a statewide public reporting initiative, the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART). Patient-level data were linked with ICU organizational data collected from a survey of CHART hospital ICUs between December 2010 and June 2011. Clustered logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent effect of multidisciplinary care on the in-hospital mortality of medical and surgical ICU patients. Interactions between multidisciplinary care and intensity of physician staffing were examined to explore whether team care accounted for differences in patient outcomes. After adjustment for patient characteristics and interactions, there was no association between team care and mortality for medical patients. Among surgical patients, multidisciplinary care was associated with a survival benefit (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62-1.00; P = .05). When stratifying by intensity of physician staffing, although the lowest odds of death were observed for surgical patients cared for in ICUs with multidisciplinary teams and high-intensity staffing (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.55-1.09; P = .15), followed by ICUs with multidisciplinary teams and low-intensity staffing (odds ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.65-1.09, p = 0.19), these differences were not statistically significant. Our results suggest that multidisciplinary team care may improve outcomes for critically ill surgical patients. However, no relationship was observed between intensity of physician staffing and mortality. © The Author(s) 2014.
Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care of Nursing Home Residents in Korea.
Shin, Juh Hyun; Hyun, Ta Kyung
2015-11-01
To investigate the relationship between nurse staffing and quality of care in nursing homes in Korea. This study used a cross-sectional design to describe the relationship between nurse staffing and 15 quality-of-care outcomes. Independent variables were hours per resident day (HPRD), skill mix, and turnover of each nursing staff, developed with the definitions of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Health Care Association. Dependent variables were prevalence of residents who experienced more than one fall in the recent 3 months, aggressive behaviors, depression, cognitive decline, pressure sores, incontinence, prescribed antibiotics because of urinary tract infection, weight loss, dehydration, tube feeding, bed rest, increased activities of daily living, decreased range of motion, use of antidepressants, and use of restraints. Outcome variables were quality indicators from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid and 2013 nursing home evaluation manual by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The effects of registered nurse (RN) HPRD was supported in fall prevention, decreased tube feeding, decreased numbers of residents with deteriorated range of motion, and decreased aggressive behavior. Higher turnover of RNs related to more residents with dehydration, bed rest, and use of antipsychotic medication. Study results supported RNs' unique contribution to resident outcomes in comparison to alternative nurse staffing in fall prevention, decreased use of tube feeding, better range of motion for residents, and decreased aggressive behaviors in nursing homes in Korea. More research is required to confirm the effects of nurse staffing on residents' outcomes in Korea. We found consistency in the effects of RN staffing on resident outcomes acceptable. By assessing nurse staffing levels and compositions of nursing staffs, this study contributes to more effective long-term care insurance by reflecting on appropriate policies, and ultimately contributes to the stable settlement of the long-term care insurance system for elders. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-05-15
...., Larsen and Toubro Limited, MRI Network/Manta Resources, Inc., Omni Resources, Premier Temporary Staffing...., Larsen and Toubro Limited, MRI Network/Manta Resources, Inc., Omni Resources, Premier Temporary Staffing...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Everhart, Nancy
2002-01-01
This 2002 staffing survey investigated personnel in school libraries in all 50 states. Topics include staffing shortages of certified library media specialists; recruitment efforts; certification processes; ratio between students and librarians; budget cuts; government role; and online graduate library science programs. (LRW)
Freeman, Regi; Nault, Chrissy; Mowry, Jole'; Baldridge, Paula
2012-01-01
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a long-term extracorporeal support for critically ill patients with life-threatening compromises in cardiac and/or respiratory function. The unpredictability of ECMO resources for a large pediatric and adult population prompted a need for the ability to respond to significant fluctuations in the volume of patients on ECMO. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, the Primary Care Giver (PCG) ECMO Staffing Model was developed to accommodate unpredictable fluctuations in ECMO activity and to maintain flexibility and fiscal responsibility in turbulent economic times. Advancements in extracorporeal technology supported the opportunity to develop a safe and extended staffing model for ECMO. Combining the use of a centrifugal pump system with specialized and experienced cardiovascular intensive care nurses and the ECMO specialist team provided a milieu for education and training to support the new staffing model. The PCG ECMO model provides a safe, flexible, and fiscally responsible staffing model for variable ECMO activity.
Joyce, Rachel; Webb, R; Peacock, Janet
2002-11-01
We performed a cross-sectional study of all Thames maternity units, 1994-96, including 540,834 live and stillbirths. In contrast to recent media speculation, no association of caesarean section rates with midwifery staffing levels was found after adjustment for confounders. The only association with staffing was with levels of junior obstetric staffing, which could be a reflection of less experienced management of labour. Caesarean section rates were also associated positively with the levels of delivery beds, which could be a reflection of the closer monitoring of labour that may result from increased bed availability. Both caesarean section and instrumental vaginal delivery rates were associated with epidural rates, which was expected from the literature. Variations in epidural rates were mainly associated with variations in demographic case-mix, due possibly to patient demand. Demographic case-mix was also associated with instrumental vaginal deliveries but not the caesarean section rate.
Establishing an NP-staffed minor emergency area.
Buchanan, L; Powers, R D
1997-04-01
Patients with problems of high acuity need fully trained emergency physicians and nurses. Some patients with nonurgent problems can be cared for within the emergency department (ED) in a lower-cost setting designed and staffed specifically for this purpose. Staffing a fast track or minor emergency area (MEA) with nurse practitioners (NPs) is one way to satisfy the ED's care needs. One site analysis of the effectiveness of NPs indicates that patients are satisfied with their care, that nurses' interpersonal skills are better than those of physicians, that technical skills are equivalent, that patient outcomes are equivalent or superior and that NPs improve access to care. A nurse practitioner-staffed minor emergency area provides high quality care for approximately 21% of this site's adult emergency department population. Patients are triaged based on set criteria, allowing for short treatment times. The physical layout, triage criteria, and the NPs' scope of practice in the level 1 trauma center's ED are detailed.
Surviving the staffing crisis.
Ehrhardt, Patty
2002-01-01
Numerous seminars and articles discuss the staffing shortage in health care and in the laboratory. Most of these have dealt with the importance of retaining and recruiting good employees. Given the median age of laboratories (49 years old), the decrease in medical technology schools, and a decline in people choosing the laboratory profession, the staffing shortage is here to stay and will affect the way we run our laboratories for years to come. Clinical systems managers need to identify and make the changes necessary in their laboratories to deal with the staffing shortage while maintaining quality testing and good customer service. This article will review the need and the process to assess laboratory operations along with the needs of the facility and/or health-care community. Obvious and not-so-obvious ideas for streamlining laboratory efficiencies along with maintaining high levels of quality and service will be presented.
Determining medical staffing requirements for humanitarian assistance missions.
Negus, Tracy L; Brown, Carrie J; Konoske, Paula
2010-01-01
The primary mission of hospital ships is to provide acute medical and surgical services to U.S. forces during military operations. Hospital ships also provide a hospital asset in support of disaster relief and humanitarian assistance (HA) operations. HA missions afford medical care to populations with vastly different sets of medical conditions from combat casualty care, which affects staffing requirements. Information from a variety of sources was reviewed to better understand hospital ship HA missions. Factors such as time on-site and location shape the mission and underlying goals. Patient encounter data from previous HA missions were used to determine expected patient conditions encountered in various HA operations. These data points were used to project the medical staffing required for future missions. Further data collection, along with goal setting, must be performed to accomplish successful future HA missions. Refining staffing requirements allows deployments to accomplish needed HA and effectively reach underserved areas.
Clarke, Sean P
2009-03-01
Conducting research on nurse staffing and outcomes is very challenging, and the application of staffing-outcomes research in practice is both fraught with controversy and vitally important for the safety of our patients and the future of the profession. As I stand back and think about being involved in staffing-outcomes research for nearly a decade and sharing many of my thoughts about this rapidly growing literature in reviews and commentaries in print, certain metaphors for trends in this field come to mind. I won't claim originality for the insights that follow or attempt to thoroughly trace the genealogy of the stories and metaphors here, but offer them to provide what I hope is a fresh perspective to material that I and many of my colleagues have visited and revisited on numerous occasions.
The effect of investor-owned chain acquisitions on hospital expenses and staffing.
Manheim, L M; Shortell, S M; McFall, S
1989-01-01
Much concern has been raised about the effect of "corporatization" of health through the expansion of investor-owned hospital chains. One method of expansion is through hospital acquisition. At issue is the question of the effect of acquisitions on expenses and on such patient care inputs as staffing levels. In this article, we examine the effect of acquisition by one investor-owned chain on hospital costs and staffing. Subsequent to acquisition, hospital costs increase and staffing decreases, relative to competitor hospitals. However, since investor-owned hospitals not recently acquired do not have higher cost levels than their competitors, the increase in costs appears to be due to factors associated with the acquisition itself rather than factors associated with being an investor-owned hospital. Under the retrospective payment system in effect at the time, revenues also were higher for acquired hospitals. Under prospective payment, increasing revenues has been more difficult, decreasing acquisition incentives. PMID:2807933
Liljamo, Pia; Lavander, Päivi; Kejonen, Pirjo
2016-01-01
The Oulu University Hospital's staffing management project sought information on the number of nursing staff in relation to treatment days and visits, using existing indicators to describe the activities involved. The retrospective data obtained was compared to human resources and the personnel structure. On this basis an optimal number of staff was determined for the units, taking account of a range of explanatory indicator data. The project made use of the computational model for nurse staffing and the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method. The project provided extensive information on human resources issues within the units. Its results indicated the differences between wards with respect to the number and structure of resources. In addition, the nurse administrators lacked skills in gathering and using data from administrative datasets. This information will provide support for the further development of nursing operations and nursing management decision-making.
Evaluating the Veterans Health Administration's Staffing Methodology Model: A Reliable Approach.
Taylor, Beth; Yankey, Nicholas; Robinson, Claire; Annis, Ann; Haddock, Kathleen S; Alt-White, Anna; Krein, Sarah L; Sales, Anne
2015-01-01
All Veterans Health Administration facilities have been mandated to use a standardized method of determining appropriate direct-care staffing by nursing personnel. A multi-step process was designed to lead to projection of full-time equivalent employees required for safe and effective care across all inpatient units. These projections were intended to develop appropriate budgets for each facility. While staffing levels can be increased, even in facilities subject to budget and personnel caps, doing so requires considerable commitment at all levels of the facility. This commitment must come from front-line nursing personnel to senior leadership, not only in nursing and patient care services, but throughout the hospital. Learning to interpret and rely on data requires a considerable shift in thinking for many facilities, which have relied on historical levels to budget for staffing, but which does not take into account the dynamic character of nursing units and patient need.
Hagopian, Amy; Mohanty, Manmath K; Das, Abhijit; House, Peter J
2012-01-01
In one district of Orissa state, we used the World Health Organization's Workforce Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method to calculate the number of health workers required to achieve the maternal and child health 'service guarantees' of India's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). We measured the difference between this ideal number and current staffing levels. We collected census data, routine health information data and government reports to calculate demand for maternal and child health services. By conducting 54 interviews with physicians and midwives, and six focus groups, we were able to calculate the time required to perform necessary health care tasks. We also interviewed 10 new mothers to cross-check these estimates at a global level and get assessments of quality of care. For 18 service centres of Ganjam District, we found 357 health workers in our six cadre categories, to serve a population of 1.02 million. Total demand for the MCH services guaranteed under India's NRHM outpaced supply for every category of health worker but one. To properly serve the study population, the health workforce supply should be enhanced by 43 additional physicians, 15 nurses and 80 nurse midwives. Those numbers probably under-estimate the need, as they assume away geographic barriers. Our study established time standards in minutes for each MCH activity promised by the NRHM, which could be applied elsewhere in India by government planners and civil society advocates. Our calculations indicate significant numbers of new health workers are required to deliver the services promised by the NRHM.
Lepping, P; Steinert, T; Needham, I; Abderhalden, C; Flammer, E; Schmid, P
2009-09-01
Little is known about how safe nurses feel on psychiatric wards across different European countries. This paper is aim to evaluate how ward safety is perceived by ward managers in Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland. We replicated a Swiss questionnaire study in Germany and Britain, which asked ward managers on adult psychiatric wards to give details about their ward including data on the management of aggression, staffing levels, staff training, standards and type of restraint used, alarm devices, treatment and management of aggression and the existence and perceived efficacy of standards (protocols, guidelines). The British sample had by far the highest staffing levels per psychiatric bed, followed by Switzerland and Germany. The British ward managers by far perceived violence and aggression least as a problem on their wards, followed by Germany and then Switzerland. British ward managers are most satisfied with risk management and current practice dealing with violence. German managers were most likely to use fixation and most likely to have specific documentation for coercive measures. Swiss wards were most likely to use non-specific bedrooms for seclusion and carry alarm devices. British wards were far more likely to have protocols and training for the treatment and management of violence, followed by Switzerland and Germany. British ward managers by far perceived violence and aggression to be a small problem on their wards compared with Swiss and German ward managers. This was associated with the availability of control and restraint teams, regular training, clear protocols and a lesser degree risk assessments, but not staffing levels.
Iannucci, Glen J; Oster, Matthew E; Chanani, Nikhil K; Gillespie, Scott E; McCracken, Courtney E; Kanter, Kirk R; Mahle, William T
2014-03-01
Many cardiac ICUs have instituted 24/7 attending physician in-house coverage, which theoretically may allow for more expeditious weaning from ventilation and extubation. We aimed to determine whether this staffing strategy impacts rates of nighttime extubation and duration of mechanical ventilation. National data were obtained from the Virtual PICU System database for all patients admitted to the cardiac ICU following congenital heart surgery in 2011 who required postoperative mechanical ventilation. Contemporaneous data from our local institution were collected in addition to the Virtual PICU System data. The combined dataset (n = 2,429) was divided based on the type of nighttime staffing model in order to compare rates of nighttime extubation and duration of mechanical ventilation between units that used an in-house attending staffing strategy and those that employed nighttime residents, fellows, or midlevel providers only. Institutions that currently use 24/7 in-house attending coverage did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in rates of nighttime extubation or the duration of mechanical ventilation in comparison to units without in-house attendings. Younger patients cared for in non-in-house attending units were more likely to require reintubation. Pediatric patients who have undergone congenital heart surgery can be safely and effectively extubated without the routine presence of an attending physician. The utilization of nighttime in-house attending coverage does not appear to have significant benefits on the rate of nighttime extubation and may not reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in units that already use in-house residents, fellows, or other midlevel providers.
Creating pharmacy staffing-to-demand models: predictive tools used at two institutions.
Krogh, Paul; Ernster, Jason; Knoer, Scott
2012-09-15
The creation and implementation of data-driven staffing-to-demand models at two institutions are described. Predictive workload tools provide a guideline for pharmacy managers to adjust staffing needs based on hospital volume metrics. At Abbott Northwestern Hospital, management worked with the department's staff and labor management committee to clearly outline the productivity monitoring system and the process for reducing hours. Reference charts describing the process for reducing hours and a form to track the hours of involuntary reductions for each employee were created to further enhance communication, explain the rationale behind the new process, and promote transparency. The University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview, found a strong correlation between measured pharmacy workload and an adjusted census formula. If the daily census and admission report indicate that the adjusted census will provide enough workload for the fully staffed department, no further action is needed. If the census report indicates the adjusted census is less than the breakeven point, staff members are asked to leave work, either voluntarily or involuntarily. The opposite holds true for days when the adjusted census is higher than the breakeven point, at which time additional staff are required to synchronize worked hours with predicted workload. Successful staffing-to- demand models were implemented in two hospital pharmacies. Financial savings, as indicated by decreased labor costs secondary to reduction of staffed shifts, were approximately $42,000 and $45,500 over a three-month period for Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview, respectively. Maintenance of 100% productively allowed the departments to continue to replace vacant positions and avoid permanent staff reductions.
Zeoli, April M.; Webster, Daniel W.
2010-01-01
Objective To assess the relationships between intimate partner homicide (IPH) and public policies including police staffing levels in large U.S. cities. Design The research uses a multiple time-series design to examine the effects of statutes aimed at restricting access to firearms for perpetrators of domestic violence, allowing or mandating arrest for violators of domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs), beer excise taxes, and police staffing levels on IPH in 46 of the largest U.S. cities from 1979 to 2003. Both total IPH and IPH committed with a firearm are analyzed. Generalized estimating equations using a Poisson distribution are used to regress IPH on the policies and potential confounders. Results State statutes restricting those under DVROs from accessing firearms, and laws allowing the warrantless arrest of DVRO violators are associated with reductions in total and firearm IPH. Police staffing levels are also negatively associated with IPH and firearm IPH. There was no evidence that other policies to restrict firearm access to domestic violence offenders or alcohol taxes had a significant impact on IPH. Conclusions Reducing access to firearms for DVRO defendants, increasing police staffing levels and allowing the warrantless arrest of DVRO violators may reduce the city-level risk of IPH. Future research should evaluate factors that may mediate the effect of these laws and increased police staffing levels on IPH to determine if there are opportunities to increase their protective effect. Further research is needed on firearm law implementation to determine why the other tested laws were not found effective. PMID:20363814
Zeoli, April M; Webster, Daniel W
2010-04-01
To assess the relationships between intimate partner homicide (IPH) and public policies including police staffing levels in large US cities. The research uses a multiple time-series design to examine the effects of statutes aimed at restricting access to firearms for perpetrators of domestic violence, allowing or mandating arrest for violators of domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs), beer excise taxes, and police staffing levels on IPH in 46 of the largest US cities from 1979 to 2003. Both total IPH and IPH committed with a firearm are analysed. Generalised estimating equations using a Poisson distribution are used to regress IPH on the policies and potential confounders. State statutes restricting those under DVROs from accessing firearms, and laws allowing the warrantless arrest of DVRO violators are associated with reductions in total and firearm IPH. Police staffing levels are also negatively associated with IPH and firearm IPH. There was no evidence that other policies to restrict firearm access to domestic violence offenders or alcohol taxes had a significant impact on IPH. Reducing access to firearms for DVRO defendants, increasing police staffing levels and allowing the warrantless arrest of DVRO violators may reduce the city-level risk of IPH. Future research should evaluate factors that may mediate the effect of these laws and increased police staffing levels on IPH to determine whether there are opportunities to increase their protective effect. Further research is needed on firearm law implementation to determine why the other tested laws were not found effective.
Alikani, Mina; Go, Kathryn J; McCaffrey, Caroline; McCulloh, David H
2014-11-01
To consider how staffing requirements have changed with evolving and increasingly more complex assisted reproduction technology (ART) laboratory practice. Analysis by four laboratory directors from three different ART programs of the level of complexity and time requirements for contemporary ART laboratory activities to determine adequate staffing levels. University-based and private ART programs. None. None. Human resource requirements for ART procedures. Both complexity and time required for completion of a contemporary ART cycle have increased significantly compared with the same requirements for the "traditional cycle" of the past. The latter required roughly 9 personnel hours, but a contemporary cycle can require up to 20 hours for completion. Consistent with this increase, a quantitative analysis shows that the number of embryologists required for safe and efficient operation of the ART laboratory has also increased. This number depends on not only the volume but also the types of procedures performed: the higher the number of complex procedures, the more personnel required. An interactive Personnel Calculator is introduced that can help determine staffing needs. The increased complexity of the contemporary ART laboratory requires a new look at the allocation of human resources. Our work provides laboratory directors with a practical, individualized tool to determine their staffing requirements with a view to increasing the safety and efficiency of operations. The work could serve as the basis for revision of the 2008 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) staffing guidelines. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Fully Capitated Payment Breakeven Rate for a Mid-Size Pediatric Practice.
Farmer, Steven A; Shalowitz, Joel; George, Meaghan; McStay, Frank; Patel, Kavita; Perrin, James; Moghtaderi, Ali; McClellan, Mark
2016-08-01
Payers are implementing alternative payment models that attempt to align payment with high-value care. This study calculates the breakeven capitated payment rate for a midsize pediatric practice and explores how several different staffing scenarios affect the rate. We supplemented a literature review and data from >200 practices with interviews of practice administrators, physicians, and payers to construct an income statement for a hypothetical, independent, midsize pediatric practice in fee-for-service. The practice was transitioned to full capitation to calculate the breakeven capitated rate, holding all practice parameters constant. Panel size, overhead, physician salary, and staffing ratios were varied to assess their impact on the breakeven per-member per-month (PMPM) rate. Finally, payment rates from an existing health plan were applied to the practice. The calculated breakeven PMPM was $24.10. When an economic simulation allowed core practice parameters to vary across a broad range, 80% of practices broke even with a PMPM of $35.00. The breakeven PMPM increased by 12% ($3.00) when the staffing ratio increased by 25% and increased by 23% ($5.50) when the staffing ratio increased by 38%. The practice was viable, even with primary care medical home staffing ratios, when rates from a real-world payer were applied. Practices are more likely to succeed in capitated models if pediatricians understand how these models alter practice finances. Staffing changes that are common in patient-centered medical home models increased the breakeven capitated rate. The degree to which team-based care will increase panel size and offset increased cost is unknown. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Modeling Hourly Resident Productivity in the Emergency Department.
Joseph, Joshua W; Henning, Daniel J; Strouse, Connie S; Chiu, David T; Nathanson, Larry A; Sanchez, Leon D
2017-08-01
Resident productivity, defined as new patients per hour, carries important implications for emergency department operations. In high-volume academic centers, essential staffing decisions can be made on the assumption that residents see patients at a static rate. However, it is unclear whether this model mirrors reality; previous studies have not rigorously examined whether productivity changes over time. We examine residents' productivity across shifts to determine whether it remained consistent. This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in an urban academic hospital with a 3-year emergency medicine training program in which residents acquire patients ad libitum throughout their shift. Time stamps of all patient encounters were automatically logged. A linear mixed model was constructed to predict productivity per shift hour. A total of 14,364 8- and 9-hour shifts were worked by 75 residents between July 1, 2010, and June 20, 2015. This comprised 6,127 (42.7%) postgraduate year (PGY) 1 shifts, 7,236 (50.4%) PGY-2 shifts, and 998 (6.9%) PGY-3 nonsupervisory shifts (Table 1). Overall, residents treated a mean of 10.1 patients per shift (SD 3.2), with most patients at Emergency Severity Index level 3 or more acute (93.8%). In the initial hour, residents treated a mean of 2.14 patients (SD 1.2), and every subsequent hour was associated with a significant decrease, with the largest in the second, third, and final hours. Emergency medicine resident productivity during a single shift follows a reliable pattern that decreases significantly hourly, a pattern preserved across PGY years and types of shifts. This suggests that resident productivity is a dynamic process, which should be considered in staffing decisions and studied further. Copyright © 2016 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ethics and human rights issues experienced by nurses in leadership roles.
Redman, Barbara A; Fry, Sara T
2003-01-01
The aims of this study were to identify (1) the ethics and human rights issues experienced by nurses in leadership roles (NLs); (2) how frequently these issue occurred in the NLs'practices; and (3) how disturbed the NLs were by the issues. Dillman's Total Design Method (1978) for mailed surveys guided the study design. Data analysis was performed on 470 questionnaires from New England RNs in nursing leadership roles. The most frequently experienced ethics and human rights issues during the previous 12 months were (1) protecting patient right and human dignity; (2) respecting or not respecting informed consent to treatment; (3) use or nonuse of physical or chemical restraints; (4) providing care with possible risks to the RN's health; (5) following or not following advance directives; and (6) staffing patterns that limit patient access to nursing care. The most disturbing ethics and human rights issues experienced by the NLs were staffing patterns that limited patient access to nursing care, prolonging the dying process with inappropriate measures, working with unethical, incompetent, or impaired colleagues, implementing managed care policies that threaten quality of care, not considering quality of the patient's life, and caring for patients and families who are uninformed or misinformed about treatment, prognosis, or medical alternatives. Nearly 39% of the NLs reported experiencing ethics and human rights issues one to four times a week or more, and more than 90% handled their most recent ethics issue by discussing it with nursing peers. Study findings have implications for ethics education and resource support for nurses in leadership roles, and for further research on how NLs handle ethics and human rights issues in the workplace.
Mizuno, Seiko; Kunisawa, Susumu; Sasaki, Noriko; Fushimi, Kiyohide; Imanaka, Yuichi
2016-10-01
Many hospitals experience a reduction in the number of available physicians on days when national scientific meetings are conducted. This study investigates the relationship between in-hospital mortality in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and admission during national cardiology meeting dates. Using an administrative database, we analyzed patients with AMI admitted to acute care hospitals in Japan from 2011 to 2013. There were 3 major national cardiology meetings held each year. A hierarchical logistic regression model was used to compare in-hospital mortality and treatment patterns between patients admitted on meeting dates and those admitted on identical days during the week before and after the meeting dates. We identified 6,332 eligible patients, with 1,985 patients admitted during 26 meeting days and 4,347 patients admitted during 52 non-meeting days. No significant differences between meeting and non-meeting dates were observed for in-hospital mortality (7.4% vs. 8.5%, respectively; p=0.151, unadjusted odds ratio: 0.861, 95% confidence interval: 0.704-1.054) and the proportion of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed on the day of admission (75.9% vs. 76.2%, respectively; p=0.824). We also found that some low-staffed hospitals did not treat AMI patients during meeting dates. Little or no "national meeting effect" was observed on in-hospital mortality in AMI patients, and PCI rates were similar for both meeting and non-meeting dates. Our findings also indicated that during meeting dates, AMI patients may have been consolidated to high-performance and sufficiently staffed hospitals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimizing Staffing levels and Schedules for Railroad Dispatching Centers
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2004-09-01
This report presents the results of a study to explore approaches to establishing staffing levels and schedules for railroad dispatchers. The : work was conducted as follow-up to a prior study that found fatigue among dispatchers, particularly those ...
29 CFR 1952.213 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 36 safety and 18 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.233 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 23 safety and 14 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.323 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 47 safety and 23 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.93 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION..., in conjunction with OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 17 safety and 12 health compliance officers. After...
29 CFR 1952.223 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 22 safety and 14 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.223 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 22 safety and 14 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.343 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 6 safety and 2 health compliance officers. After opportunity for pulbic...
29 CFR 1952.353 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 9 safety and 6 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.373 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 38 safety and 21 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.203 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 31 safety and 12 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.203 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 31 safety and 12 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.343 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 6 safety and 2 health compliance officers. After opportunity for pulbic...
29 CFR 1952.373 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 38 safety and 21 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.93 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION..., in conjunction with OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 17 safety and 12 health compliance officers. After...
29 CFR 1952.233 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 23 safety and 14 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.323 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 47 safety and 23 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.353 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 9 safety and 6 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
29 CFR 1952.213 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... OSHA, completed a reassessment of the levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised compliance staffing benchmarks of 36 safety and 18 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public...
Traffic signal operations and maintenance staffing guidelines.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2009-03-01
This report provides a guideline to estimate the staffing and resource needs required to effectively : operate and maintain traffic signal systems. The results of a survey performed under this project, as : well as a review of the literature and othe...
Medical and nonmedical factors influencing utilization of delayed pushing in the second stage.
Frey, Heather A; Tuuli, Methodius G; Cortez, Sarah; Odibo, Anthony O; Roehl, Kimberly A; Shanks, Anthony L; Macones, George A; Cahill, Alison G
2013-08-01
To evaluate factors impacting selection to delayed pushing in the second stage of labor. This case-control study was a secondary analysis of a large retrospective cohort study. Cases included women who delayed pushing for 60 minutes or more in the second stage of labor. Controls began pushing prior to 60 minutes from the time of diagnosis of complete dilation. Demographic, labor, and nonmedical factors were compared among cases and controls. Logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors independently associated with delayed pushing. We identified 471 women who delayed pushing and 4819 controls. Nulliparity, maternal body mass index > 25, high fetal station at complete dilation, regional anesthesia use, and start of second stage during staffing shift change were independent factors associated with increased use of delayed pushing. On the other hand, black race and second-stage management during night shift were associated with lower odds of employing delayed pushing. Delayed pushing was more commonly employed in nulliparous women, but 38.9% of multiparous women also delayed pushing. We identified multiple factors associated with use of delayed pushing. This study helps to define current patterns of second-stage labor management. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.
Medical and Non-Medical Factors Influencing Utilization of Delayed Pushing in the Second Stage
FREY, Heather A.; TUULI, Methodius G.; CORTEZ, Sarah; ODIBO, Anthony O.; ROEHL, Kimberly A.; SHANKS, Anthony L.; MACONES, George A.; CAHILL, Alison G.
2014-01-01
Objective To evaluate factors impacting selection to delayed pushing in the second stage of labor. Study design This case-control study was a secondary analysis of a large retrospective cohort study. Cases included women who delayed pushing for 60 minutes or more in the second stage of labor. Controls began pushing prior to 60 minutes from the time of diagnosis of complete dilation. Demographic, labor, and nonmedical factors were compared among cases and controls. Logistic regression modelling was used to identify factors independently associated with delayed pushing. Results We identified 471 women who delayed pushing and 4,819 controls. Nulliparity, maternal body mass index > 25, high fetal station at complete dilation, regional anesthesia use, and start of second stage during staffing shift change were independent factors associated with increased use of delayed pushing. On the other hand, black race and second stage management during night shift were associated with lower odds of employing delayed pushing. Delayed pushing was more commonly employed in nulliparous women, but 38.9% of multiparous women also delayed pushing. Conclusion We identified multiple factors associated with use of delayed pushing. This study helps to define current patterns of second stage labor management. PMID:23208765
GWOT Vascular Injury Study 2 Supplemental Project: Impact of Prophylactic Fasciotomy
2017-10-01
of the project ? The overall goal is to determine the impact of the widespread use of fasciotomies on current medical/surgical practices, management ...Diane Miller Project Role: Program Manager Nearest person month worked: 12 Contribution to Project : Ms. Miller is responsible for the day-to-day...each branch of service. Goals/Milestones CY14 Goal – Protocol/Staffing Write and submit protocol to IRB Hire project manager CY15 Goals – Data
1979-10-01
modification. Phase VII of this prgram , Preliminary Radar Associate/Nonradar Control Training and Assistant Controller Duties, is currently programmed for...software diagnostics. Advantage. The additional staffing would handle the increased workload in an efficient manner and prevent a deterioration of morale...alternative 2 can be employed if any delays or problems prevent the timely installation of the additional storage element. SELECTOR CHANNEL. The selector
Sperhac, A M; Goodwin, L D
2000-01-01
As nurses gain more experience, they often question the basis of nursing practice and want to find the most current and accepted methods of providing nursing care. Attending seminars, conferences, and continuing education programs is often difficult because of financial and staffing constraints. The authors describe the design and implementation of two funded programs--the Prince Scholars and Sabbatical Programs--that support continuing nursing education in a pediatric tertiary hospital.
Anesthesia Practices for Interventional Radiology in Europe
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Vari, Alessandra, E-mail: alessandra.vari@uniroma1.it; Gangi, Afshin, E-mail: gangi@unistra.fr
PurposeThe Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) prompted an initiative to frame the current European status of anesthetic practices for interventional radiology, in consideration of the current variability of IR suite settings, staffing and anesthetic practices reported in the literature and of the growing debate on sedation administered by non-anesthesiologists, in Europe.MethodsAnonymous online survey available to all European CIRSE members to assess IR setting, demographics, peri-procedural care, anesthetic management, resources and staffing, pain management, data collection, safety, management of emergencies and personal opinions on the role CIRSE should have in promoting anesthetic care for interventional radiology.ResultsPredictable differences betweenmore » countries and national regulations were confirmed, showing how significantly many “local” factors (type and size of centers, the availability of dedicated inpatient bed, availability of anesthesia staff) can affect the routine practice and the expansion of IR as a subspecialty. In addition, the perception of the need for IR to acquire more sedation-related skills is definitely stronger for those who practice with the lowest availability of anesthesia care.ConclusionSignificant country variations and regulations along with a controversial position of the anesthesia community on the issue of sedation administered by non-anesthesiologists substantially represent the biggest drawbacks for the expansion of peri-procedural anesthetic care for IR and for potential initiatives at an European level.« less
Liu, Han-cheng; Zhong, Chen-hui; Liao, Si-qi; He, Hui
2014-08-01
To investigate the current situation of management of institutions of schistosomiasis prevention and control in Hubei Province, so as to explore the probable competency building standards for these institutions at the county and township levels. By using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the institutions of schistosomiasis prevention and control at county and township levels were investigated for the institutional setup, staffing and fulfillment functions since the reform of 2004. Among 63 schistosomiasis endemic counties (cities, districts) of Hubei Province, there were 26 independent schistosomiasis control institutions (41.27%), there were 24 institutions which were incorporated into CDC (38.10%), and there were no institutions in 13 counties (20.63%). Among 518 endemic towns, there were 299 institutions (57.72%). The total staffing size were 1 932, but there were 1 586 (82.09%) people actually working in the post, and therefore there were 346 (17.91%) empty positions. The average rates of carrying out the six functions were 91.48%-71.19%, but only 19.23% of the institutions participated in the comprehensive schistosomiasis control management project and its effect assessment. According to the management model for schistosomiasis control institutions under the current institutional mechanisms, we need a rigorous industry standard to constrain, guide and standardize the management and capacity-building of the institutions in different historical periods.
Traffic signal operations and maintenance staffing guidelines
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2009-03-01
This report provides a guideline to estimate the staffing and resource needs required to effectively operate and maintain traffic signal systems. The results of a survey performed under this project, as well as a review of the literature and other su...
5 CFR 9701.363 - Special staffing payments.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Special staffing payments. 9701.363 Section 9701.363 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Special Payments § 9701.363 Special...
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2017-08-01
This research provides a synthesis of practices in organizational structuring and professional staffing of the innovative delivery units in several state DOTs across the nation that are actively utilizing alternative project delivery. Several major c...
Finding the sweet spot: how to get the right staffing for variable workloads.
Bryce, David J; Christensen, Taylor J
2011-03-01
All too often, hospital department managers set their staff schedules too much in anticipation of high levels of demand for services, leading to higher-than-necessary staffing costs when demand is lower than expected. The opposite approach of scheduling too few staff to meet demand, then relying on on-call or callback staff to address the shortage, also results in higher-than-necessary costs due to the premium wages that such staff must be paid. A staffing and workload simulation tool allows hospital departments to find the right balance between these extremes.
Allocation of resources for ambulatory care -a staffing model for outpatient clinics.
Mansdorf, B D
1975-01-01
The enormous commitment of resources to ambulatory health care services requires that flexible and easily implementable management techniques be developed to improve the allocation of health manpower and funds. This article develops a feasible model for staffing outpatient clinics and thereby potentially provides an important analytical tool for allocating and monitoring the utilization of the most critical and expensive of ambulatory care resources-professional and nonprofessional clinic personnel. The model is simplistic, extremely flexible, and can be applied to many modes of delivering ambulatory care-from HMOs to traditional hospital outpatient clinics. To employ the model, certain decision variables must be specified so that the model can produce a least-cost staffing configuration to meet the demand for service in accordance with the desired mode and intensity of care. The key decision varables that require input from administrators and medical personnel include standards for physician-patient contact time, a desired ratio of staff time actually spent treating patients to total paid staff time, and the desired mix of various staff categories to achieve program objectives. Specific benefits of using the model include determining staffing for new, expanded, or existing outpatient clinics, determining budget requirements for such staffing needs, and providing quantitative productivity and utilization objectives and measurements. PMID:809787
Lee, Linda; Heckman, George; McKelvie, Robert; Jong, Philip; D'Elia, Teresa; Hillier, Loretta M
2015-03-01
To explore the barriers to and facilitators of adapting and expanding a primary care memory clinic model to integrate care of additional complex chronic geriatric conditions (heart failure, falls, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and frailty) into care processes with the goal of improving outcomes for seniors. Mixed-methods study using quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) methods. Ontario. Family physicians currently working in primary care memory clinic teams and supporting geriatric specialists. Family physicians currently working in memory clinic teams (n = 29) and supporting geriatric specialists(n = 9) were recruited as survey participants. Interviews were conducted with memory clinic lead physicians (n = 16).Statistical analysis was done to assess differences between family physician ratings and geriatric specialist ratings related to the capacity for managing complex chronic geriatric conditions, the role of interprofessional collaboration within primary care, and funding and staffing to support geriatric care. Results from both study methods were compared to identify common findings. Results indicate overall support for expanding the memory clinic model to integrate care for other complex conditions. However, the current primary care structure is challenged to support optimal management of patients with multiple comorbidities, particularly as related to limited funding and staffing resources. Structured training, interprofessional teams, and an active role of geriatric specialists within primary care were identified as important facilitators. The memory clinic model, as applied to other complex chronic geriatric conditions, has the potential to build capacity for high-quality primary care, improve health outcomes,promote efficient use of health care resources, and reduce healthcare costs.
Peacock, Lisa M; Thomassee, May E; Williams, Valerie L; Young, Amy E
2015-06-01
Office-based surgery is increasingly desired by patients and providers due to ease of access, overall efficiency, reimbursement, and satisfaction. The adoption of office-based surgery requires careful consideration of safety, efficacy, cost, and feasibility within a providers practice. This article reviews the currently available data regarding patient and provider satisfaction as well as practical considerations of staffing, equipment, and supplies. To aid the practitioner, issues of office-based anesthesia and safety with references to currently available national guidelines and protocols are provided. Included is a brief review of billing, coding, and reimbursement. Technical procedural aspects with information and recommendations are summarized.
29 CFR 1952.293 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 11 safety and 5 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comment and... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In July 1986 Nevada, in conjunction with OSHA...
29 CFR 1952.163 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 16 safety and 13 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comment... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In September 1984, Iowa, in conjunction with OSHA...
29 CFR 1952.113 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 10 safety and 9 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comments... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In September 1984, Utah, in conjunction with OSHA...
29 CFR 1952.293 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 11 safety and 5 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comment and... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In July 1986 Nevada, in conjunction with OSHA...
29 CFR 1952.363 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... State operating an approved State plan. In May 1992, New Mexico completed, in conjunction with OSHA, a reassessment of the staffing levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised benchmarks of 7 safety...
29 CFR 1952.363 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... State operating an approved State plan. In May 1992, New Mexico completed, in conjunction with OSHA, a reassessment of the staffing levels initially established in 1980 and proposed revised benchmarks of 7 safety...
29 CFR 1952.113 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 10 safety and 9 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comments... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In September 1984, Utah, in conjunction with OSHA...
29 CFR 1952.163 - Compliance staffing benchmarks.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... staffing benchmarks of 16 safety and 13 health compliance officers. After opportunity for public comment... established for each State operating an approved State plan. In September 1984, Iowa, in conjunction with OSHA...
Is there an economic case for investing in nursing care – what does the literature tell us?
Twigg, Diane E; Myers, Helen; Duffield, Christine; Giles, Margaret; Evans, Gemma
2015-01-01
Aim To determine the cost effectiveness of increasing nurse staffing or changing the nursing skill mix in adult medical and/or surgical patients? Background Research has demonstrated that nurse staffing levels and skill mix are associated with patient outcomes in acute care settings. If increased nurse staffing levels or richer skill mix can be shown to be cost-effective hospitals may be more likely to consider these aspects when making staffing decisions. Design A systematic review of the literature on economic evaluations of nurse staffing and patient outcomes was conducted to see whether there is consensus that increasing nursing hours/skill mix is a cost-effective way of improving patient outcomes. We used the Cochrane Collaboration systematic review method incorporating economic evidence. Data sources The MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus and PsychINFO databases were searched in 2013 for published and unpublished studies in English with no date limits. Review methods The review focused on full economic evaluations where costs of increasing nursing hours or changing the skill mix were included and where consequences included nursing sensitive outcomes. Results Four-cost benefit and five-cost effectiveness analyses were identified. There were no cost-minimization or cost-utility studies identified in the review. A variety of methods to conceptualize and measure costs and consequences were used across the studies making it difficult to compare results. Conclusion This review was unable to determine conclusively whether or not changes in nurse staffing levels and/or skill mix is a cost-effective intervention for improving patient outcomes due to the small number of studies, the mixed results and the inability to compare results across studies. PMID:25430080
Nurse staffing and hospital ownership in California.
Seago, Jean Ann; Spetz, Joanne; Mitchell, Shannon
2004-05-01
The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between nurse staffing and owner type or specific corporate owner in California acute care hospitals. Little empirical data exist regarding nurse staffing as it relates to owner type or specific corporate owner. With minimum staffing ratios scheduled to be implemented in January 2004, this study provides baseline data for evaluating the impact of minimum staffing ratios in California. The study design is descriptive and cross-sectional. Data used in this study are for short-term general hospitals that reported to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database for fiscal years ending in 1997 through 1999. Six regression models were estimated using pooled data from the 3 years of data. The most consistent significant findings are: increased patient days or patient discharges predict increased registered nurse (RN) hours; lower RN wages predict increased RN hours; higher technology scores predict increased RN hours; and in 1998 there was an across-the-board decrease in RN hours. Other significant findings include that for-profit hospitals and for-profit systems had fewer RN productive hours for medical-surgical nursing, and select corporate owners, unrelated to profit status, had consistently fewer RN productive hours for medical-surgical nursing. For-profit hospitals and systems behaved differently in the healthcare market environment of the late 1990s. Select nonprofit systems were also using significantly less RN staffing. Other findings support the implication that as technology sophistication increases, there will be a need for increased RN hours to manage the advanced technology. This runs counter to the argument that increasing technology will decrease the need for RN hours. Finally, as discharges go up, the need for RN hours increases.
The diverse landscape of palliative care clinics.
Smith, Alexander K; Thai, Julie N; Bakitas, Marie A; Meier, Diane E; Spragens, Lynn H; Temel, Jennifer S; Weissman, David E; Rabow, Michael W
2013-06-01
Many health care organizations are interested in instituting a palliative care clinic. However, there are insufficient published data regarding existing practices to inform the development of new programs. Our objective was to obtain in-depth information about palliative care clinics. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 20 outpatient palliative care practices in diverse care settings. The survey included both closed- and open-ended questions regarding practice size, utilization of services, staffing, referrals, services offered, funding, impetus for starting, and challenges. Twenty of 21 (95%) practices responded. Practices self-identified as: hospital-based (n=7), within an oncology division/cancer center (n=5), part of an integrated health system (n=6), and hospice-based (n=2). The majority of referred patients had a cancer diagnosis. Additional common diagnoses included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurologic disorders, and congestive heart failure. All practices ranked "pain management" and "determining goals of care" as the most common reasons for referrals. Twelve practices staffed fewer than 5 half-days of clinic per week, with 7 operating only one half-day per week. Practices were staffed by a mixture of physicians, advanced practice nurses or nurse practitioners, nurses, or social workers. Eighteen practices expected their practice to grow within the next year. Eleven practices noted a staffing shortage and 8 had a wait time of a week or more for a new patient appointment. Only 12 practices provide 24/7 coverage. Billing and institutional support were the most common funding sources. Most practices described starting because inpatient palliative providers perceived poor quality outpatient care in the outpatient setting. The most common challenges included: funding for staffing (11) and being overwhelmed with referrals (8). Once established, outpatient palliative care practices anticipate rapid growth. In this context, outpatient practices must plan for increased staffing and develop a sustainable financial model.
Does the STAF score help detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute stroke patients?
Horstmann, S; Rizos, T; Güntner, J; Hug, A; Jenetzky, E; Krumsdorf, U; Veltkamp, R
2013-01-01
Detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) soon after acute cerebral ischaemia has a major impact on secondary stroke prevention. Recently, the STAF score, a composite of clinical and instrumental findings, was introduced to identify stroke patients at risk of pAF. We aimed to validate this score in an independent study population. Consecutive patients admitted to our stroke unit with acute ischaemic stroke were prospectively enrolled. The diagnostic work-up included neuroimaging, neuroultrasound, baseline 12-channel electrocardiogram (ECG), 24-h Holter ECG, continuous ECG monitoring, and echocardiography. Presence of AF was documented according to the medical history of each patient and after review of 12-lead ECG, 24-h Holter ECG, or continuous ECG monitoring performed during the stay on the ward. Additionally, a telephone follow-up visit was conducted for each patient after 3 months to inquire about newly diagnosed AF. Items for each patient-age, baseline NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and stroke etiology according to the TOAST criteria - were assessed to calculate the STAF score. Overall, 584 patients were enrolled in our analysis. AF was documented in 183 (31.3%) patients. In multivariable analysis, age, NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and absence of vascular etiology were independent predictors for AF. The logistic AF-prediction model of the STAF score revealed fair classification accuracy in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with an area under the curve of 0.84. STAF scores of ≥5 had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 74% for predicting AF. The value of the STAF score for predicting the risk of pAF in stroke patients is limited. © 2012 The Author(s) European Journal of Neurology © 2012 EFNS.
The cost of nurse-sensitive adverse events.
Pappas, Sharon Holcombe
2008-05-01
The aim of this study was to describe the methodology for nursing leaders to determine the cost of adverse events and effective levels of nurse staffing. The growing transparency of quality and cost outcomes motivates healthcare leaders to optimize the effectiveness of nurse staffing. Most hospitals have robust cost accounting systems that provide actual patient-level direct costs. These systems allow an analysis of the cost consumed by patients during a hospital stay. By knowing the cost of complications, leaders have the ability to justify the cost of improved staffing when quality evidence shows that higher nurse staffing improves quality. An analysis was performed on financial and clinical data from hospital databases of 3,200 inpatients. The purpose was to establish a methodology to determine actual cost per case. Three diagnosis-related groups were the focus of the analysis. Five adverse events were analyzed along with the costs. A regression analysis reported that the actual direct cost of an adverse event was dollars 1,029 per case in the congestive heart failure cases and dollars 903 in the surgical cases. There was a significant increase in the cost per case in medical patients with urinary tract infection and pressure ulcers and in surgical patients with urinary tract infection and pneumonia. The odds of pneumonia occurring in surgical patients decreased with additional registered nurse hours per patient day. Hospital cost accounting systems are useful in determining the cost of adverse events and can aid in decision making about nurse staffing. Adverse events add costs to patient care and should be measured at the unit level to adjust staffing to reduce adverse events and avoid costs.
Correlates and predictors of missed nursing care in hospitals.
Bragadóttir, Helga; Kalisch, Beatrice J; Tryggvadóttir, Gudný Bergthora
2017-06-01
To identify the contribution of hospital, unit, staff characteristics, staffing adequacy and teamwork to missed nursing care in Iceland hospitals. A recently identified quality indicator for nursing care and patient safety is missed nursing care defined as any standard, required nursing care omitted or significantly delayed, indicating an error of omission. Former studies point to contributing factors to missed nursing care regarding hospital, unit and staff characteristics, perceptions of staffing adequacy as well as nursing teamwork, displayed in the Missed Nursing Care Model. This was a quantitative cross-sectional survey study. The samples were all registered nurses and practical nurses (n = 864) working on 27 medical, surgical and intensive care inpatient units in eight hospitals throughout Iceland. Response rate was 69·3%. Data were collected in March-April 2012 using the combined MISSCARE Survey-Icelandic and the Nursing Teamwork Survey-Icelandic. Descriptive, correlational and regression statistics were used for data analysis. Missed nursing care was significantly related to hospital and unit type, participants' age and role and their perception of adequate staffing and level of teamwork. The multiple regression testing of Model 1 indicated unit type, role, age and staffing adequacy to predict 16% of the variance in missed nursing care. Controlling for unit type, role, age and perceptions of staffing adequacy, the multiple regression testing of Model 2 showed that nursing teamwork predicted an additional 14% of the variance in missed nursing care. The results shed light on the correlates and predictors of missed nursing care in hospitals. This study gives direction as to the development of strategies for decreasing missed nursing care, including ensuring appropriate staffing levels and enhanced teamwork. By identifying contributing factors to missed nursing care, appropriate interventions can be developed and tested. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A Time-Motion Study of ICU Workflow and the Impact of Strain.
Hefter, Yosefa; Madahar, Purnema; Eisen, Lewis A; Gong, Michelle N
2016-08-01
Understanding ICU workflow and how it is impacted by ICU strain is necessary for implementing effective improvements. This study aimed to quantify how ICU physicians spend time and to examine the impact of ICU strain on workflow. Prospective, observational time-motion study. Five ICUs in two hospitals at an academic medical center. Thirty attending and resident physicians. None. In 137 hours of field observations, the most time-84 hours (62% of total observation time)-was spent on professional communication. Reviewing patient data and documentation occupied a combined 52 hours (38%), whereas direct patient care and education occupied 24 hours (17%) and 13 hours (9%), respectively. The most frequently used tool was the computer, used in tasks that occupied 51 hours (37%). Severity of illness of the ICU on day of observation was the only strain factor that significantly impacted work patterns. In a linear regression model, increase in average ICU Sequential Organ Failure Assessment was associated with more time spent on direct patient care (β = 4.3; 95% CI, 0.9-7.7) and education (β = 3.2; 95% CI, 0.7-5.8), and less time spent on documentation (β = -7.4; 95% CI, -11.6 to -3.2) and on tasks using the computer (β = -7.8; 95% CI, -14.1 to -1.6). These results were more pronounced with a combined strain score that took into account unit census and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. After accounting for ICU type (medical vs surgical) and staffing structure (resident staffed vs physician assistant staffed), results changed minimally. Clinicians spend the bulk of their time in the ICU on professional communication and tasks involving computers. With the strain of high severity of illness and a full unit, clinicians reallocate time from documentation to patient care and education. Further efforts are needed to examine system-related aspects of care to understand the impact of workflow and strain on patient care.
A multilevel analysis of aggressive behaviors among nursing home residents.
Cassie, Kimberly M
2012-01-01
Individual and organizational characteristics associated with aggressive behavior among nursing home residents were examined among a sample of 5,494 residents from 23 facilities using the Minimum Data Set 2.0 and the Organizational Social Context scale. On admission, some individual level variables (age, sex, depression, activities of daily life [ADL] impairments, and cognitive impairments) and no organizational level variables were associated with aggressive behaviors. Over time, aggressive behaviors were linked with some individual characteristics (age, sex, and ADL impairments) and several organizational level variables (stressful climates, less rigid cultures, more resistant cultures, geographic location, facility size and staffing patterns). Findings suggest multi-faceted change strategies are needed.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-07-10
..., Instrumentation and Speciality Controls Division, West Chicago, IL; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To... Nationals Controls Corporation, Instrumentation and Specialty Control Division, West Chicago, Illinois. The... Corporation, Instrumentation and Specialty Control Division, West Chicago, Illinois, separated from employment...
42 CFR 403.740 - Condition of participation: Staffing.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Condition of participation: Staffing. 403.740 Section 403.740 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL PROVISIONS SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS Religious Nonmedical Health Care Institutions...
20 CFR 653.111 - State agency staffing requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-04-01
... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false State agency staffing requirements. 653.111 Section 653.111 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SERVICES... anticipated through expansion, contraction, and turnover in the office(s) and available funds, and all...
Healthcare security staffing for smaller facilities: where science meets art.
Warren, Bryan
2013-01-01
Obtaining effective security resourcing and staffing for smaller healthcare facilities presents many difficulties, according to the author In this article, he provides guidance to security practitioners on taking existing data and translating it into a language that administration will understand and appreciate.
45 CFR 303.20 - Minimum organizational and staffing requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Minimum organizational and staffing requirements. 303.20 Section 303.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT (CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM), ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-05-20
...., Anchor Staffing, Capitol Software Systems, Donohue Computer Services, Historic Northside Family Practice, Scripture and Associates, Summit Software Services DD, Tacworldwide Companies, Talent Trax, Tek Systems...., Anchor Staffing, Capitol Software Systems, Donohue Computer Services, Historic Northside Family Practice...
20 CFR 653.111 - State agency staffing requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false State agency staffing requirements. 653.111 Section 653.111 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SERVICES... anticipated through expansion, contraction, and turnover in the office(s) and available funds, and all...
Report: Congressionally Requested Report on EPA Staffing Levels and Total Costs for EPA Facilities
Report #09-P-0080, January 14, 2009. Additional information on the staffing levels, rental/lease fees, and utility and security costs for all of the EPA facilities and/or locations where EPA incurs costs associated with its employees.
Al-Kandari, Fatimah; Thomas, Deepa
2008-08-01
This study was conducted to identify adverse outcomes to nurses in relation to their daily patient load, nursing care activities, staffing, and shift rotation. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from medical and surgical nurses (N = 784). Skipping tea/coffee breaks (95%), feeling responsible for more patients than they could safely care for (87%), inadequate help available (86%), inadequate time to document care (80%), verbal abuse by a patient or a visitor (77%), and concern about quality of care (71%) were the major reported adverse outcomes related to short staffing, increased patient load, and increased nursing care activities.
Networks consolidation program: Maintenance and Operations (M&O) staffing estimates
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Goodwin, J. P.
1981-01-01
The Mark IV-A consolidate deep space and high elliptical Earth orbiter (HEEO) missions tracking and implements centralized control and monitoring at the deep space communications complexes (DSCC). One of the objectives of the network design is to reduce maintenance and operations (M&O) costs. To determine if the system design meets this objective an M&O staffing model for Goldstone was developed which was used to estimate the staffing levels required to support the Mark IV-A configuration. The study was performed for the Goldstone complex and the program office translated these estimates for the overseas complexes to derive the network estimates.
Analysis of state Superfund programs: 50 state study. 1998 update
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
States have remediated over 40,000 contaminated sites not on the federal Superfund list. ELI`s latest analysis of state Superfund programs examines the cleanup programs of all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The study provides the most current data on state statutes, program organization, staffing, funding, expenditures, cleanup standards, and cleanup activities, voluntary cleanup programs and brownfields programs. State and federal policymakers and attorneys working on non-NPL sites should find this study useful.
Current and Future Challenges to Resourcing U.S. Navy Public Shipyards
carriers. For this reason, the public shipyards are required to maintain core capabilities that the private sector does not maintain. In addition, they are ...has been on the rise. Direct man-days of work assigned to and executed by the shipyards have increased during that time and are planned to continue to...role in future workforce management as the initiatives are broadened. Planned increases in civilian staffing levels are necessary but not sufficient to mitigate near-term execution risk at the shipyards.
Development of a prototype real-time automated filter for operational deep space navigation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Masters, W. C.; Pollmeier, V. M.
1994-01-01
Operational deep space navigation has been in the past, and is currently, performed using systems whose architecture requires constant human supervision and intervention. A prototype for a system which allows relatively automated processing of radio metric data received in near real-time from NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) without any redesign of the existing operational data flow has been developed. This system can allow for more rapid response as well as much reduced staffing to support mission navigation operations.
McDonald, James E; Kessler, Marcus M; Hightower, Jeremy L; Henry, Susan D; Deloney, Linda A
2013-12-01
With increasing volumes of complex imaging cases and rising economic pressure on physician staffing, timely reporting will become progressively challenging. Current and planned iterations of PACS and electronic medical record systems do not offer workflow management tools to coordinate delivery of imaging interpretations with the needs of the patient and ordering physician. The adoption of a server-based enterprise collaboration software system by our Division of Nuclear Medicine has significantly improved our efficiency and quality of service.
Soyuz spacecraft taken by the Expedition 25 crew
2010-11-09
ISS025-E-013634 (9 Nov. 2010) --- The Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft dominates the foreground of this image exposed by one of the Expedition 25 crew members as the International Space Station and the docked Russian spacecraft were 220 miles above the Caribbean Sea. The island of Andros, in the Bahamas chain, can be seen in the background. Three members of the current six-person staffing aboard the orbital complex are expected to return to Earth in the Soyuz in about two and half weeks.
Soyuz spacecraft taken by the Expedition 25 crew
2010-11-09
ISS025-E-013635 (9 Nov. 2010) --- The Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft dominates the foreground of this image exposed by one of the Expedition 25 crew members as the International Space Station and the docked Russian spacecraft were 220 miles above the Caribbean Sea. The island of Andros, in the Bahamas chain, can be seen in the background. Three members of the current six-person staffing aboard the orbital complex are expected to return to Earth in the Soyuz in about two and half weeks.
Guidelines for School Staffing Ratios. ERS Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stemnock, Suzanne K.
Since early in this century educators have been proposing staffing formulas they believe will facilitate educational quality. The resulting guidelines represent a wide range of recommendations--from the possible to the utopian. School boards, teachers' groups, administrators, consultants, and taxpayers thus have a range of choices among the…
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Training. 1306.23 Section 1306.23 Public Welfare... STAFFING REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAM OPTIONS Head Start Program Staffing Requirements § 1306.23 Training. (a) Head Start grantees must provide pre-service training and in-service training opportunities to program...
Maintenance Staffing Guidelines For Educational Facilities.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, Alexandria, VA.
The purpose of this publication is to provide a resource or guide for educational facilities in establishing or developing a maintenance trades organization that is sufficient to accomplish basic facilities maintenance functions. The guidelines are intended to suggest staffing levels for those routine facilities maintenance activities that are…
Ignoring the Evidence: Another Decade of Decline for School Libraries
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oberg, Dianne
2012-01-01
Four decades of research indicates that well-staffed, well-stocked, and well-used school libraries are correlated with increases in student achievement. Well-staffed school libraries have qualified teacher-librarians with qualifications in librarianship, digital technologies, and inquiry-based pedagogies. Well-stocked school libraries include…
Report on Staffing and Salaries, Fall 1993.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
California Community Colleges, Sacramento. Office of the Chancellor.
Thirteenth in a series of annual reports, this document presents fall 1993 demographic, staffing, salary, and workload information on California community college employees, based on data collected from all 71 California community college districts. Section I presents data on primary occupational activity, full-time equivalency, and type of…
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Volunteers. 1306.22 Section 1306.22 Public Welfare... STAFFING REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAM OPTIONS Head Start Program Staffing Requirements § 1306.22 Volunteers. (a) Head Start programs must use volunteers to the fullest extent possible. Head Start grantees must...