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Nurse working conditions and nursing unit costs
Barbara A Mark1, Lisa Lindley, Cheryl B Jones
1University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. bmark@email.unc.edu
Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice
|July 25, 2009
Summary
Good nurse working conditions do not increase nursing unit costs. Factors like teaching status and nurse staffing levels impact costs, but improving work environments is feasible for managers.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing Economics
- Hospital Operations
Background:
- Understanding the financial implications of nursing work environments is crucial for healthcare administrators.
- Previous research has not definitively linked nurse working conditions to nursing unit costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between nurse working conditions and nursing unit costs.
- To identify factors influencing nursing unit costs in U.S. hospitals.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 210 nursing units across 112 U.S. hospitals.
- Inclusion of data from registered nurses, patients, and secondary sources.
- Statistical control for hospital, nursing unit, and patient characteristics.
Main Results:
- Good nurse working conditions were not associated with increased nursing unit costs.
- Hospital teaching status correlated with higher costs; larger unit size correlated with lower costs.
- Higher registered nurse and licensed practical nurse staffing proportions were linked to increased costs.
Conclusions:
- Improving nurse working conditions is a viable strategy for hospital managers without necessarily increasing costs.
- Nurse staffing mix and hospital characteristics are significant cost drivers.
- Further research can explore cost-effective strategies for enhancing nurse work environments.
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