Evaluation of hospital nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and sepsis bundles on patient outcomes...Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Annual Conference (Virtual), 28-30 June, 2021

• New York state was one of the first to require implementation of sepsis bundles. • Patient-to-nurse staffing ratios vary considerably across hospitals in New York. • Sepsis outcomes vary despite bundle requirements because of nurse staffing. • Requiring minimum nurse staffing along with se psis bundles may improve outcomes. Despite nurses ' responsibilities in recognition and treatment of sepsis, little evidence documents whether patient-to-nurse staffing ratios are associated with clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis. Using linked data sources from 2017 including MEDPAR patient claims, Hospital Compare, American Hospital Association, and a large survey of nurses, we estimate the effect of hospital patient-to-nurse staffing ratios and adherence to the Early Management Bundle for patients with Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock SEP-1 sepsis bundles on patients ' odds of in-hospital and 60-day mortality, readmission, and length of stay. Logistic regression is used to estimate mortality and readmission, while zero-truncated negative binomial models are used for length of stay. Each additional patient per nurse is associated with 12% higher odds of in-hospital mortality, 7% higher odds of 60-day mortality, 7% higher odds of 60-day readmission, and longer lengths of stay, even after accounting for patient and hospital covariates including hospital adherence to SEP-1 bundles. Adherence to SEP-1 bundles is associated with lower in-hospital mortality and shorter lengths of st...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news