At a Boston hospital, a woman in her 80s often had to wait 45 minutes for a few Tylenol to relieve pain following a procedure, according to her son, who didn't want his name used. It's a very sad state of affairs. The shortage is particularly worrisome given the growing evidence that the level and quality of nursing care can have a dramatic effect on whether a patient lives or dies. A 1999 University of Pennsylvania study published in the journal Medical Care followed the care of AIDS patients in 20 hospitals. The study found that adding just one nurse to a patient's care rotation reduced the odds of a patient dying by half.
Studies show magnet hospitals do make a difference.
A 1994 study by Prof. Aiken followed Medicare patients in 250 hospitals. The study, controlled for differences in physician qualifications and patient populations, found that magnet hospitals reported five fewer deaths for every 1,000 Medicare patients who were discharged. Considering the size of the Medicare population, that could represent about 50,000 fewer deaths a year, says Prof. Aiken. Interpreting staffing ratios can be tricky, however, because the level of nursing care a patient needs depends on the health problem. There is no standard recommendation for staffing levels.