Researchers create database of 70 years of RN effectiveness

Editor's Note

Appropriate nursing staff mix is important for quality care,  and understanding how staffing skill mix affects outcomes allows policymakers and clinicians to make good staffing decisions, finds this study.

Researchers from the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario analyzed 626 studies on the effectiveness of RNs on clinical, patient, organizational, and financial outcomes over the past 70 years, and they used their findings to create a database of evidence on RN effectiveness.

The free and publicly available database will be updated periodically and serve as a resource to assist in making informed decisions on effective RN staffing levels and staffing mix in various care settings and sectors on a global scale, the researchers say.