Linked Life Data

15999963

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/15999963

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-7-7
pubmed:abstractText
BACKGROUND: Increases in adverse clinical outcomes have been documented when hospital nurse staffing is inadequate. Since most hospitals limit nurse staffing to levels for average rather than peak patient census, substantial census increases create serious potential stresses for both patients and nurses. By reducing unnecessary variability, hospitals can reduce many of these stresses and thereby improve patient safety and quality of care. THE SOURCE AND NATURE OF VARIABILITY IN DEMAND: The variability in the daily patient census is a combination of the natural (uncontrollable) variability contributed by the emergency department and the artificial (potentially controllable) peaks and valleys of patient flow into the hospital fromelective admissions. Once artificial variability in demand is significantly reduced, a substantial portion of the peaks and valleys in census disappears; the remaining censsus variability is largely patient and disease driven. When artificial variability has been minimized, a hospital must have sufficient resources for the remaining patient-driven peaks in demand, over which it has no control, if it is to deliver an optimal level of care. DISCUSSION: Study of operational issues in health care delivery, and acting on what is learned, is critical. Al forms of artificial variation in the demand and supply of health care services should be identified, and pilot programs to test operational changes should be conducted.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
1553-7250
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
31
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
330-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-8-28
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Managing unnecessary variability in patient demand to reduce nursing stress and improve patient safety.
pubmed:affiliation
Boston University, Boston, USA. litvak@bu.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article