Nurse absenteeism and workload: negative effect on restraint use, incident reports and mortality

    Authors

    L. Unruh; L. Joseph;M. Strickland

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Adv. Nurs.

    Keywords

    incident forms; nurse absenteeism; nurse-patient relationships; quality; of care; retrospective analysis; staffing records; work organization; QUALITY-OF-CARE; PATIENT OUTCOMES; JOB-SATISFACTION; ADVERSE EVENTS; HOSPITALS; IMPACT; PERFORMANCE; RETENTION; BURNOUT; LENGTH; Nursing

    Abstract

    Aim. This paper is a report of a study to assess the impact of nurse absenteeism on the quality of patient care. Background. Nurse absenteeism is a growing management concern. It can contribute to understaffed units, staffing instability, and other factors that could have a negative impact on patient care. The impacts of absenteeism on the quality of nursing care have rarely been studied. Method. Retrospective monthly data from incident reports and staffing records in six inpatient units for 2004 were analysed. Dependent variables were the numbers of restraints, alternatives to restraints, incident reports, deaths, and length of stay. Explanatory variables were nurse absenteeism hours, patient days per nursing staff, and interaction between these variables. Controls were patient acuity and unit characteristics. Fixed effects regressions were analysed as regular or negative binomial models. Findings. Neither high Registered Nurse absenteeism nor high patient load was related to restraint use when taken separately. However, high Registered Nurse absenteeism was related to restraint use when patient load was high. Registered Nurse absenteeism was related to a lower use of alternatives to restraints. Incident reports were increased by high patient load, but not absenteeism, or absenteeism given patient load. When both patient load and absenteeism were high, deaths were higher also. Conclusion. Absenteeism alone may not be a strong factor in lowering quality, but the combination of high Registered Nurse absenteeism and high patient load could be a factor. Staffing and absenteeism may be part of a vicious cycle in which low staffing contributes to unit absenteeism, which contributes to low staffing, and so on.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    Volume

    60

    Issue/Number

    6

    Publication Date

    1-1-2007

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    673

    Last Page

    681

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000251191900010

    ISSN

    0309-2402

    Share

    COinS