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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedAiken LH, Sloane DM, McHugh MD
A repeated cross-sectional study of nurses immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for action
The goal of this cross-sectional study was to establish whether hospital nursing care shortages are primarily due to the COVID pandemic, and therefore likely to subside, or if shortages are due to understaffing and poor working conditions that predated the pandemic. The study considered registered nurses in New York and Illinois, and a subset of staff nurses employed in 357 hospitals, before and during the pandemic. While no evidence was found to show that large numbers of nurses left in the first 18 months of the pandemic, the study’s findings indicate that nurses in hospitals with better staffing and more favorable work environments prior to the pandemic reported significantly better outcomes. The authors concluded that policies that prevent chronic understaffing have the most potential to stabilize the hospital nurse workforce.
AHRQ-funded; HS028978.
Citation: Aiken LH, Sloane DM, McHugh MD .
A repeated cross-sectional study of nurses immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for action
Nurs Outlook 2023 Jan-Feb; 71(1):101903. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2022.11.007..
Keywords: COVID-19, Provider: Nurse, Workforce, Burnout
Womack DM, Hribar MR, Steege LM
Registered nurse strain detection using ambient data: an exploratory study of underutilized operational data streams in the hospital workplace.
Registered nurses (RNs) regularly adapt their work to ever-changing situations but routine adaptation transforms into RN strain when service demand exceeds staff capacity and patients are at risk of missed or delayed care. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of ambient workplace data, defined as time-stamped transaction records and log file data produced by non-electronic health record care delivery tools (e.g., nurse call systems, communication devices), as an information channel for automated sensing of RN strain.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: Womack DM, Hribar MR, Steege LM .
Registered nurse strain detection using ambient data: an exploratory study of underutilized operational data streams in the hospital workplace.
Appl Clin Inform 2020 Aug;11(4):598-605. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1715829..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Provider, Health Information Technology (HIT), Workforce, Burnout
Kelly LA, McHugh MD, Aiken LH
Nurse Outcomes in Magnet(R) and non-magnet hospitals.
The goal of this study was to determine whether work environments, staffing, and nurse outcomes differ between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. Results demonstrated superior nurse work environments in Magnet hospitals compared with non-Magnet hospitals, with better work environments being associated with lower nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout. Three decades of evidence showing superior outcomes for Magnet hospitals place this organizational innovation into a class all of its own as best practice, deserving the attention of hospital leaders, nurses, and the public.
AHRQ-funded; HS017551.
Citation: Kelly LA, McHugh MD, Aiken LH .
Nurse Outcomes in Magnet(R) and non-magnet hospitals.
J Nurs Adm 2019 Oct;49(10S Suppl):S19-s24. doi: 10.1097/nna.0000000000000801..
Keywords: Burnout, Hospitals, Provider, Provider: Nurse, Workforce
White EM, Aiken LH, McHugh MD
Registered nurse burnout, job dissatisfaction, and missed care in nursing homes.
The purpose of this article was to examine the relationship between registered nurse (RN) burnout, job dissatisfaction, and missed care in nursing homes. The investigators concluded that missed nursing care due to inadequate time or resources is common in nursing homes and is associated with RN burnout and job dissatisfaction; they indicated that improved work environments with sufficient staff hold promise for improving care and nurse retention.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: White EM, Aiken LH, McHugh MD .
Registered nurse burnout, job dissatisfaction, and missed care in nursing homes.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Oct;67(10):2065-71. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16051..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Provider, Burnout, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Workforce