[Nurse staffing, skill mix and job outcomes in Chilean public hospitals]. / Dotaciones, skillmix e indicadores laborales de enfermería en Hospitales Públicos chilenos.

BACKGROUND: International evidence shows that there are organizational factors and nurse job outcomes that may negatively affect healthcare quality. AIM: To measure and analyze associations between nurse organizational factors, such as staffing ratios and skill mix, and job outcomes in public hospitals in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study of 1,855 registered nurses working in medical-surgical units in 37 public hospitals was conducted. Data collection followed the RN4CAST research protocol. Inferential analyses used logistic regression models. RESULTS: The survey was answered by 1,395 registered nurses in 34 hospitals. The average staffing ratio was 14 patients-per-nurse, and the average skill mix was 31% registered nurses. Of all nurses, 35% reported burnout, 22% were dissatisfied, and 33% intended to leave. Being burned out increased by 9 and 6% the odds of being dissatisfied and the intent to leave, respectively (Odds ratio (OR) 1.09, p < 0.01 and 1.06, p < 0.01). Being dissatisfied increased by five times the odds of intent to leave (OR 5.19, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Staffing levels, burnout, and intent to leave warrant healthcare and governmental authorities' attention. All these factors may be threatening healthcare quality and safety.

Comparison of the perception of the educational atmosphere by nursing students in a Chilean university.

BACKGROUND: Learning is situated within an environment, cannot be dissociated from the context in which it occurs and impacts upon the results of student learning, obtaining better results in favorably perceived environments. The elements that mostly affect that perception are the curricular contents, teaching methodologies, and the handling of the education atmosphere. These elements, complex and dynamic, are perceived differently according to the level of the career. Some studies establish that the perception improves as the student progresses in the career, while others show the opposite. OBJECTIVES: Measure the perception of nursing students of the education atmosphere and compare the differences among the distinct levels of the career. DESIGN: This was a longitudinal prospective study. Settings and Participants The study was conducted with nursing students from the class of 2011 at Universidad de los Andes, Santiago-Chile. Sixty-one students complied with inclusion criteria and were surveyed in second (n=55), third (n=51), and fourth (n=34) years, during 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. METHODS: The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure questionnaire was applied. The STATA 10 program was used for analysis and the one way ANOVA was use to compare the results. RESULTS: The average perception of the education atmosphere was 133/200, obtaining more positive aspects than negative ones. Students improve their perception as they advance in the career. The three measurements repeat five items as weaknesses and 12 as strengths. CONCLUSIONS: It is convenient to bear in mind the difficulties of students to reconcile the clinical experiences with the theoretical classes on campus by continuous assessing the academic load and the demands made by each professor. Some strategies would include promoting professors' greater closeness with the students, considering travel times in the academic programming, as well as applying the basic theoretical contents in real clinical cases to give them relevance.

Dotaciones, skillmix e indicadores laborales de enfermería en Hospitales Públicos chilenos

Background: International evidence shows that there are organizational factors and nurse job outcomes that may negatively affect healthcare quality. Aim: To measure and analyze associations between nurse organizational factors, such as staffing ratios and skill mix, and job outcomes in public hospitals in Chile. Material and Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study of 1,855 registered nurses working in medical-surgical units in 37 public hospitals was conducted. Data collection followed the RN4CAST research protocol. Inferential analyses used logistic regression models. Results: The survey was answered by 1,395 registered nurses in 34 hospitals. The average staffing ratio was 14 patients-per-nurse, and the average skill mix was 31% registered nurses. Of all nurses, 35% reported burnout, 22% were dissatisfied, and 33% intended to leave. Being burned out increased by 9 and 6% the odds of being dissatisfied and the intent to leave, respectively (Odds ratio (OR) 1.09, p < 0.01 and 1.06, p < 0.01). Being dissatisfied increased by five times the odds of intent to leave (OR 5.19, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Staffing levels, burnout, and intent to leave warrant healthcare and governmental authorities' attention. All these factors may be threatening healthcare quality and safety.