Registered Nurse Staffing, Workload, and Nursing Care Left Undone, and Their Relationships to Patient Safety in Hemodialysis Units.

ABSTRACT

Patient safety is an important foundation of high-quality care. Yet little is known regarding the effects of nursing indicators on patient safety in dialysis units. The purpose of this study was to examine interrelationships among registered nurse (RN) staffing, workload, nursing care left undone, and patient safety outcomes in hemodialysis settings. The sample consisted of 104 staff nurses who worked in hemodialysis facilities and completed a mailed survey. Low RN staffing, high RN workloads, and RN nursing care left undone were significantly associated with unsafe patient shift change periods and low safety ratings. Care left undone was an indirect pathway through which low RN staffing and high workloads impacted safety. Patient safety in hemodialysis units can be enhanced by ensuring adequate RN staffing and reasonable RN workloads, as well as redesigning responsibilities so RNs can complete necessary care activities.