Nursing Workload, Skill Mix and Patient Outcomes Research
The Nursing Workload, Skill Mix and Patient Outcomes Study was commissioned by the NSW Minister for Health to better understand the impact of nursing workload and skill mix on patient outcomes.
Final report - "Glueing it Together" - NSW Health Website (opens an external site)
Newsletter 5 (pdf, 48kb)
Newsletter 4 (pdf, 97kb)
Newsletter 3 (pdf, 119kb)
Newsletter 2 (pdf, 62kb)
Newsletter 1 (pdf, 57kb)
Workforce issues are widely regarded as central to the successful organisation and management of health and social care. It is vital that health services planning and policy decisions be based on sound, contemporary and contextually relevant evidence. This workforce study is asking two questions fundamental to the design and implementation of optimal models of healthcare:
- Has nursing workload changed over time given increased in-patient acuity and shortened length of stay?
- What is the relationship between the number and mix of staff, nursing workload, nursing environment and patient safety outcomes, including adverse events?
The first answer has been determined retrospectively by accessing five years of patient and workforce data from NSW Health, Area Health Services and hospital sources across all clinical facilities.
The second question has been examined by a narrower study of eighty acute care nursing units in 19 public hospitals in NSW. This study is essential to capture the complexity of the health care environment while revealing the links between nursing skill mix and patient outcomes.
This innovative research provides NSW Health with a database to measure improvements in the quality of care under different models in different contexts. In addition, the research provides insight into the work that nurses do and the relationship between nursing work environment and retention. The study also provides information on what nurses believe they could and should do to provide better patient care and whether there are safer, more efficient and cost effective ways of delivering health care services.
The project was received with enormous enthusiasm and commitment from the nursing profession community not only in NSW but also throughout Australia and internationally. Over 10,000 nurses have been reached through newsletters, keynote addresses, and hospital and ward presentations. The outstanding positive response from the nursing profession is reflected in the average response rate per unit of over 70%.
The research team comprises:
- Mr Michael Roche, Project Coordinator,
- Professor Christine Duffield (UTS), Project Director,
- Professor Linda O'Brien-Pallas and Professor Donna Diers (Adjunct Professors, UTS),
- Mr Chris Aisbett (Laeta),
- Professor Jane Hall and Dr Madeleine King (CHERE, UTS).
