Acuity-Based Staffing: Balance Cost, Satisfaction, Quality, and Outcomes

Establishing an acuity-based core staffing model is a delicate balance between enhancing patient safety and provider productivity while also optimizing organizational costs. But there is another factor affected by staffing levels: patient outcomes. With the current emphasis on value-based purchasing and pay-for-performance related to patient outcomes, health systems must pay more attention than ever to outcomes management. Although a growing body of research suggests a correlation between nurse staffing and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes, there are currently no guidelines for effective staffing levels related to specific outcomes.