Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31952532›Full record

Observational studyHuman resources for health2020

Nurse staffing in large general hospitals in China: an observational study.

Yuchi Shen, Weiyan Jian, Qiufen Zhu, Wei Li, Wenhan Shang, Li Yao

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Human resources for health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yuchi ShenSchool of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Weiyan JianSchool of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. jianweiyan@bjmu.edu.cn.
Qiufen ZhuZhongWei Institute of Nursing Information, Beijing, China.
Wei LiNursing Center, National Institute of Hospital Administration, Beijing, China.
Wenhan ShangNursing Center, National Institute of Hospital Administration, Beijing, China.
Li YaoNursing Center, National Institute of Hospital Administration, Beijing, China. moli_158@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe appropriate staffing of nurses not only reflects the situation of nursing management of human resource, but also is related to the nursing quality in hospitals. This study investigated the staffing of nurses in large general hospitals in China.

methodsIn this study, a database established by the National Centre for Nursing Care Quality Control, which conducted a national survey of the staffing of nurses in China mainland in 2017, was analysed. The time-point survey data of 20 375 departments in 668 large general hospitals in China were obtained, including the information of nurses and patients during the day (10:00 am) and at night (10:00 pm). Then, the staffing of nurses was evaluated by calculating the nurse to patient ratio (the average number of patients assigned to a nurse, NTP ratio). The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare the NTP ratios during the day and at night among different regions and departments.

resultsIn large general hospitals, a nurse takes care of eight patients (NTP ratio = 1:8.0) during the day and 23 patients at night (NTP ratio = 1:23) on average. There were significant differences between day and night. In terms of different regions, a nurse in the hospitals in the western region takes care of 7.8 patients during the day (NTP ratio = 1:7.8) on average, and the nursing resource in the western region is more adequate than that in the eastern (1:8.0) and central (1:8.0) regions. At night, the eastern region has a higher level of NTP (1:23.0). In terms of departments, a nurse working in the ICU takes care of two patients during the day (NTP ratio = 1:2.0) and 2.9 patients at night (NTP ratio = 1:2.9). The level of NTP in the oncology department is relatively higher: 9.3 during the day and 34.0 at night. Other departments including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and geriatrics have NTP ratios of 1:7-8 during the day and 1:18-25 at night.

conclusionsIn China, the nurse staffing of large general hospitals has some regional and departmental patterns. The low level of nurse staffing at night may be a problem worthy of attention; the Chinese government needs to establish standards for different periods and departments to improve efficiency and quality of nursing.

Indexed as

Nursing Staff, HospitalChinaCross-Sectional StudiesHumansNursingPersonnel Staffing and SchedulingQuality ControlSurveys and QuestionnairesNight careNurse to patient ratioNursingStaffing of nurses

Identifiers

PMID31952532
PMCPMC6969396

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.