Many medical patients in Hawaii have daily interaction with various staff members, including nurses. A recent study suggested that there is a correlation between a nurse’s satisfaction in the workplace, the facility’s mortality rate and the overall outcome of patient care. The results were recently shared in a health care publication. Patients might want to consider whether there is a correlation between medical malpractice and nursing satisfaction in the workplace.
The study, which was performed through the Kaiser Permanente organization, seems to suggest that differences in nursing experiences are related to a hospital’s overall successes and failures. Those conducting the study reportedly interviewed nurses in various facilities to ask questions about their work environments, levels of education, numbers of patients seen per day and other issues. Researchers then reviewed the mortality rates in each of the facilities where the nursing participants were employed.
The outcome of the study appears to show greater success in hospitals where nursing satisfaction is taken into account. A vice president of patient care services in one hospital stated that she believes it is important to make sure that a facility provides a work atmosphere in which a nurse would like to work. Hospitals that acknowledge the importance of nursing satisfaction also seemed to have larger numbers of nurses with higher levels of degrees in education.
Lowering patient to nurse ratios was also mentioned as a means to creating less stress and more happiness in a nursing work environment. Dissatisfaction could possibly lead to negligence or error if nurses in Hawaii are distracted by negative thoughts or issues while on duty. Negligence sometimes results in medical malpractice cases when a patient suffers serious injury or illness due to nursing error. When this happens, a patient is able to seek rectification of the situation through legal means by filing a claim in a civil court.
Source: fiercehealthcare.com, “Satisfied nurses improve hospital outcomes, mortality”, Ana Mulero, July 13, 2015