Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome

/in /by

Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome

Discuss the correlation between nursing education and positive patient outcomes. Include current research that links patient safety outcomes to advanced degrees in nursing. Based on some real-life experiences, explain whether you agree or disagree with this research.

Today’s nursing workforce is achieving greater levels of education that is directly relating to positive patient outcomes according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).  Studies corroborate a link between nurses achieving baccalaureate and graduate degree education with positive patient outcomes, including lower mortality rates and fewer medication errors.  A sample of recently published research, is included below: Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome

ORDER A PLAGIARISM – FREE PAPER NOW

  • February 2014 – The Lancet published research stating that patients experiencing post-surgery complications experienced lower mortality rates in hospitals where a greater percentage of nurses hold a bachelor’s degree.
  • March 2013 – An article in Health Affairs concluded that as little as a 10% increase in nurses holding a BSN or greater was associated with an average reduction of 2.12 deaths for every 1,000 patients.
  • February 2013 – The Journal of Nursing Administration published a finding that hospitals with a higher percentage of RN’s with BSN’s or higher had lower congestive heart failure mortality, decubitus ulcers, failure to rescue, and postoperative deep vein thrombosis, and shorter lengths of stay.
  • October 2012 – The University of Pennsylvania published findings that surgical patients in Magnet hospitals had a 14% lower chance of inpatient mortality within 30 days and 12% lower odds of failure-to-rescue compared to patients in non-Magnet hospitals.  The authors attributed these outcomes to Magnet hospitals higher proportion of nurses with a bachelor’s degree.  Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome

 

In all, studies dating back to 2003 have supported a correlation between nursing education levels with better care and patient outcomes.  In response to these studies, state legislatures around the country are introducing or have already introduced requirements for nurse’s continuing education and legislation to fund new education programs and increase nursing program capacity.

The question that is being addressed today is to determine a realistic expectation for the appropriate balance to strike between nurses with higher education and those who join the workforce with an Associate’s Degree.   In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health that, in part, recommended that the number of nurses with a baccalaureate education should reach 80% by the year 2020.  In order to achieve that level, estimates are that more than 760,000 nurses will need to earn baccalaureates before 2020.  Obviously, today’s healthcare providers have to balance their staffing levels between filling positions with nurses who graduate in two years versus nurses who are in school for four years or more. Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome

The burden, should not remain solely with the employers.  Educational institutions have to continue to find ways to improve nursing programs, increase capacity, and graduate qualified nurses in a timely manner while hospitals and health care providers have to embrace a culture of lifelong learning and offer incentives for RN’s to advance their education to baccalaureate and higher levels.  To comment on this blog article, please feel free to stop by our Facebook page and share your thoughts. Nursing Education And Positive Patient Outcome