Nursing in Chilean Hospitals: A Research Agenda to Inform Health Policies and Improve Patient Outcomes

Marta Simonetti*, Linda H. Aiken, Eileen T. Lake

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction: The ongoing challenge for Chilean hospitals of meeting population health needs merits attention to the health care workforce. No studies have explored how nursing might contribute to addressing this challenge. International research shows that organizational characteristics of the nursing workforce and practice environment are associated with patient outcomes. Chile lacks actionable evidence that applies to its context of care. Method: First, a review of international literature was developed to synthesize evidence on the association between organizational characteristics of the nursing workforce and patient outcomes. Second, a review of literature and other nonacademic sources was performed to describe the context of care and data pertaining to nurses in Chilean hospitals. Third, a research agenda for efficient utilization of the hospital nursing workforce in Chile was proposed. Results: International evidence shows that low patient-to-nurse ratios, high skill mix, and good practice environments are associated with better patient outcomes. Chilean hospitals have financial constraints that greatly influence the context of nursing practice and the scarce data about nursing organization call for greater attention. Conclusion: The establishment and implementation of a research agenda is needed to build local evidence regarding effective organization of nurses to inform policies and to improve patient outcomes in Chile.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)79-88
Number of pages10
JournalHispanic Health Care International
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funded by the University of Pennsylvania Global Engagement Fund and Sigma Theta Tau International Global Nursing Research Grant.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.

Keywords

  • Chile
  • hospitals
  • nurse staffing
  • nursing skill mix
  • patient outcomes
  • practice environment

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