Nurse Staffing Ratios Linked to Reduced Nurse Injury Rate

Intended to promote patient safety, a California law mandating minimum nurse staffing ratios also led to a reduction in reported illnesses and injuries among nurses themselves, according to a study in the May 2015 International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. The authors examined injury data reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for both registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) from 2001 to 2003 (before the California law went into effect) and from 2005 to 2007 (after the California law went into effect). For both sets of time, the authors examined data from California and from the other 49 states combined.