Effects of Hospital Staffing and Organizational Climate on Needlestick Injuries to Nurses
Sean P. Clarke, PhD, RN,
Douglas M. Sloane, PhD and
Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN
The authors are with the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia. Douglas M. Sloane is also with the Life Cycle Institute and Department of Sociology, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Linda H. Aiken is also with the Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Correspondence: Sean P. Clarke, PhD, RN, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 420 Guardian Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6096 (e-mail: sclarke{at}nursing.upenn.edu).
Objectives. This study determined the effects of nurse staffingand nursing organization on the likelihood of needlestick injuriesin hospital nurses.
Methods. We analyzed retrospective data from 732 and prospectivedata from 960 nurses on needlestick exposures and near missesover different 1-month periods in 1990 and 1991. Staffing levelsand survey data about working climate and risk factors for needlestickinjuries were collected on 40 units in 20 hospitals.
Results. Nurses from units with low staffing and poor organizationalclimates were generally twice as likely as nurses on well-staffedand better-organized units to report risk factors, needlestickinjuries, and near misses.
Conclusions. Staffing and organizational climate influence hospitalnurses' likelihood of sustaining needlestick injuries. Remedyingproblems with understaffing, inadequate administrative support,and poor morale could reduce needlestick injuries.
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