Released on = June 7, 2007, 7:29 am

Press Release Author = Lala C. Ballatan

Industry = Law

Press Release Summary = A recent study was published and included in the "Medical
Care Journal's" June issue with findings that hospitals with enhanced staffing and
fewer overtime are reliable in the care of elderly patients in the Intensive Care
Units (ICU). This study is another scientific evidence supporting the proposals in
the legislation called Patient Safety Act (H.2059) for the increase of staffing
nurses in hospitals, prohibition of compulsory overtime and restriction in the
patients' number assigned per nurse.

Press Release Body = A recent study was published and included in the "Medical Care
Journal's" June issue with findings that hospitals with enhanced staffing and fewer
overtime are reliable in the care of elderly patients in the Intensive Care Units
(ICU). This study is another scientific evidence supporting the proposals in the
legislation called Patient Safety Act (H.2059) for the increase of staffing nurses
in hospitals, prohibition of compulsory overtime and restriction in the patients'
number assigned per nurse.

Los Angeles, California, June 5, 2007 - The latest study was led by the researchers
of "Columbia University's School of Nursing". They have measured the rates of
infections among elderly patients that are hospital-related. This ranked the sixth
among the highest causes of fatality in the country, according to the March 2007
CDC.

The "review of outcomes data" including patients numbering to about 15,000 or more
confined in 51 United State's hospital ICUs manifested that units with higher levels
of nurse staffing had much lower infection incidents. These incidents include the
central-line "associated bloodstream infections" or CLSBI. CLSBI is a prevalent
cause of ICU mortality incidence.

According to the study, patients who are treated in hospitals that have higher
levels of nurse staffing are actually 68% less prone to take infections like CLSBI.

Hospitalized patients were less predictable to pass away within a month in these
units with higher staffing.

Furthermore, higher overtime levels were also associated with higher infection rates
like infections in the urinary tract that are catheter-associated and breaking out
of skin ulcers. These kinds of increased rates of infections occur on patients in
institutions that have ICU nurses with overtime work amounting to 5.6% of their
time.

Patricia W. Stone, Ph.D., M.P.H., and RN said, \"Nurses are the hospitals\' safety
officers, however, nursing units and that have overworked nurses are shown to have
poor patient outcomes. Improvements in nurse working conditions are necessary for
the safety of our nation\'s sickest patients.\" Stone is also the assistant professor
of nursing at Columbia University Medical Center. She is also the study\'s first
author.

Their findings suggest that the nurse form one of the largest workforces in the
United States' hospitals. They are also in the distinctive position of affecting the
security and safety in the ICUs positively. This is on the condition that there be
significant and systematic developments made for their working conditions.

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