Study links nurse ratios with patient deaths

The Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) has called on the Government to lift its ban on nurse recruitment after an international study found patient outcomes are worse the heavier a nurse’s workload.

The study — which examined the link between nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries, including Ireland — also found that a better educated nurse workforce is associated with fewer deaths.

Liam Doran, general secretary of the INMO, said the study, published in The Lancet, confirmed what the union has been saying for years, that the “savage” reduction in nursing posts since 2009 was contrary to evidence-based best practice and must be reversed.