In a retrospective study covering 18 hospitals from 2018 to 2020, researchers analyzed the proportion of 12-hour shifts in which a nurse cared for a patient who they had previously seen. Although overall continuity increased, EHR data from 47,564 patients across 38 ICUs do not show an association between higher continuity and improved outcomes.
In some shifts, nurse continuity was even linked to a modest but statistically significant increase in mortality, according to a Penn Nursing news release.
Kathryn Connell, PhD, RN, a critical care nurse at Penn Medicine’s Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Hospital and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, led the study. Dr. Connell and a team of researchers published their findings in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Editor’s note: This article was updated June 19 at 8:09 a.m. CT.
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