Nurse Staffing Matters and Why – 2018 Dean’s Lecture
The 2018 UH Manoa Nursing Dean’s Lecture “Nurse Staffing Matters and Why” was held on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the Pacific Club. The distinguished speaker was Jack Needleman, PhD, FAAN, the Fred W. and Pamela K. Wasserman Professor and Chair of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management. Dr. Needleman’s lecture covered the evidence of the impact of low staffing or increased use of less skilled staff (versus registered nurses) on patient outcomes, whether the observed associations should be treated as causal, and examined the cost of higher staffing levels and cost savings associated with using higher and more skilled staff. A discussion was held following the lecture.
For 20 years, Dr. Needleman has conducted research on nurse staffing in hospitals and patient outcomes. Three of his first authored publications on quality, nurse staffing, and the business case for nursing are designated patient safety classics by US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and for this work, he was the first recipient of the AcademyHealth Health Services Research Impact Award. Other research by Dr. Needleman has examined the costs and quality of health care, the design and implementation of quality and process improvement programs, and insurance and payment reform. Dr. Needleman received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly, the Institute of Medicine) and honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
The Dean’s Lecture Series is supported by the Starlit Walk Present: Endowment for the Advancement of Nursing established for UH Manoa Nursing that brings nationally renowned speakers to the school to educate students, alumni, nursing and other healthcare professionals. A special mahalo to AONE-Hawaii, ACHE-Hawaii Pacific Basin and Hawaii State Center for Nursing for contributing support for Dr. Needleman’s visit to Hawaii.
Photos from the event can be viewed in the UH Manoa Nursing flickr Dean’s Lecture 2018 album.