In hospitals, the death risk rises with 7% extra per patient for a nurse. This is the result of an international investigation in 300 general hospitals in 9 European countries, under the expert guidance of professor Walter Sermeus of the KU Leuven, published today in the prestigious journal The Lancet. In Belgium, we clearly lag behind with 11 patients per nurse in comparison with other European countries (the relationship in the Netherlands is 7 to 1, in Norway 5 to 1). But also the competences are important. 10% more nurses with a Bachelor’s degree – versus a higher vocational training – is translated into a 7% lower risk of death of patients. In our country we see a wide variation between the Belgian hospitals that took part in the study, with a percentage of bachelors from 26 to 86%. This forces to reflect on the current HR-policy in healthcare. Read more:

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2813%2962631-8/abstract