Hospitals with more BSNs linked to better cardiac arrest outcomes

Editor's Note

Hospitals with more nurses who have bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degrees have better outcomes for patients after cardiac arrest, this study finds.

For the study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, analyzed data from the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry, RN4CAST-US hospital nurse surveys, and the American Hospital Association.

Results showed that for each 10% increase in hospital share of nurses with BSNs, in-hospital cardiac arrest patients had 24% greater odds of surviving to discharge with good cerebral performance.

The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that supports policies to increase access to BSN programs and to improve nurse staffing, the researchers say.