Are Nurse's Unions Good for Patient Outcomes?

Objectives:  Nurse's unions claim to bargain for patients as well as their members. As a result, successful bargaining units should see better patient outcomes. Unionization of RNs has been shown to positively affect patient outcomes in a 2004 study of California hospitals. This study seeks to further illuminate the impact nurse's unions may have on patient outcomes by examining multiple outcomes in several states. The outcomes examined are rates of heart attack mortality, failure-to-rescue, and pressure ulcer.

Data/Methods: Data from the AHRQ Nationwide Inpatient Sample is augmented with data from the American Hospital Assocation's Annual Survey of Hospitals and information on the union membership of registered nurses at the sample hospitals. The data is analyzed using the weighted least squares regression technique.

Expected Results: Preliminary analysis of 1992 data provide mixed results. Unionized hospitals have lower heart attach mortality rates but higher rates of failure to rescue and pressure ulcer. Further examination of more recent data and a SUR analysis is expected to clarify the impact of nurse's unions on patient outcomes.