Nurse:patient ratios influence the achievement of oxygen saturation targets in premature infants
- School of Health Sciences, City University, London, UK
- Correspondence to Julia Petty
School of Health Sciences, City University, Philpot Street, London E1 2EA, UK; J.D.Petty{at}city.ac.uk
Implications for practice and research
-
■ Addressing optimum saturation limits is essential to limit the incidence of morbidity related to oxygen damage namely retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease.
-
■ Nurses caring for premature neonates should be mindful of the long-term consequences of neonatal care; oxygen therapy is one factor that must be considered.
-
■ The study highlights the issue of what is the optimum saturation range in premature neonates in relation to improving outcomes for this population. This is an area still to be agreed and which is the subject of ongoing, prospective trials.
-
■ As it is not feasible to make firm links between staffing and patient outcomes based on a small study using single unit data, there is a need for this …
