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JCAHO Requires Hospitals to Look at Staffing Effectiveness

The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has added new requirements for hospitals that it surveys: They must now assess staffing effectiveness. To comply with the new standard, hospitals must select a minimum of four indicators — two clinical/service indicators that are relevant for and sensitive to all inpatients served, and two human resources indicators. One indicator from each category must be selected from JCAHO's core group of 20 indicators known to be sensitive to staffing effectiveness issues.

JCAHO will require that hospitals analyze indicator data both individually and in combination. Using indicator data in combination is a key concept. JCAHO asserts that dependence on any one isolated variable or indicator, such as "nursing care hours per patient day" or "patient complaints" to assess staffing adequacy or effectiveness offers too narrow a view. Multiple indicators looked at as a whole may identify the need for in-depth analysis.

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