Research project

Safe staffing in ICU: development and testing of a staffing model (SEISMIC)

Lead researcher:

Professor Peter Griffiths
Other researchers:

Dr Chiara Dall'ora,

Dr Jeremy Jones
Research funder:

National Institute of Health and Care Research
Status:

Not active

Project overview

The number of nurses providing care to critically ill patients can result in better or worse outcomes for patients and staff. Over 170,000 people spend time in intensive care units in England and Wales each year, the majority surviving to be discharged home. The method used to decide how many nurses are needed is based on ratios of nurse to patients but this is not based on scientific research. In this proposed research we will understand the experiences of patients, families and staff, observe what happens in intensive care units, then develop and test a new model of nurse staffing to provide the best outcomes for patients and staff. This study aims to explore the feasibility of developing a new model for nurse staffing in intensive care units and evaluate how this might impact as a preliminary step to developing a more extensive study.