Evaluation of Patient Safety and Nurse Staffing CANADIAN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH FOUNDATION Evaluation of Patient Safety and Nurse Staffing CANADIAN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH FOUNDATION KEY IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION MAKERS This study was a synthesis of the best available evidence and provision of policy recommendations in the area of nurse staffing and patient safety. [...] The practice and research communities need to develop standard nurse staffing terminology and consistent operational definitions of these terms to facilitate the comparison of research findings and to build stronger evidence to guide policy and practice. [...] Evaluation of Patient Safety and Nurse Staffing 2 CANADIAN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH FOUNDATION METHODS SEARCH STRATEGIES AND IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT LITERATURE Our review of the literature was restricted to that from developed countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as other members of the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development [...] The following two concepts in the Canadian Nurses Association’s evaluation framework (2005a) were used to guide the analysis of the findings: first, processes and structures related to clients, nursing staff, and the organizational system or environment influence nurse staffing decisions; and second, client, staff, and system outcomes are critical to the evaluation of the impact of nurse staffing [...] Recommendation 2: Healthcare organizations should support the implementation of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing’s and the Canadian Nurses Association’s standard of baccalaureate entry to practice through hiring practices and professional development of staff.