Abstract:
Nursing is important in quality and safety of hospital care and in patients' perceptions of their care. There seems
to be a close association between patient safety, undergraduate nursing students' learning with nurse staffing
levels in Kenya. The Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of education does not yet support changing nurse
workforce standards for teaching medical institutions. This research brief targeted the nursing units of two
teaching hospitals in Kenya. Purpose: There are a lot on staffing issues in research that could be applied in
Kenya and nurses might be interested in a staff-understandable review of what has been researched. This brief
sought to: establish the relationship between nurse workload and nurse-sensitive patient safety outcome
indicators. This review focuses on the staffing issue on the effect of workload on patient outcomes or staff
outcomes. The search spanned period of between 2003 and 2013. Conclusion: Nurse managers ought to
implement staffing processes that align staff skills and competencies with prioritized patient needs supported on
a shift-to-shift basis. A fair and balanced patient assignment increases nurse satisfaction in their daily work.
