Searching CINAHL, PubMed and Joanna Briggs, for the concepts of nurse, staffing, (acuity OR “patient classification”), safety, and outcomes, identifies the following resources:

General information on acuity systems:

Choi J, et al. Power up your staffing model with patient acuity. Nurs Manage. 2011 Sep;42(9):40-3.

Acuity systems dialogue and patient classification system essentials. Nursing administration quarterly 2007 vol:31 iss:4 pg:284

On patient safety and quality

PubMed:  “Nursing Staff, Hospital”[majr] AND (acuity OR “patient classification”) AND (safety OR mortality) which includes references such as

• Kiekkas P, et al.   Association between nursing workload and mortality of intensive care unit patients.  J Nurs Scholarsh. 2008;40(4):385-90.
• Massey D, et al. What factors influence suboptimal ward care in the acutely ill ward patient? Aust Crit Care. 2008 Aug;21(3):127-40.

CINAHL:   nurse staffing AND (acuity OR “patient classification”) AND (safety OR mortality OR quality OR outcome)    which includes references such as:

• Butler M, et al.  Hospital nurse staffing models and patient and staff-related outcomes.  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011 (7).

Revision of post from Dec 13, 2011. JKN