The above links will take you to the Center for the Health Professions site.

Hospital Unions and Quality of Patient Care

In the past decade, there has been resurgence in union activity in the health care industry in the United States, particularly in hospitals. As health care unions become more influential in hospital operations and in national policymaking, it is important that we understand how they are likely to affect the landscape of health care.

This study has four objectives: (1) to measure the growth of hospital unions in the United States, (2) to quantify the effects of hospital unions on wages in unionized and an non-unionized hospitals, (3) to determine whether unions increase nurse-to-patient and staff-to-patient ratios; and (4) to evaluate whether hospital unions improve patient outcomes.

Publications:

Ash M, Seago JA. (2004) The effect of registered nurses' unions on heart-attack mortality. Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 57(3):422-442. Abstract

Seago JA, Ash M. (2002) Registered nurse unions and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration. 32(3):143-151. Response to Letter to the Editor, Journal of Nursing Administration. 32(9):439. Abstract

Contact: Joanne Spetz, PhD