New Zealand research has found patients recovering from surgery face higher risks of complications and death when hospital wards do not have enough nurses — with researchers estimating proper staffing could save around 182 lives every year.
The University of Auckland-led study analysed 202,428 patients undergoing more than 223,000 operations between 2022 and 2024, matching individual patient outcomes with Te Whatu Ora nursing levels on the shifts when those patients were in hospital.
Researchers found around 45 percent of shifts were understaffed to some degree, while 28 percent fell below the study’s predefined staffing target. The overall complication rate was 18 percent, while 90-day mortality was 2.8 percent.
The results showed each reduction of one nurse on a shift was associated with a 7 percent increase in complications, a 7 percent increase in failure-to-rescue cases and a 13 percent increase in mortality. Failure to rescue refers to patients who die after developing potentially treatable complications following surgery.
Modelling by the researchers suggests eliminating observed staffing shortfalls on surgical wards could be associated with 182 fewer post-operative deaths each year, requiring an estimated 166 additional nurses nationally.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation representatives say the research reinforces their warnings that safe staffing is not simply a workforce issue but a matter of patient safety.
The findings add fresh weight to the election-year debate over hospital staffing and recruitment, with nursing numbers and pressure on frontline services already emerging as major health issues.
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