The recent study in the September 24, 2003, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by Dr. Linda Aiken and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania has generated considerable interest within the nursing community and the national media. This article, titled “Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality,” identified a clear link between higher levels of nursing education and better patient outcomes. In the interest of patient safety and improving care, the study’s authors call for renewed support and incentives from nurse employers to encourage registered nurses to pursue education at the baccalaureate and higher degree levels.

Though most of the health care community understands the benefits of having a highly educated nursing workforce, some groups have challenged Dr. Aiken’s research findings and have attempted to impugn the validity of this important work. AACN has asked Dr. Aiken to respond to some recent challenges, confirm her research findings, and discuss the implications of her study. Attached are talking points that you are free to use when discussing this study with reporters and your colleagues.

It should also be noted that Dr. Aiken’s previous article in JAMA, “Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction” published in October 2002, received AcademyHealth’s most prestigious annual award in health services research. AcademyHealth is the nation’s preeminent scientific and professional organization for health services research. Dr. Aiken’s new study was conducted using the same data set, the same kind of secondary analysis, and the same high research standards that were recognized and rewarded in her previous study.