Working Paper: NBER ID: w23174
Authors: Benjamin U. Friedrich; Martin B. Hackmann
Abstract: Nurses comprise the largest health profession. In this paper, we measure the effect of nurses on health care delivery and patient health outcomes across sectors. Our empirical strategy takes advantage of a parental leave program, which led to a sudden, unintended, and persistent 12% reduction in nurse employment. Our findings indicate detrimental effects on hospital care delivery as indicated by an increase in 30-day readmission rates and a distortion of technology utilization. The effects for nursing home care are more drastic. We estimate a persistent 13% increase in nursing home mortality among the elderly aged 85 and older. Our results also highlight an unintended negative consequence of parental leave programs borne by providers and patients.
Keywords: nursing; health care delivery; parental leave; mortality; employment effects
JEL Codes: D22; H75; I10; I11; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reduction in nurse employment due to parental leave program (J22) | Decrease in nurse staffing (J63) |
| Decrease in nurse staffing (J63) | Increase in 30-day hospital readmission rates (I11) |
| Reduction in nurse employment due to parental leave program (J22) | Increase in 30-day hospital readmission rates (I11) |
| Reduction in nurse employment due to parental leave program (J22) | Increase in nursing home mortality rates (I12) |
| Decrease in nurse staffing (J63) | Increase in nursing home mortality rates (I12) |