Abstract
As nurses face mounting pressures in clinical environments, challenges such as insufficient staffing ratios, excessive workloads, and limited organizational support contribute to declining employee well-being, increased stress levels, and burnout. These factors not only impact the mental health of nursing professionals but also have significant implications for patient safety, care delivery, and staff retention (Aiken, 2025). Internationally, the burden of excessive workloads negatively impacts patient safety, as each patient added to a nurse's assignment is associated with a 7% increased risk of hospital mortality (Aiken, 2014). A survey conducted by the American Nurses Foundation (2022) found that nine out of ten nurses reported their systems were experiencing staffing shortages, with 90% classifying the issue as a serious problem. Fifty-two percent of respondents cited inadequate staffing as a reason for considering leaving their position (American Nurses Foundation, 2022).
Recognizing the impact of staffing on both nurse and environmental well-being, The Joint Commission (2025) has established a new national goal to assess staffing adequacy as part of its hospital accreditation process. Performance indicators within this goal assess factors such as staffing levels, clinical assignments, and alignment with national benchmarks. One requirement within the new goal tasks nurse executives with carrying out staffing plans that ensure adequate numbers of licensed and unlicensed professionals (The Joint Commission, 2025). For bedside nurses, this change validates long-standing concerns regarding heavy workloads and patient safety (American Nurses Association, 2025). For nurse executives, this change is a both a challenge and an opportunity to critically examine practices within the context of the larger system.
This presentation will explore the relationship between staffing metrics and nurse well-being, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based staffing models, supportive leadership practices, and strategic policy interventions to meet accreditation standards set by the Joint Commission. Appraising and refining staffing systems can create resilient work and patient care environments, which can ensure a more sustainable future for patients, providers, and hospital systems.
Notes
Extensive reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Rho at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Workforce, Acute Care, Policy/Advocacy, Hospital Medical Staff, Hospital Nursing Staff, Joint Commission, Evidence-Based Nursing
Recommended Citation
Nettles, Brittany; Baker-Townsend, Julie; and Howell, Amy, "A New Day: How the 2026 Joint Commission Performance Indicators Elevate Hospital Staffing Systems" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 74.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/74
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-05-03
A New Day: How the 2026 Joint Commission Performance Indicators Elevate Hospital Staffing Systems
Washington, DC, USA
As nurses face mounting pressures in clinical environments, challenges such as insufficient staffing ratios, excessive workloads, and limited organizational support contribute to declining employee well-being, increased stress levels, and burnout. These factors not only impact the mental health of nursing professionals but also have significant implications for patient safety, care delivery, and staff retention (Aiken, 2025). Internationally, the burden of excessive workloads negatively impacts patient safety, as each patient added to a nurse's assignment is associated with a 7% increased risk of hospital mortality (Aiken, 2014). A survey conducted by the American Nurses Foundation (2022) found that nine out of ten nurses reported their systems were experiencing staffing shortages, with 90% classifying the issue as a serious problem. Fifty-two percent of respondents cited inadequate staffing as a reason for considering leaving their position (American Nurses Foundation, 2022).
Recognizing the impact of staffing on both nurse and environmental well-being, The Joint Commission (2025) has established a new national goal to assess staffing adequacy as part of its hospital accreditation process. Performance indicators within this goal assess factors such as staffing levels, clinical assignments, and alignment with national benchmarks. One requirement within the new goal tasks nurse executives with carrying out staffing plans that ensure adequate numbers of licensed and unlicensed professionals (The Joint Commission, 2025). For bedside nurses, this change validates long-standing concerns regarding heavy workloads and patient safety (American Nurses Association, 2025). For nurse executives, this change is a both a challenge and an opportunity to critically examine practices within the context of the larger system.
This presentation will explore the relationship between staffing metrics and nurse well-being, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based staffing models, supportive leadership practices, and strategic policy interventions to meet accreditation standards set by the Joint Commission. Appraising and refining staffing systems can create resilient work and patient care environments, which can ensure a more sustainable future for patients, providers, and hospital systems.
Description
Participants that attend this session should expect an engaging and accessible dialogue about evidence-based staffing practices, data and metrics, leadership practices, policy formation, and innovative practices. This conversation will focus on how to translate the emphasis of The Joint Commission’s staffing standards into actionable practice.