By Laura Gasque
Nurses are among the most valuable assets in any healthcare organization, driving both better patient outcomes and stronger financial performance. A new study published in Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing, demonstrates that investments in nursing care can generate substantial returns for hospitals. The study found that strengthening nursing human capital was associated with significant reductions in hospital-acquired pressure injuries, potentially saving healthcare organizations millions of dollars while improving the quality and safety of patient care.
Authors include Professor, Assistant Dean for Clinical Innovation, and Donna Brown Banton Endowed Professorship in Nursing Shea Polancich, PhD, RN, FAAN (MSN 1996), Associate Professor, Assistant Dean for Nursing Clinical Practice and Partnerships, and Chief Nursing Executive for UAB Health System Terri Poe, DNP, RN, NE-BC (BSN 1986, DNP 2013), Dean, Professor, and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN, as well as Olga Yakusheva, PhD, FAAN, Economist and Professor of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University.
“This study demonstrates that investing in nursing expertise is not only the right thing for patients but also for the economic and financial impact that nursing has on care delivery,” Shirey said. “This publication shows us the real, tangible effect of the value of nursing.”
The study used Yakusheva’s Nursing Human Capital Value Model to look at a real-world example of hospital-acquired pressure injuries, providing a framework for measuring the economic contribution of nursing quality. The analysis showed that investments in nursing practice and expertise can lead to meaningful cost avoidance by reducing preventable complications, like pressure injuries, highlighting nursing’s role as both a clinical and financial driver of organizational success.
Years of nursing-led prevention efforts, including identifying at-risk patients, conducting routine assessments, repositioning protocols and ongoing staff education, dramatically reduced the incidence of pressure injuries. As a result, estimated costs associated with these injuries fell from approximately $11.2 million in fiscal year 2021 to $1.8 million in fiscal year 2025, representing an 84 percent reduction.
“Because nursing staff are instrumental in creating these efficiency gains, organizations should prioritize reinvesting in nurses and those patient care units,” Polancich said. “The outcome of nursing human capital reinvestment may be strongly positive, igniting future meaningful projects, and could transform care delivery across the state and beyond.”
Polancich said the findings underscore what nurses have long known: nursing is not simply a cost center but a strategic investment within healthcare systems. By preventing complications, improving patient outcomes and reducing avoidable costs, nurses deliver measurable value that benefits patients, hospitals and the broader healthcare system.