背景　護理人力確實衝擊到病人安全，而國外研究均顯示護理人力與醫療失誤息息相關，然衛生署卻未考量到醫療機構設置標準中的護理人力。目的　本研究旨在探討醫療機構護理人員之工作負荷與病人安全相關之護理敏感性成果指標之相關性。方法　研究採橫斷式量性設計，以自擬之『護理工作負荷與病人安全相關之護理敏感性成果指標』日誌記錄個人工作情況兩週，以台灣省地區醫院以上層級之急性醫療機構護理人員為母群體，由台灣省21縣市公會中以醫院層級隨機分層取樣，共發出問卷1,500份，回收1,373份，有效問卷1,358份，有效回收率為90.5％。資料以描述性統計包括平均值、標準差、百分比及推論性統計包括Spearman相關及風險分析。結果　超時工作時數與病人安全的敏感性護理成果指標：病人跌倒、褥瘡、幾近給藥錯誤、給藥錯誤、插管滑脫、住院後感染肺炎及泌尿道感染有顯著性正相關；當病人—護士比超過7時，病人跌倒、褥瘡、插管滑脫、住院後感染肺炎及泌尿道感染等指標風險增大。實務應用　研究結果可作為未來衛生主管機關訂定醫療機構設置標準及護理人力決策之參考。

Background: Nurses affect patient safety. Although studies have associated patient safety with nurse staffing levels, Taiwan's Department of Health does not yet support changing nurse workforce standards for medical institutions.Purpose: This study was designed to gain insight into the workload of nurses employed at medical institutions and to determine the relationship between nurse workload and nurse-sensitive patient safety outcome indicators.Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative method and collected data using a self-designed logbook. The study population comprised nurses from acute medical institutions, including medical centers and regional and district hospitals. One thousand five hundred logbooks were distributed to participants selected by random sampling from 21 city/county nursing associations across Taiwan. One thousand three hundred seventy-three questionnaires were retrieved; the 1,358 valid responses yielded a valid response rate of 90.5%. Nurses used the logbook to record individual working conditions for 2 weeks. Descriptive statistics included mean values, standard deviations, and percentages; inferential statistics included the Spearman rho correlation and odds ratios.Results: Nurse overtime working hours were positively associated with the following nurse-sensitive patient safety outcome indicators: patient falls, decubitus/pressure ulcers, near errors in medication, medication errors, unplanned extubation, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and hospital-acquired urinary tract infections; risks of patient falls, decubitus/pressure ulcers, unplanned extubation, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and hospital-acquired urinary tract infections significantly increased when the patient-nurse ratio exceeded 7:1.Conclusion: Nurse workforce and nurse-sensitive patient outcome indicators are positively correlated. The results of this study will help professional nursing groups define suitable nursing workforce standards for medical institutions.