STUDY ON ADEQUACY OF NUMBER OF NURSES.

SEC. 1512. STUDY ON ADEQUACY OF NUMBER OF NURSES. (a) In General.— The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research, shall enter into a contract with a public or nonprofit private entity to conduct a study for the purpose of determining whether and to what extent there is a need for an increase in the number of nurses in hospitals and nursing homes in order to promote the quality of patient care and reduce the incidence among nurses of work-related injuries and stress. (b) National Academy of Sciences.— The Secretary shall request the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to enter into the contract under subsection (a) to conduct the study described in such subsection. If such Institute declines to conduct the study, the Secretary shall carry out such subsection through another public or nonprofit private entity. (c) Definitions.— For purposes of this section: 107 STAT. 180 (1) The term “nurse” means a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a licensed vocational nurse, and a nurse assistant. (2) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (d) Report.— The Secretary shall ensure that, not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the study required in subsection (a) is completed and a report describing the findings made as a result of the study is submitted to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate.