A lighter workload for nurses could save lives and reduce the risk of New York medical malpractice, according to a study published by Health Services Research.

The research followed the implementation of a state law in California, which requires hospitals to maintain minimum levels of nurses on duty, according to a report in the New York Times.

The study looked at more than 1.1 million surgeries conducted at 800 hospitals in three states -- California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In California, nurses are limited to attending to no more than 5 patients at a time, while nurses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania attended to more than six.

Researchers concluded that 225 hospital deaths in New Jersey (or 13.9 percent of all surgery deaths) and 200 deaths in Pennsylvania (or 10.6 percent of surgery deaths) could have been prevented with rules similar to those in place in California.

As we reported recently on our New York Injury Lawyer Blog, hospital staffing levels, and even the day of week or time of day you visit a hospital, can affect your risk of medical malpractice. Hospital budget cuts, short staffing, overcrowding and overworked nurses, doctors or other medical professionals, can all contribute to the risk of medical malpractice or surgical or medical negligence.

The report also found a higher degree of job satisfaction among California nurses, who were less likely to leave their jobs or the nursing profession.

The study found nurses treated, on average, one less patient at a time in California -- and two less patients on medical and surgical units -- and that the reduction in workload was associated with a reduced risk of patient mortality.