Patient views of care affected by nurse staffing levels and skill mix, study shows

Patient-perceived quality of nursing care falls as registered nurse staffing levels in hospital.

Using a patient-to-nurse (PTN) ratio, which indicates how many patients a nurse has to care for during an average shift, the survey found that an increase in the PTN “significantly decreased” the general quality of perceived nursing care, the patient perception of nursing guidance, and nurse-related patient loyalty to a given hospital. The study – titled Nurse staffing and patient-perceived quality of nursing care: a cross-sectional analysis of survey and administrative data in German hospitals – adds to a large body of evidence about safe nurse staffing.