Do staffing levels predict missed nursing care?

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether actual nurse staffing predicts missed nursing care, controlling for other unit characteristics.

DESIGN

This study utilized a cross-sectional, descriptive design.

SETTING

Ten hospitals in the Midwestern region of the USA.

PARTICIPANTS

Nursing staff members with direct care responsibilities (n = 4288) on 110 care units.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The MISSCARE Survey was utilized to capture respondents' perceptions of missed nursing care as well as other unit characteristics (i.e. demographics, work schedules and absenteeism). Actual staffing data (hours per patient day [HPPD], registered nurse hours per patient day [RN HPPD], skill mix) and unit level case mix index were collected from the participating hospitals for the mean scores of 2 months during survey distribution.

RESULTS

HPPD was a significant predictor of missed nursing care (β = -0.45, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study suggest that missed nursing care may explain, at least in part, the relationship between staffing levels and patient outcomes.