QUANTITY OF STAFF AND QUALITY OF CARE IN DUTCH NURSING HOMES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

The general belief is that the number of total staff hours per resident day (HPRD) and the staff mix (% registered nurses/total staff) are associated with quality of care (QoC) in nursing homes. However, findings from studies examining these relationships are inconsistent. In this brief report, we present findings from a cross-sectional, observational study on the relationship between HPRD and clinical as well as staff-reported QoC indicators. Data were collected in 55 nursing home wards that participated in the Dutch Prevalence Measurement of Care Problems in April 2014. We conducted adjusted (multilevel) logistic regression analyses for clinical outcomes and multilevel linear regression analyses for staff perception of QoC. Overall, we were unable to demonstrate a relationship between HPRD and QoC. Our findings underscore that focusing on quantity of nursing care might not improve QoC in nursing homes. The quality of the team should be taken into consideration as well.