The relationship of nursing staff to the hospitalization of nursing home residents

Abstract

Researchers have found registered nurse (RN) staffing unrelated to the prevention of hospitalizations of nursing home residents. Although most nursing home admissions are from hospitals, their studies involved residents who probably were not admitted from hospitals. In this study I examined data on 6,623 discharges of nursing home residents admitted or not admitted from a hospital. For patients with longer stays (>30 days), higher RN staffing levels in nursing homes reduced hospitalizations only for residents admitted from hospitals. Higher RN levels reduced hospitalizations more than higher licensed nurse levels or skill mix. Only among longer-stay residents not admitted from hospitals was RN staffing unrelated to hospitalizations. Researchers may have found RN staffing unrelated to hospitalizations because samples were primarily longer-stay residents not admitted from hospitals.