Nurse Staffing and Veteran Outcomes in the Veterans Health Administration's Community Living Centers

Abstract

Background: The demand for nursing care is rising in the long-term care setting. Nurse staffing is a crucial measure linked to health care quality measure outcomes. Purpose: To assess for associations between nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) and outcome measures in the Veterans Health Administration Community Living Centers. Methods: A retrospective data review of NHPPD and quality measures for 134 community living centers was conducted. Linear regression was used to assess for linear associations between average total NHPPD and 6 quality measures. Results: A significant linear association was found between average total NHPPD and falls with major injury (P = .02) and help with activities of daily living (P = .01). No associations were found between nurse staffing and 4 other quality measures. Conclusions: This study adds to the body of literature regarding the impact of nurse staffing on quality measures.