Are minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios needed in hospitals? An observational study in British Columbia, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate staffing conditions, patient outcomes, quality of care, patient safety and nurse job outcomes in British Columbia (BC), Canada hospitals.

Design

Cross-sectional study of 58 hospitals in BC with surveys of nurses and independent measures of patient outcomes.

Setting

58 hospitals in BC.

Participants

6685 hospital-based nurses working in a direct patient care role.

Exposures

Hospital-wide and unit-specific patient-to-nurse staffing ratios derived from registered nurse reports of how many patients and how many nurses were on their unit during their last shift worked.

Main outcomes and measures

Objective patient outcome measures included the Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR) and 30-day Readmission Rate, from 2022 to 202

SUBMITTER: Lasater KB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12314935 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature