Regression coefficients indicating the effects of staffing and practice environment on average number of types of care missed
| Effect on missed care of | Regression coefficients (95% CI) | |
| Unadjusted | Adjusted | |
| Patient-to-nurse ratio | 0.11*** | 0.15*** |
| (0.06 to 0.16) | (0.10 to 0.19) | |
| Practice environment | −0.30* | −0.26* |
| (−0.55 to 0.05) | (−0.48 to –0.04) | |
Adjusted coefficients and CIs are from regression models which control for hospital characteristics (beds >750, high technology and location) and nurse characteristics (nurse role, full-time status, years of experience and unit type). Practice environment is measured by the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index tertile.
Source: Data are from the 2010 RN4CAST-England study, which surveyed 2963 inpatient medical and surgical direct care professional nurses (RNs) in a representative sample of 31 National Health Service trusts comprising 46 different hospitals.
*P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001.