IMPACT OF NURSE-TO-PATIENT RATIOS ON PATIENT SAFETY OUTCOMES AND HEALTHCARE QUALITY INDICATORS
Keywords:
nurse-to-patient ratio, patient safety, healthcare quality, nursing workforce, medication errors, patient satisfactionAbstract
Background: Nurse-to-patient ratio is an important indicator of healthcare quality and patient safety.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of nurse-to-patient ratios on patient safety outcomes and healthcare quality indicators among registered nurses.
Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study included 155 registered nurses working in hospital inpatient units. Participants were recruited using non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and available unit records. Nurse-to-patient ratios were categorized as ≤5, 6–8, and >8 patients per nurse.
Results: The mean age of nurses was 30.84 ± 6.21 years, and the mean clinical experience was 6.72 ± 4.18 years. Medication errors increased from 10.9% in the ≤5 patients group to 45.2% in the >8 patients group (p<0.001). Patient falls increased from 8.7% to 38.1% (p=0.002), pressure ulcers from 6.5% to 33.3% (p=0.004), hospital-acquired infections from 13.0% to 42.9% (p=0.003), and delayed responses from 17.4% to 64.3% (p<0.001). Quality indicators also declined with increasing patient load, including patient satisfaction from 84.8% to 45.2% and timely care delivery from 87.0% to 47.6% (both p<0.001).
Conclusion: Higher nurse-to-patient ratios were significantly associated with poorer patient safety outcomes and reduced healthcare quality.
