The Relationship Between Staffing Levels and Consumer Complaints in Nursing Homes

While research tends to find an association of nurse staffing with quality in nursing homes, few studies examine complaints as a quality measure or account for ancillary staff. This study used federal nursing home complaint data to examine how key explanatory variables including nursing and ancillary staffing were associated with numbers of complaints and the likelihood of receiving a complaint. Results support that nursing home staffing is associated with quality. While direct care staffing was associated with fewer complaints, larger effects were found for social service and activities staffing. Increasing ancillary staffing may be a cost-effective way to reduce complaints.