Commentary: Nursing Home Staffing— More Is Necessary but Not Necessarily Sufficient

A growing body of evidence links nursing staffing levels in nursing homes with quality of care. Indeed, the relationship between nurse staffing and patient care is not restricted to nursing homes; it applies in hospitals as well The issue is inevitably more complex than simply a body count. Although some minimum numbers of staff are likely necessary just to get the core tasks done, the quality of those workers (their skills and motivation, their kindness and concern) is bound to play a substantial role. Alas, we are reconciled to measuring only the easy part. Those measurements tell an important, if incomplete, story.