Lower Safety Attitudes Are Associated With Greater Rationing of Nursing Care: A Cross‐Sectional Study Among Hospital Nurses

Aim To examine the association between nurses' safety attitudes and rationing of nursing care, and to identify organisational and individual factors associated with the frequency of care rationing. Design Cross‐sectional, correlational study. Methods Data were collected from 224 registered nurses working in hospital settings in Poland. Three instruments were used: the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care Questionnaire, the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire—Short Form (Polish cultural adaptation), and an author‐developed questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics and work environment factors. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression. Results The majority of nurses demonstrated negative safety attitudes, with fewer than one in five participants scoring above the established positive safety attitudes threshold. More positive safety attitudes were associated with lower levels of rationing of nursing care. Education level, hospital referral level, patient age group, and nurse age were identified as factors significantly associated with care rationing. Higher education level, higher hospital referral level, and providing care to adult patients were associated with increased rationing, whereas older age was associated with lower rationing. Conclusion Rationing of nursing care is associated with nurses' safety attitudes as well as with selected organisational and individual factors. These findings highlight the multifactorial nature of care rationing and underscore the role of safety culture in nursing care delivery. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Strengthening patient safety culture may contribute to reducing omissions in nursing care. Healthcare organisations—particularly those operating in complex, high‐acuity settings—should implement strategies that optimise workload distribution and support clinical decision‐making. The findings also indicate that nurse age, rather than years of professional experience, may play a role in managing competing care demands, suggesting the potential value of structured mentoring and supervision programmes for less experienced nurses. Reporting Method This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guidelines for cross‐sectional studies. Patient or Public Contribution This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.