Further Examination of the Influence of Caregiver Staffing Levels on Nursing Home Quality

Purpose: Weak empirical evidence exists showing that nursing home staffing levels influence quality of care. We propose that weak findings have resulted in many prior analyses because research models have underspecified the labor composition needed to influence care processes that, in turn, influence quality of care. In this analysis, we specified the nursing home labor composition by using staff stability, use of agency staff, and professional staff mix, in addition to staffing levels. Design and Methods: Data used in this investigation came from surveys of nursing home administrators (N = 6,005); Nursing Home Compare; the Online Survey, Certifi