Nurse perception of staffing more accurately predicts patient falls on some units: Study

Nurses’ assessment of staffing adequacy is a more accurate predictor of patient falls on medical surgical units than traditional data, a recent study found. 

The study was conducted by Philadelphia-based Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, and was published in the May/June 2026 issue of Nursing Outlook. It compared objective and subjective staffing metrics from the 2024 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators to fall rates on 1,269 adult medical-surgical, stepdown and adult critical care units across 217 U.S. hospitals. 

Hospitals typically rely on registered nurse hours-per-patient-day metrics to determine staff adequacy, but in med-surg units, subjective perceptions of staffing adequacy is significantly associated with lower fall rates. 

However, in critical care settings, objective metrics were more effective predictors of patient falls than nurses’ perceptions.

“Nurses are uniquely positioned to judge staffing adequacy because they see the real-time complexity of patient care that administrative headcounts often overlook,” lead study author Eileen Lake, PhD, RN, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology and CHOPR associate director, said in an April 20 center news release. “Our findings suggest that for medical-surgical and stepdown units, determining safe staffing levels requires engaging in a direct dialogue with bedside nurses rather than relying solely on quantitative reports. Their voice is a vital safety indicator that can prevent discomfort, injury and excessive costs associated with patient falls.”

The post Nurse perception of staffing more accurately predicts patient falls on some units: Study appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.