Nursing Home Staffing Requirements and Input Substitution: Effects on Housekeeping, Food Service, and Activities Staff

Objective

To study the effect of minimum nurse staffing requirements on the subsequent employment of nursing home support staff.

Data Sources

Nursing home data from the nline urvey ertification and eporting () System merged with state nurse staffing requirements.

Study Design

Facility‐level housekeeping, food service, and activities staff levels are regressed on nurse staffing requirements and other controls using fixed effect panel regression.

Data Extraction Method

surveys from 1999 to 2004.

Principal Findings

Increases in state direct care and licensed nurse staffing requirements are associated with decreases in the staffing levels of all types of support staff.

Conclusions

Increased nursing home nurse staffing requirements lead to input substitution in the form of reduced support staffing levels.