Exploring the Relationship Between Extent of Person-Centered Care Implementation and Staffing Levels in Ohio Nursing Homes

Background: The Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) is a person-centered care (PCC) tool that uncovers/honors older adults’ important preferences. PCC implementation in nursing homes (NHs) often requires additional resources, such as staff time. We explored if PELI implementation is associated with NH staffing levels. Methods: Using NH-year as the unit of observation (n = 1307), 2015 and 2017 data from Ohio NHs was used to examine the relationship between complete versus partial PELI implementation and staffing levels, measured in hours per resident day, for various positions and total nursing staff. Results: Complete PELI implementation was associated with higher nursing staff levels in both for-profits and not-for-profits; however, total nursing staff levels in not-for-profits were higher than for-profits (0.16 vs. 0.09 hours per resident day). The specific nursing staff associated with PELI implementation varied by ownership. Discussion: For NHs to fully implement PCC, a multifaceted approach to improve staffing is needed.