A Study on the Relationship between Nursing Shift Structure and Patient Satisfaction in Large Medical Institutions

The nursing shift structure in medical institutions has a direct impact on service quality and patient experience, but related decisions often rely on experience-based judgment. This study conducts a quantitative analysis on the relationship between nursing shift structure and patient satisfaction. The study uses 24 consecutive months of operational data from a tertiary hospital, including the shift records of 1,268 nurses and 46,300 patient satisfaction survey results. Nursing shift variables include the nurse-to-bed ratio, continuous working hours, and the proportion of night shifts. Service quality is measured by overall patient satisfaction and the nursing complaint rate. A multiple regression model is used to analyze the impact of shift structure on satisfaction indicators. The results show that for every 0.1 increase in the nurse-to-bed ratio, the average patient satisfaction score increases by 0.27 points, and excessively long continuous working hours significantly increase the probability of complaints. The findings provide empirical evidence for medical institutions to optimize their nursing shift systems.