A comparison of primary nursing and team nursing in a geriatric long-term care setting

The purpose of this study was to evaluate primary and team nursing on two 45-bed geriatric units. A 2 year longitudinal study with a quasi-experimental ABA cross-over design and a staff survey, permitted comparisons of the two nursing systems on indices of patient well-being, nursing practice, staff morale and costs. Differences in nursing practice, in selected measures of patient well-being and in responses to the staff survey were positively associated with primary nursing. No differences emerged in relation to staff morale or costs. The benefits of primary nursing and implications for further research are discussed.