Factors Influencing the Rationing of Nursing Care in Selected Polish Hospitals

Introduction: The rationalization of nursing care can be a direct consequence of the low employment rate or unfavorable working environment of nurses. Aim: The aim of the study was to learn about the factors influencing the rationing of nursing care. Methods: The study group consisted of 209 nurses working in internal medicine departments. The study used the method of a diagnostic survey, a survey technique with the use of research tools: the BERNCA-R questionnaire and the PES-NWI questionnaire (which includes the occupational burnout questionnaire). Results: The mean total BERNCA score for rationing nursing care was 1.94 ± 0.75 on a scale from 0 to 4. A statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between the work environment and the rationing of nursing care. The results of the BERNCA-R scale correlated statistically significantly and positively (r > 0) with two (out of three) subscales of the occupational burnout questionnaire (MBI—Maslach Burnout Inventory): emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (p < 0.001), and with all types of adverse events analyzed (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The higher the frequency of care rationing, the worse the assessment of working conditions by nurses, and, therefore, more frequent care rationing determined the more frequent occurrence of adverse events. The more frequent the care rationing, the more frequent adverse events occur.