Key characteristics of the nursing home organization such as ownership, facility quality and staffing levels dramatically affect staff turnover rates, according to a new study.

Higher turnover rates for certified nurse aides, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses are consistently associated with lower staffing levels, lower quality, for-profit ownership and higher bed size, according to Nicholas G. Castle, PhD, an assistant professor in Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh.

For the study researchers explored the association between turnover rates for 854 facilities in six states and eight organizational characteristics, including staffing levels, top-management turnover, resident case mix, facility quality, ownership, chain membership, size and Medicaid census.

Study results are published in the Feb. issue of The Gerontologist.