Table 3.
Perceptions regarding “Best Practice” patient:nurse, patient:technician, and patient:dietician ratios, stratified by provider type
| Ratio | Nurses | Community Nephrologists | Management Personnel (Medical Directors/Nurse Administrators) | Dialysis Opinion Leaders | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient:nurse | 9.5 ± 4: 1 | 8.0 ± 4: 1 | 7.9 ± 3: 1 | 7.8 ± 3: 1 | Nurse vs. other: P < 0.001; other comparisons: not significant |
| Patient:technician | 3.6 ± 1: 1 | 3.4 ± 1: 1 | 3.8 ± 1: 1 | 2.9 ± 1: 1 | All pairwise comparisons: P > 0.05 |
| Patient:dietician | 48 ± 30: 1 | 56 ± 28: 1 | 70 ± 29: 1 | 70 ± 23: 1 | Nurse vs. other: P < 0.001; nephrologist vs. manager: P < 0.05; nephrologists vs. KOL: P < 0.05 |