Professional, social, and demographic correlates of nursing care rationing: insights from hospital nurses in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia

The study examined nursing care rationing among 610 hospital nurses in three countries: 151 in Zlín (Czech Republic), 245 in Białystok (Poland), and 214 in Ružomberok (Slovakia). The research was conducted from March 2024 to March 2025 using the standardized BERNCA-R scale, which assessed the omission of 32 nursing activities. Results showed that demographic and professional characteristics of nurses, such as age, marital status, parenthood, education, and experience, were not significantly associated with the level of rationing. Conversely, the type of hospital ward had a stronger impact, with emergency departments showing the highest frequency of omitted activities. Activities requiring extended patient communication, assessment, or monitoring were rationed more frequently, whereas basic hygiene tasks were rarely omitted. The conclusion suggests that nursing care rationing is more related to organizational and workload factors than to individual nurse characteristics.