Introduction
A system of progressive patient care (PPC) has been adopted in most hospitals in India. Under this system, the inpatient area is divided into various sections based on intensity and type of nursing care required (Sakharkar 2006). Quality nursing care is a significant
determinant of satisfactory medical care delivery. Optimal satisfaction of nursing staff, in turn, is impor-tant for patient satisfaction. For example, the litera-ture shows that an increase in nurse turnover increased the rate of patient falls by 0.2% (Silber et al. 2000). Further, an adequate nurse–patient ratio, in itself, does not guarantee desired outcomes. Though