A cross-sectional study using the national standard to examine differences between public and private non-profit nursing homes in China.

Aim: Most studies on nursing home quality focus on developed countries, with little coverage in developing countries. Our study aimed to compare the differences between Chinese public and private non-profit nursing homes using the latest national standard.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 232 nursing homes in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, China. We conducted statistical analyses (chi-square and independent sample t test) to investigate differences in public and private non-profit nursing homes. We fitted a binary logistic regression model with whether or not the nursing home received a 3-star or higher rating as the dependent variable, and the ownership type as explanatory variable, after adjusting for nursing home characteristics.

Results: Of the 232 nursing homes included in the study sample, 44.8% were public nursing homes and 55.2% were private non-profit nursing homes. The t test analysis comparing the measures of nursing homes yielded significant results for 4 measures, 3 of which (overall rating, environment, and services) favored private non-profit nursing homes. A regression analysis using whether or not the nursing home received a 3-star or higher rating as the dependent variable showed that when adjusting for nursing home characteristics, private non-profit nursing homes were more likely to have a 3 or higher star compared with public nursing homes (odds ratio = 1.961, 95% confidence interval: 1.056-3.643).

Conclusion: These results suggested that private non-profit nursing homes performed better than public nursing homes when using the Chinese national standard for nursing homes.