The staffing of Swiss hospitals is very good in international comparison (cf. OECD, Health at a Glance, 2021, page 225). However, the density of nurses in Switzerland's acute-somatic hospitals varies considerably - between 1.3 and 8.9 nurses per hospital bed. The average is around three nurses per bed.
The density of nurses is comparatively higher in small regional hospitals and university hospitals. There are also clear cantonal differences. For example, the canton of Uri, with about 4.1 nurses per hospital bed, has a nurse density twice as high as the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (see below for more information).
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
4.8
4.7
4.7
4.7
4.5
4.3
4.3
4.1
4.1
4.1
3.9
3.8
3.8
3.8
3.8
3.7
3.7
3.6
3.6
3.4
3.4
3.4
3.3
3.3
3.1
3.0
3.0
2.9
2.9
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.7
2.7
2.7
2.6
2.6
2.6
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.1
2.1
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.4
0.4
Measured as the number of employees (doctors incl. affiliated doctors, nurses) per (100% occupied) bed in a hospital.