Direct and indirect nursing care time in an Intensive Care Unit

Luciana Emi Kakushi,Yolanda Dora Martinez Évora

doi:10.1590/0104-1169.3032.2381

Luciana Emi Kakushi, Yolanda Dora Martinez Évora

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.3032.2381

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Abstract

Objectiveto identify the direct and indirect nursing care time in an Intensive Care Unit.Methoda descriptive/exploratory study conducted at a private hospital. The Nursing Activities Score classification system was used to estimate the direct care time, and electronic health records were used to estimate the indirect care time. The data were collected from March to June 2011.Resultsthe findings indicate that the average nursing care time was 29.5 hours, consisting of 27.4 hours of direct care and 2.1 hours of indirect care per patient/day. The nursing care time was higher on weekends and holidays, with predominant use of electronic medical records at night.Conclusionascertaining nursing care times will contribute to a quantitative evaluation of human resources, assisting in the determination of workloads and workforce size.

Highlights

Measuring the average nursing care time is an objective measure for assessing the quantity and quality of the nursing staff in hospitals because it allows hospitals to evaluate the condition of the existing human resources[1]
The predominant reasons for admission were clinical at 63.4% [75] and surgical at 36.5% [43], which is consistent with the average advanced age of the patients and the patients’ health requirements
The nursing care time was higher on weekends and holidays, which is consistent with the results reported by other researchers who have shown that this variation in workload was observed on different days of the www.eerp.usp.br/rlae week, noting that highest Nursing Activities Score (NAS) averages were found on Thursdays and Saturdays[22]

Summary

Introduction

Measuring the average nursing care time is an objective measure for assessing the quantity and quality of the nursing staff in hospitals because it allows hospitals to evaluate the condition of the existing human resources[1]. In intensive care units (ICU), predictions for personnel requirements should be estimated using instruments that consider the various nursing activities involved, which helps to quantify the actual workload and determine the number of workers needed to form a team[2]. Care indicators are increasingly needed in nursing to ensure the quality of care, helping to quantify the number of staff required to provide care that is safe for both the patients and the health professionals. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS) is an instrument that has been designed to measure the actual nursing workload in ICUs, quantifying the nursing care and the degree of complexity involved. The total score obtained using the NAS scoring system represents the percentage of time spent by nurses per shift in direct patient care[3]

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Discussion

Conclusion