Abstract
ObjectivesTo correlate the average number of nursing care hours dedicated to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with nursing care indicators.MethodTransverse, descriptive study conducted between 2011 and 2013. Data were obtained from the electronic records system and from the nursing staff daily schedule. Generalized Linear Models were used for analysis.ResultsA total of 1,717 patients were included in the study. The average NAS (Nursing Activities Score) value was 54.87. The average ratio between the number of nursing care hours provided to the patient and the number of nursing care hours required by the patient (hours ratio) was 0.87. Analysis of the correlation between nursing care indicators and the hours ratio showed that the indicators phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia significantly correlated with hours ratio; that is, the higher the hours ratio, the lower the incidence of phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia.ConclusionThe number of nursing care hours directly impacts patient outcomes, which makes adjustment of nurse staffing levels essential.
Highlights
Alterations in healthcare services due to changing epidemiological profile, population aging, technological advances, and more demanding healthcare users require process optimization, increased productivity, improved patient care quality, and reduced costs [1].Nursing care is essential to ensure safe healthcare delivery
Analysis of the correlation between nursing care indicators and the hours ratio showed that the indicators phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia significantly correlated with hours ratio; that is, the higher the hours ratio, the lower the incidence of phlebitis and ventilator-associated pneumonia
The present investigation aimed to analyze the ratio between the number of nursing care hours provided to the patient and the number of nursing care hours required by the patient in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and to correlate this ratio with the care indicators evaluated in the unit
Summary
Alterations in healthcare services due to changing epidemiological profile, population aging, technological advances, and more demanding healthcare users require process optimization, increased productivity, improved patient care quality, and reduced costs [1].Nursing care is essential to ensure safe healthcare delivery. Nursing care quality encompasses variables such as workload, work environment, patient severity, nursing staff qualification, and cost-effectiveness as measured by patient clinical outcomes [2]. Adequate nurse staffing has become a fundamental strategy in healthcare quality management because it can impact clinical indicators. Addition of a patient to the nursing workload increases emotional distress, reduces job satisfaction, and raises mortality [4,5,6]. In this sense, re-dimensioning of nurse staffing affects healthcare indicators like hospital infections [7,8] and accidental extubation [9]
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