Abstract
To assess how well the Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) predicts staffing requirements on hospital wards, and to use professional judgement to generate hypotheses about factors associated with a "poor fit". The SNCT is widely used in the UK, but there is scant evidence about factors that influence the quality of staffing decisions based upon such patient classification systems. Secondary analysis of data from 69 wards in three acute hospitals to assess the precision of the estimated staffing requirement, variation of estimates, correspondence with professional judgement and achieved staffing levels. Nursing workforce leads suggested factors associated with poor fit, based on the wards that rated worst. 39% of wards were frequently understaffed, while frequent overstaffing was less common (12%). 24% of wards needed a sample of over 182days to estimate the establishment precisely. Potential reasons identified for poor fit included high turnover, older patients, high levels of 1-to-1 specialing, cancer care, small ward size and high within-day variation in demand. Using a staffing tool without applying professional judgement or triangulating against other methods can lead to inaccurate estimates of staffing requirements and unsafe staffing levels. Despite the availability of software to calculate staffing requirements, application of professional judgement remains essential.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
