Workload pressure of nurses at an emergency satellite hospital in Peshawar Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Health managers face challenges to respond to the demands of the population with limited resources. Balancing the health workforce is of high concern as the health workers are indispensable resource in a health system. The objective of this study was to determine the workload pressure of nurses working at an Emergency Satellite Hospital for efficient planning and management. Methods The Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method was used for this study which is a human resource management tool which determines the number of health workers required to cope with the workload and asses the workload pressure by using the available service statistics. It calculates the level of staff shortage or surplus in a facility and the ratio of actual to the required number of staff determines the workload pressure with which the staff is coping. Results According to the findings of the study there were 1966 available working hours for the nurses in a year. Out of this time 33.33% was taken by support activities of all nurses, 18.75% by additional activities of some of the nurses and 47.92% by health services activities of all the nurses. At the time of the study there were 4 nurses working in the in the hospital but according to the calculations based on WISN 3 nurses were required to carry out the activities identified by the experts working group. The study shows that there was no workload pressure on the nursing staff as the WISN ratio was 1.33 and one nurse was surplus. Conclusions The study found that there was no workload pressure on the nursing staff and one nurse was surplus who can be adjusted in any other unit where there is more need of nursing staff. This can increase the overall productivity and the demands of the population for health services can be responded to in an efficient way. Key messages Balancing the health workforce in any institution is of high concern as the health workers are the most costly, least readily available and indispensable resource in a health system. Efficient planning and management of health workforce is essential for better productivity.