Premium
Determining nurse staffing needs: the workload intensity measurement system
Author(s) -
HOI SHU YIN,
ISMAIL NORAFIDA,
ONG LI CHERN,
KANG JASMINE
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2009.01045.x
Subject(s) - workload , staffing , nursing , medicine , nursing management , operations management , computer science , engineering , operating system
hoi s.y., ismail n., ong l.c. & kang j. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18 , 44–53 Determining nurse staffing needs: the workload intensity measurement system Objective To develop a prototype nursing workload intensity measurement system (WIMS). Background Current nurse staffing was determined based on a development. The predetermined nurse‐to‐patient ratio of a measurement system in the present work environment was deemed essential. Methods The study was conducted in a 1500‐bed acute care hospital in Singapore. A questionnaire was designed to identify critical indicators for workload measurement. Nineteen wards were observed over a period of 1 week on day shifts. The WIMS was developed using regression modelling. Results Nursing time required for a low‐acuity ward increased from 90.5 to 177.1 hours per day. The WIMS was developed using nursing diagnoses as critical indicators of workload. The model (WIMS) yield R 2 values ranging from 0.615 to 0.736 across the six key disciplines, rendering it a model with relatively good predictive ability of nursing time required. Conclusion In such a rapidly changing work environment, workload measurement systems should be reviewed periodically. The WIMS was developed as a potential methodology for measuring staffing needs. Implication for Nursing Management Workload predictions should de‐link patient dependency with acuity status as both do not correlate, as evidenced by this study.