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The results of a pilot time‐and‐motion study in three Australian hospitals: Where do we spend our time?
Author(s) -
MILOSAVLJEVIC Marianna,
WILLIAMS Peter,
PEREZ Geraldine,
DALLA Tegan
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1747-0080
pISSN - 1446-6368
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2011.01526.x
Subject(s) - observational study , medicine , work (physics) , data collection , baseline (sea) , nursing , mechanical engineering , statistics , oceanography , mathematics , pathology , engineering , geology
Aim: To quantify the time nine dietitians spend on different tasks in the inpatient setting and to describe the main dietetic goals for the patients managed. Methods: We used a direct non‐participatory observational method and observed hospital dietitians during a typical work shift. The data were then sorted into six categories. Results: A total of 286 hours and 45 minutes was observed across two collection time periods. On average the dietitians spent 18.3% in direct patient contact, 40.4% in indirect patient support activities, 13.5% in administrative tasks, 4.5% in research and education and 3.8% in travel and miscellaneous tasks. Dietetic goals of patients seen during this time, as identified by the dietitians were; to increase energy intake (48%), decrease energy intake (3%), improve dietary knowledge(15%), to improve or manage clinical symptoms (7%) and to meet enteral or parental requirements(11%). Conclusion: Knowing how the dietitians in the present study spend their time affords an opportunity to reflect on how these tasks contribute to the overall goals of the department. Furthermore, it provides baseline data for additional research into the area of dietetic work activities, which could be evaluated across a wider range of services and hospitals.