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Pre‐implementation studies of a workforce planning tool for nurse staffing and human resource management in university hospitals
Author(s) -
Oostveen Catharina J.,
Ubbink Dirk T.,
Mens Marian A.,
Pompe Edwin A.,
Vermeulen Hester
Publication year - 2016
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/jonm.12297
Subject(s) - workforce , staffing , workforce planning , nursing , workforce management , nursing management , reliability (semiconductor) , medicine , test (biology) , human resource management , quality (philosophy) , knowledge management , computer science , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , philosophy , epistemology , quantum mechanics , economics , biology , economic growth
Aim To investigate the reliability, validity and feasibility of the RAFAELA workforce planning system (including the Oulu patient classification system – OPC q), before deciding on implementation in Dutch hospitals. Background The complexity of care, budgetary restraints and demand for high‐quality patient care have ignited the need for transparent hospital workforce planning. Methods Nurses from 12 wards of two university hospitals were trained to test the reliability of the OPC q by investigating the absolute agreement of nursing care intensity ( NCI ) measurements among nurses. Validity was tested by assessing whether optimal NCI /nurse ratio, as calculated by a regression analysis in RAFAELA , was realistic. System feasibility was investigated through a questionnaire among all nurses involved. Results Almost 67 000 NCI measurements were performed between December 2013 and June 2014. Agreement using the OPC q varied between 38% and 91%. For only 1 in 12 wards was the optimal NCI area calculated judged as valid. Although the majority of respondents was positive about the applicability and user‐friendliness, RAFAELA was not accepted as useful workforce planning system. Conclusion and implications for nursing management Nurses' performance using the RAFAELA system did not warrant its implementation. Hospital managers should first focus on enlarging the readiness of nurses regarding the implementation of a workforce planning system.