Nursing workload assessment in an intensive care unit: A retrospective observational study using the Nursing Activities Score

Background

Nursing Activities Score (NAS) is a promising tool for calculating the nursing workload in intensive care units (ICU). However, data on intensive care nursing activities in Portugal are practically non-existent.

Aim

To assess the nursing workload in a Portuguese ICU using the NAS.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study developed throughout the analysis of the electronic health record database from 56 adult patients admitted to a six-bed Portuguese ICU between 1 June–31 August 2020. The nursing workload was assessed by the Portuguese version of the NAS. The study was approved by the Hospital Council Board and Ethics Committee. The study report followed the STROBE guidelines.

Results

The average occupancy rate was 73.55% (±16.60%). The average nursing workload per participant was 67.52 (±10.91) points. There was a correlation between the occupancy rate and the nursing workload. In 35.78% of the days, the nursing workload was higher than the available human resources, overloading nurse staffing/team.

Conclusions

The nursing workload reported follows the trend of the international studies and the results reinforce the importance of adjusting the nursing staffing to the complexity of nursing care in this ICU. This study highlighted periods of nursing workload that could compromise patient safety.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

This was one of the first studies carried out with the NAS after its cross-cultural adaptation and validation for the Portuguese population. The nursing workload at the patient level was higher in the first 24 h of ICU stays. Because of the ‘administrative and management activities’ related to the ‘patient discharge procedures’, the last 24 h of ICU stays also presented high levels of nursing workload. The implementation of a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:1 may contribute to safer nurse staffing and to improve patient safety in this Tertiary (level 3) ICU.     

Measuring nursing workload in intensive care: an observational study using closed circuit video cameras

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing demand for intensive care provision in the United Kingdom (UK), partly because of a national shortage of intensive care beds. The problem is compounded by the current method for calculating the nurse: patient ratio using a Nurse Workload Patient Category scoring system or similar adaptations used in many intensive care units. This ratio is calculated by using patient category or dependency scales, which operate on the assumption that the more critically ill the patient, the more nurse time is needed to care for the patient. However, many mechanically ventilated critically ill patients (allocated a high category of care) may need less nursing care than patients who are self-ventilating and allocated a lower level of dependence. PURPOSE: In this study, a video recorder was used to document nurse activity for 48 continuous shifts in two intensive care units to determine the accuracy of the Nursing Workload Patient Category scoring system in measuring nurse workload. METHODS: The video data were correlated later with the Patient Category allocated to the patient by the nurse at the time. RESULTS: The results of this observational study demonstrated that, despite complex care needs, a high percentage of nursing activities observed in each unit consisted of low skill activity. Furthermore, nurses spent less time with patients categorized as in need of intensive care than those in need of high dependency care in both units. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that existing nurse:patient ratio classifications may be inappropriate, since nurses spent less time with critically ill patients. Radical reconsideration of nursing levels and skill mix might make it possible to increase intensive care provision because fewer nurses would be needed to staff each bed. The findings support alternative and more flexible systems for assessing workload and the use of different nurse:patient ratios.     

新生儿监护病区患儿安全护理的效果评价

目的探讨新生儿监护病区患儿安全护理的效果。方法入住新生儿监护病区的646例患儿按无陪护全程护理,与未入住新生儿监护病区的509例患儿护理效果进行比较。结果入住与未入住新生儿病区患儿的臀红、鹅口疮、脐炎比较,P<0.01,有显著性差异。抢救成功率、死亡率、窒息率均有不同程度的改善。结论新生儿监护病区现有的安全护理是行之有效的,规范了护理管理;增强了护士的工作责任心;强化了安全意识和法制观念,提高了护理质量,确保了患儿安全。     

Nursing workload and patient-focused outcomes in intensive care: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the association of nursing workload on patient outcomes in intensive care units. The primary outcome measure was patient mortality, with adverse events (AE), the secondary outcome measures. Electronic search of databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, EMCARE, Scopus, and Web of Science were performed. Studies were excluded if they were in non-ICU settings, pediatric, neonatal populations, or if the abstract/full text was unavailable. Risk of bias was assessed by the ROBINS-I tool. After screening 4129 articles, 32 studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria. The majority of included studies were assessed as having a moderate risk of bias. The nursing activities score (NAS) was the most frequently used tool to assess nursing workload. Our systematic review identified that higher nursing workload was associated with patient-focused outcomes, including increased mortality and AE in the intensive care setting. The varied approaches of measuring and reporting nursing workload make it difficult to translate the findings of the impact of nursing workload on patient outcomes in intensive care settings.     

TISS在SICU护理工作量评定与分析中的应用

目的：应用治疗干预计分系统（TISS）评定、分析外科重症监护病房（SICU）的护理工作量,为临床管理提供客观参考依据。方法：观察北京某三级甲等医院SICU半年内每天的护理记录并收集366例患者每天的TISS计分,统计SICU病房每天所有患者的TISS总分。结果：根据TISS给定的分级方法,826例次SICU患者的TISS计分均数为39.52,约需要1：1的护患比。其中有46.97%例次的TISS计分在40～87分之间,属于TISS分类Ⅳ级的重患者,需要1名或者1名以上的护士直接护理。SICU每天护理工作总量的TISS计分均数为195.74,每天满足患者直接护理需要的护士岗位职数为15人。TISS的76个护理干预项目中,心电图监护、每24小时的常规摄入及排出、留置导尿管的操作频次占前3位。结论：SICU护士处于超负荷工作状态。TISS为SICU护理工作量的评估和人力资源的合理使用提供了有力的依据;护患比例失调,护士编制不足,是监护病房亟待解决的问题。     

上海市大型综合性医院监护病房护理人员工作量调查研究

目的:通过测定上海市大型综合性医院监护病房不同级别护理人员的工作时间,了解上海市临床护理人员工作量的分布情况。方法:采用目的抽样法抽取上海市大型综合性医院中5个监护病房,通过自行设计的调查量表与现场记录的方法,对病房内不同级别、不同班次护理人员的工作量进行调查和分析。结果:助理护士的工作量占所有临床护理人员工作量的47%,护士更多的时间用在间接护理工作内容上,未能体现其真正的价值。结论:护理管理者应合理安排不同等级护理人员的工作内容,有效利用护理人力资源,提高临床护理质量,保障患者安全。     

Research in intensive care nursing

• • The results of a questionnaire study about intensive care nursing in Finland indicate that the chief problems in intensive care nursing are concerned with staff coping resources, quality development and patient experiences.
• • Questions on staff stress and coping have been researched quite extensively. Earlier studies have described intensive care nursing as highly stressful and pointed to numerous problems related to coping.
• • It is clear that intensive care nursing warrants closer attention in research.

     

Measuring neonatal intensive care unit-related parental stress

AIMS: This paper reports a study: (1) to determine the validity and reliability of the Parent Stressor Scale:Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) for use with United Kingdom (UK) parents; (2) compare UK scores with those from a contemporary reference sample from the United States (US), (3) to identify the sources of greatest NICU-related stressors for parents and (4) to identify demographic or situational factors influencing NICU-related parental stress. BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the adequacy of nursing care and psychosocial support services for parents of ill infants in the NICU requires valid and reliable measures of parental stress. The PSS:NICU is a well-validated scale developed in the US to measure NICU-related parental stress. However, it has not been tested in the UK. METHODS: Consecutive samples of parents (n = 257) of infants in nine UK NICUs and two reference US units completed the PSS:NICU and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale approximately 1 week after admission. Psychometric properties of the PSS:NICU, including internal consistency reliability and construct, concurrent and predictive validity, were evaluated. RESULTS: PSS:NICU scores were similar in the UK and US samples and high internal consistency reliability was found for all metrics (e.g. Overall Stress: 0.94 for both samples). A three-factor principal components solution accounted for 66% of the variance in the scores, with the items grouped into the three a priori scales specified in the PSS:NICU (Infant Behaviour and Appearance, Parental Role Alterations, and Sights and Sounds). Stress Occurrence and Overall Stress were moderately correlated with State Anxiety in both samples (r = 0.46-0.61, P < 0.001). Thirty-one per cent of the variance in Stress Occurrence in the UK sample was explained by State Anxiety, infant severity of illness score, parent gender, and less frequent visitation. CONCLUSIONS: The PSS:NICU demonstrated appropriate psychometrics in a large sample of parents from diverse NICUs in the UK. These findings support its wider use in research and clinical practice to identify parental distress and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing care and psychosocial support services for parents.     

Core measures for developmentally supportive care in neonatal intensive care units: theory, precedence and practice

Title. Core measures for developmentally supportive care in neonatal intensive care units: theory, precedence and practice. Aim. This paper is a discussion of evidence‐based core measures for developmental care in neonatal intensive care units. Background. Inconsistent definition, application and evaluation of developmental care have resulted in criticism of its scientific merit. The key concept guiding data organization in this paper is the United States of America’s Joint Commission’s concept of ‘core measures’ for evaluating and accrediting healthcare organizations. This concept is applied to five disease‐ and procedure‐independent measures based on the Universe of Developmental Care model. Data sources. Electronically accessible, peer reviewed studies on developmental care published in English were culled for data supporting the selected objective core measures between 1978 and 2008. The quality of evidence was based on a structured predetermined format that included three independent reviewers. Systematic reviews and randomized control trials were considered the strongest level of evidence. When unavailable, cohort, case control, consensus statements and qualitative methods were considered the strongest level of evidence for a particular clinical issue. Discussion. Five core measure sets for evidence‐based developmental care were evaluated: (1) protected sleep, (2) pain and stress assessment and management, (3) developmental activities of daily living, (4) family‐centred care, and (5) the healing environment. These five categories reflect recurring themes that emerged from the literature review regarding developmentally supportive care and quality caring practices in neonatal populations. This practice model provides clear metrics for nursing actions having an impact on the hospital experience of infant‐family dyads. Conclusion. Standardized disease‐independent core measures for developmental care establish minimum evidence‐based practice expectations and offer an objective basis for cross‐institutional comparison of developmental care programmes.     

个体化护理服务模式对新生儿重症监护室早产儿预后的影响

目的探讨个体化护理服务模式对新生儿重症监护室(NICU)早产儿预后的影响。方法选取2017年1月至2019年2月入住该院NICU诊治的早产儿150例作为研究对象,根据入院先后顺序分为个体组(75例)和对照组(75例)。对照组早产儿给予常规护理,个体组在对照组护理的基础上给予个体化护理服务模式干预,记录与调查两组早产儿的预后。结果个体组早产儿护理1个月和3个月后的体质量与身长均明显高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。个体组早产儿护理3个月后的智力发育指数与心理运动发育指数评分均明显高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组早产儿护理3个月后的行为神经评分量表评分均明显高于护理前,并且个体组评分明显高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。个体组早产儿护理期间的再住院率为1.3%,明显低于对照组的10.7%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论个体化护理服务模式在NICU早产儿中的应用能促进其生长发育,加快早产儿的神经发育与智力发育,降低再住院率。     

Learning how we learn: an ethnographic study in a neonatal intensive care unit

Title.  Learning how we learn: an ethnographic study in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to identify how nurse clinicians learn with and from each other in the workplace.
Background.  Clinicians' everyday practices and interactions with each other have recently been targeted as areas of research, because it is there that quality of care and patient safety are achieved. Orientation of new nurses and doctors into a specialty unit often results in stress.
Method.  An ethnographic approach was used, including a 12-month period of fieldwork observations involving participation and in-depth interviews with nurse, doctor and allied health clinicians in their workplace. The data were collected in 2005–2006 in a paediatric teaching hospital in Australia.
Findings.  The findings were grouped into four dimensions: orientation of nurses, orientation of medical registrars, preceptoring and decision-making. The orientation of new staff (nursing and medical) is a complex and multi-layered process which accommodates multiple kinds of learning, in addition to formal learning. Workplace learning also can be informal, incidental, interpersonal and interactive. Interactive and interpersonal learning and the transfer of knowledge include codified and tacit knowledge as well as intuitive understandings of 'how we do things here'.
Conclusion.  Research into how nurses learn is crucial for illuminating learning that is non-formal and less recognized than more formal kinds. To provide a safe practice environment built on a foundation of knowledge and best practice, there needs to be an allocation of time in the busy workday for learning and reflection.