This descriptive study was designed to evaluate what modifications of an existing workload index staffing tool were necessary for practical application in an extended care hospital. Two activity studies were conducted concurrently in a 63 bed extended care unit. The Inroom Activity Study measured the amount and kind of care patients received on each shift. Patients were classified into two categories of nursing care needs - average and above average care. The Indirect Work Sampling Study identified how nursing staff spent their time during their eight hour tour of duty. A random selection of the days of the week and the shift to be observed was undertaken to select times that would be representative of the total week days.
The data for the Inroom Activity Study was collected by continuous observations of nursing care given to patients during an eight hour period, and included 10 patients from each category on each shift.
The data for the Indirect Care Study was collected by making fifteen minute spot checks on all nursing personnel throughout an eight hour tour of duty. Observations were made throughout 5 day shifts, 5 evening shifts, and 4 night shifts.
Four questions were answered in this study. Data analysis of Question 1 revealed that there was a difference in the average amount of direct nursing care time that each category of patient received on days, and the average amount of time each category of patient received on evenings. There was no difference in the average amount of time each category of patient received on nights. Data analysis of Question 2 revealed that there was a direct ratio between the amount of care all patients received on days, the average amount of time all patients received on evenings, and the average amount of time all patients received on nights. Data analysis of Question 3 revealed that weighting factors could be established to determine the amount of care received by each category of patient on each shift. Data analysis of Question 4 showed the percentage of time nursing personnel were able to spend in giving direct patient care during an eight hour shift.
The study concludes with consideration of the implications and recommendations for use of the workload index staffing tool, and suggests further research as to refinement of the tool. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/32381 |
| Date | January 1973 |
| Creators | Jackson, Marion Ruth, 1940- |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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