Estimating of the required midwife in maternity ward in hospital using Workload Indicator of Staffing Need Method

Abstract

Background: Human resources are considered as a major component of the health sector. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of midwives required in maternity wards in hospitals by using WISN method. Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in three hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2019. The workload and the standard working time were determined through holding expert meetings; available working time was determined through holding meetings with personnel affairs experts and the actual workload was determined based on information management system and information registries. Microsoft Excel and stata were used to analyze data. Results: 10 factors related to midwives’ available working time were identified. Annual available working time for midwives in the studied hospitals was 1378 hours per year. In this study, labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum, recovery after cesarean care and new born cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were identified as the main activities of midwives. The results have shown that the Centre hospital and the educational hospital faced with 2 and 13 midwives shortage, respectively, while the non-educational hospital had 2 surplus midwives. Conclusion: workforce recruitment has a significant role in the hospitals Keywords: Workload Indicator of Staffing Need, Midwife, Hospital, Workforce