Measuring Workload of Nurses on a Neurosurgical Care Unit

Abstract

It is vital to develop unit-specific models of workload and consider both individual- and unit-level factors. Such models have potential for deeper research into both management and increasing satisfaction of workload at the level of clinical specialty/unit.

Injury, Sleep, and Functional Outcome in Hospital Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury

“…19 Prior studies have not focused on the nighttime period of hospitalization of patients with TBI and its relationship to sleep even though there is evidence that unique care activities are underway. 20,21 Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study is to generate hypotheses for subsequent studies by exploring the following aims: (1) Describe nighttime rest-activity variables-wake bouts (counts), total wake time (minutes), and sleep efficiency (%; time asleep/time in bed)--in people hospitalized on a neuroscience step-down unit following a moderate or severe TBI; (2) Describe the association between this same sample's injury and nighttime rest-activity on functional outcome (outcome/dependent variable) (measured at discharge from in-patient care).…”

School Nurse Workload

“…Duffield et al (2014) recommend a model where assistive staff is an extension of the nurse rather than a substitute for the nurse and the nurse is fully trained in all aspects of delegation and oversight. Efficient use of assistive personnel has been associated with nurse satisfaction and patient safety (Duffield et al, 2014; Nelson et al, 2015). Acute care nurse managers must weigh implications of adding assistive staff to skill mix in the context of budgets and staffing trade-offs when considering RN to patient ratio, RN to LPN ratio, as well as nurse experience and education levels (Berkow et al, 2014).…”

“…Nurse satisfaction is also closely related to other workload factors such as efficient use of assistive staff, access to supplies, and cooperation with administrators. Recognizing these related variables, nurse satisfaction is a consideration integral to workload management and improved patient outcomes (Nelson et al, 2015). Job satisfaction is also directly related to nurse retention or intent to leave and as the nursing demand for elderly patients increases worldwide (Yu, Ma, Sun, Lu, & Xu, 2015).…”

“…Three surveys obtain nurse self-reported data on missed patient care or “care left undone” (Ball et al, 2016; Ball, Murrells, Rafferty, Morrow, & Griffiths, 2013; Cho, Kim, Yeon, You, & Lee, 2015), two examine nurse staffing (Liu, Lee, Chi, Chi, & Yin, 2012) as well as staffing “trade-offs” (Berkow, Vonderhaar, Stewart, Viirkstis, & Terry, 2014), and three explore environmental nursing workload obstacles (Fagerstrom & Vainikainen, 2014; Holden et al, 2011; Myny et al, 2012). The final two surveys ascertain nursing knowledge of a mental health and disability workload tool (Fanneran, Brimblecombe, Bradley, & Gregory, 2015) and nursing workload satisfaction (Nelson et al, 2015). Four cross-sectional studies are patient centered, examining medical record data directly.…”

Nursing Workloads and Psychological Empowerment in Hospitals: Structural Equations Modeling

“…3 The different aspects of a nurse's workload must be clarified so that the workload can be better managed and the satisfaction of critical care nurses in their workload increased. 4 From the point of view of nurses, the main barriers to the relationship between patients and nurses are the lack of nurses, lack of sufficient time, and lack of patient awareness. 5 The heavy workload of a hospital nurses is a major difficulty for hospitals.…”