Workload of nurses: observational study of indirect care activities/interventions - Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem

RESEARCH

Workload of nurses: observational study of indirect care activities/interventions

Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem. 01-01-2018;71(2):297-305

DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2016-0561

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ABSTRACT

Objective:

Observe the workflow of nurses in hospitalization units identifying indirect care activities/interventions; measure the frequency and average time spent in performing them; and to verify the associations between average time of the activities interventions grouped into categories and per hospitalization unit.

Method:

Observational exploratory study using the timed technique. It was conducted in medical, surgical and specialized clinic units of a teaching hospital in the northwest of São Paulo Brazil, with 16 attending nurses as participants.

Results:

90 hours of observation were performed, of which 58% (52 hours and 10 minutes) were related to indirect care activities of the patients. The most frequent activities/interventions were: “Communication” – 1,852 (44.1%), mean 34.6 (SD = 54); “Walking” – 1,023 (24.3%), mean 22 (SD = 49.2); and “Documentation” – 663 (15.8%), mean 82.7 (SD = 144.4).

Conclusion:

These findings favor a redesign of the work process and foster the need to update and refine the current workload measurement instruments.

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