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Nurses’ Workload and its’ Impact on Productivity in Trauma and Post Operative Intensive Care Units at Assiut University Hospital

Research Authors
Om Hashem Gomaa Ragab, Mohamed Ali Mohamed Al Torky and Samah Mohamed Abdalla
Research Journal
Journal of American Science
Research Member
Research Publisher
NULL
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
9(12)
Research Website
http://www.jofamericanscience.org.
Research Year
2013
Research_Pages
927-939
Research Abstract

Productivity of nurses is an important matter. Nurse’s productivity is well connected to nurses' workload. Through measuring workload productivity can be easily measured. This study aims at measuring nurses’ workload at trauma and post operative intensive care units and identifying the impact of nurses’ workload on nursing productivity. Methods: the subject consisted of the total number of admitted patients 112 patients at trauma ICU and 111 patients at post operative ICU and total number of nurses was 68 at trauma ICU and 23 at post operative ICU. Data collected for the period of three months by observation of nursing care given to all admitted patients at the selected sites for 24 hours from admission to discharge and by interviewing nurses for nurses’ personal data. Data collected using: Patient Information sheet; nurses’ information sheet; Nursing Activities Score; and productivity formulas. Results: Trauma ICU patients had about 60% of workload, while post operative ICU patients had more than 50% of workload. Performance ratio (productivity) was about 50% and 75% for trauma and post operative ICUs respectively. There was negative correlation between workload and productivity at trauma and post operative ICUs. Recommendations: applying of nursing activities score (NAS) to retain nurses staffing, enhance productivity, and avoid waste of nurses’ time. Productivity should be measured annually and comparing the results against productivity standards. Informing staff with patient care results and provide annual productivity indices for them and incentives should be based on the results of measured workload.