Chronic kidney failure (CKF), which is frequently silent, can lead to considerable changes in the lives of patients. Depending on the stage, hospitalization and hours of nursing care are required to ensure medical and surgical treatment. The aim of this descriptive and quantitative study is to measure nursing workload at a nephrology unit based on daily application of the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) for 47 consecutive days. Patients were mostly young male adults in the chronic stage of the disease or admitted for kidney transplant. A total of 833 observations were obtained from 62 patients. The resulting NAS workload upon admission was 52%, corresponding to 12.5 hours of care per patient for 24 hours, which is similar to the workload found in intensive care units. This profile allows calculation of nursing work hours required for each patient, and is a valuable tool for nursing managers when determining the number of staff members required to ensure assistance. Other studies should be conducted for clinical validation.
Descriptors
This study evaluated the nursing workload in an inpatient unit of a university hospital.This descriptive study applied the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) over the course of 30 consecutive days.
Carga de trabajo de la enfermería en una unidad de hospitalizaciónEste estudio objetiva evaluar la carga de trabajo de enfermería en una unidad de internación de un hospital de enseñanza. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo con la aplicación del Nursing Activities Score (NAS), por 30 días consecutivos. Fueron 1080 observaciones obtenidas del registro de 156 pacientes y el promedio del NAS fue de 47,31%. Considerando que cada punto del NAS corresponde a 0,24h, fueron requeridas, en promedio, 11,35 horas de enfermería en la asistencia en 24 horas, lo que corresponde a un perfil de pacientes que requiere cuidados semi-intensivos e intensivos, sugiriendo que el NAS puede ser utilizado para evaluar la carga de trabajo de enfermería en esa
Submissão : 23-12-2010 aprovação: 20-12-2011 ReSUmO O estudo objetivou avaliar o nível de complexidade assistencial dos pacientes em uma unidade de internação de um hospital de ensino no interior paulista. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, que utilizou para a coleta de dados o instrumento "Sistema de classificação de pacientes: proposta de complementação do instrumento", de Fugulin et al., por trinta dias consecutivos. Foram realizadas 1.080 observações, obtidas do registro de 156 pacientes, verificando-se predomínio de pacientes que requerem alta dependência de cuidado. Constataram-se diferenças dos pacientes entre os postos da unidade no perfil, tipo de tratamento e nível de complexidade de cuidado. Conclui-se que há necessidade de reavaliar o quadro de profissionais, como também readequar as demandas de recursos tecnológicos e materiais. descritores: Avaliação em enfermagem; Administração de recursos humanos em hospitais; Dimensionamento de pessoal; Cuidados de Enfermagem.
aBStRaCtThe objective of this descriptive study was to evaluate the level of patient`s care complexity in a hospital unit belonging to a school hospital located in São Paulo, Brazil. Data collection was carried out using the "Patient Classification System: a proposal to complement the instrument", by Fugulin et al., during thirty consecutive days. The use of this instrument resulted in 1.080 observations obtained from 156 patients' records. The majority of the patients required high level of care dependency; there were differences among the patient`s wards regarding gender and age, type of treatment and patients' level of care complexity. We concluded that there was a need to evaluate the health care providers in the institution, as well as to make adjustments regarding demands for technological and materials resources.
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