Special report. Hospital maintenance staffing study: history and process

This special report provides an overview of the ASHE Hospital Maintenance Staffing Study, which was conducted by the society in 1994-95 through the efforts of the ASHE Facilities Management Committee. The intent of the study was to develop a standard staffing equation to assist hospitals in determining appropriate maintenance staffing levels based on current practices of American Hospital Association member hospitals. Throughout the study, extensive survey data were collected and over 200 variables were considered. Statistical analyses were performed to determine which factors were most closely related to variations in staffing patterns, and whether staffing could be reliably predicted by a standard staffing equation. As with any benchmarking or other similar efforts, the results of this study should be approached with caution. There is variability in the data and the variability may change over time. However, the study has shown that high-quality predictability is possible Health care facilities will be able to use the resulting model to determine whether their staffing levels are significantly out of line and may help point to contributing factors.