[The amount of nursing care for patients with myocardial infarction--a descriptive study]

In Germany nurses have no evidence-based data about the amount of nursing care for patients with specific medical diagnosis. These data are necessary for the demanded appropriate consideration of criteria of nursing care in a German-DRG. The pilot study "The amount of nursing care for patients with myocardial infarction", which was part of a students research project at the University of Witten/Herdecke, can provide a basis for this consideration. The amount of nursing care for a convenience sample of 26 patients during their stay at a university hospital in Munich is the focus of a cross-sectional descriptive study. A standardized instrument measuring the amount of care was developed by the project group. The nursing intervention system LEP was used to determine the nursing care hours. The patients' average length of stay is 9.5 days. 73 percent spent 2.4 days in the intensive care unit. The average amount of nursing care is 32.2 hours per patient or 3.4 hours per patient and day, respectively. Typical nursing activities as well as an amount of nursing care pattern in the course of the stay can be seen. Variations of nursing care and length of stay show the inhomogeneity of the investigated group. Older patients and patients with associated diagnoses show an increase of the amount of nursing care and length of stay. The amount of nursing care of old patients in the category "motion and transfer" increases drastically compared to younger ones. The results of this pilot study confirm the assumption that just the diagnosis myocardial infarction is not sufficient to predict and describe the amount of nursing care. Based on this study, further research with larger samples and a longer investigation time is necessary.