[Nursing personnel planning in a surgical unit]

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Planning
• Hospital Operations

Background:

• Accurate nurse staffing is critical for surgical unit efficiency and patient care quality.
• Existing models may lack precision in planning nursing capacity for specialized units.
• Hospital resource allocation requires data-driven approaches for optimal outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply a model for determining optimal nurse staffing in a surgical unit.
• To compare model-derived results with existing literature findings.
• To enhance the precision of nursing workforce planning in a Brazilian hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Case study methodology applied to a general hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
• Development and application of a mathematical model for nurse number determination.
• Calculation of annual unit capacity and nursing hour capacity.

Main Results:

• The model provided precise calculations for annual unit and nursing hour capacity.
• Results indicated potential for improved nurse number planning for pre- and post-surgery care.
• Comparison with literature findings validated the model's applicability.

Conclusions:

• The applied model offers enhanced precision in surgical unit nurse staffing.
• Optimized staffing contributes to improved productivity and resource management.
• This approach supports evidence-based decision-making in nursing workforce planning.