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Nursing workload associated with fever in the general intensive care unit
Panagiotis Kiekkas1, George C Sakellaropoulos, Hero Brokalaki
1Department of Anesthesiology , Patras University Hospital, Patras, Greece.
Summary
Fever in intensive care units (ICUs) significantly increases nursing workload. Higher body temperature, not its duration, independently predicts higher patient care needs, necessitating careful staff allocation.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Nursing Research
- Patient Monitoring
Background:
- Fever in intensive care unit (ICU) patients requires extensive nursing interventions.
- Factors contributing to increased patient care needs may be linked to fever.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the relationship between fever and nursing workload in ICU patients.
- To analyze how fever characteristics influence patient care demands.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study in a medical-surgical ICU with 361 patients.
- Body temperature measured via tympanic or axillary methods.
- Nursing workload assessed using the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28).
Main Results:
- 52.1% of patients experienced fever.
- Febrile patients had significantly higher TISS-28 scores (overall and in 5/7 categories).
- Fever independently predicted higher daily nursing workload scores (P < .001); peak temperature was a key factor.
Conclusions:
- Fever is a significant factor influencing nursing workload in ICUs.
- Consideration of patient fever is crucial for effective nursing staff allocation.
- Peak body temperature is a critical indicator for increased care needs in febrile ICU patients.
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