Understanding the work of intensive care nurses: a time and motion study
M Abbey1, W Chaboyer, M Mitchell
1Intensive Care Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland, Australia. michael abbey@health.qld.gov.au
Summary
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses spend most of their time on direct and indirect patient care. Understanding these complex activities is key for improving nurse workload models.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
- Workforce Studies
Background:
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing activities are dynamic, complex, and not well-documented.
- Understanding nurse activity levels is crucial for informing workload models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and analyze the work activities of bedside ICU nurses during day shifts.
Main Methods:
- Time and motion observational methodology was employed.
- 10 bedside ICU nurses were observed during day shifts over 10 days.
- Activities were timed, recorded, and coded into direct/indirect patient care, unit-related, or personal categories.
Main Results:
- Over 76 hours of observation documented 3081 activities.
- Direct care comprised 40.5% of activities, indirect care 32.4%, personal 21.9%, and unit-related 5.0%.
- Nurses performed two activities simultaneously for 43% of the observed time.
Conclusions:
- This study provides baseline data on daily ICU nurse activities.
- Approximately three-quarters of ICU nurses' time is dedicated to direct or indirect patient care.
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