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Related Experiment Videos

How do nurses use their time?

G Hendrickson1, T M Doddato, C T Kovner

  • 1Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York.

The Journal of Nursing Administration
|March 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Nurses spend only 31% of their time with patients. Strategies like task delegation, utilizing pharmacy support, and computer use can free up nurses for expert care.

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Area of Science:

  • Nursing practice
  • Healthcare management
  • Health services research

Background:

  • Nurses are essential healthcare providers, yet their time is often consumed by non-clinical tasks.
  • Limited direct patient care time can impact quality of care and nurse job satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze how registered nurses allocate their time during work shifts.
  • To identify key areas where nurses' time is spent on non-essential functions.
  • To propose actionable strategies for optimizing nurses' time allocation.

Main Methods:

  • Time-motion study to observe and record nursing activities.
  • Categorization of nursing tasks into essential and non-essential functions.
  • Analysis of time spent on direct patient care versus administrative and support tasks.

Main Results:

  • Registered nurses spend an average of only 31% of their time in direct patient care.
  • Significant time is allocated to tasks that could potentially be delegated or streamlined.
  • Key non-essential functions include certain medication management and administrative duties.

Conclusions:

  • Re-engineering nursing workflows can significantly increase direct patient care time.
  • Delegating tasks to support staff, decentralizing pharmacy services, and leveraging technology are crucial for efficiency.
  • Optimizing nurses' time allows for greater focus on complex patient needs and professional responsibilities.

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