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Measuring clinical trial-associated workload in a community clinical oncology program
Marjorie J Good1, Barbara Lubejko, Keisha Humphries
1National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD; Oncology Nursing Society, Pittsburgh, PA; Wichita Community Clinical Oncology Program, Wichita, KS; and McKesson Specialty Health, The Woodlands, TX.
Journal of Oncology Practice
|August 15, 2013
Summary
A new acuity-based tool effectively quantifies clinical trial workload, enabling research organizations to balance staff assignments and optimize hiring decisions for improved efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Clinical research operations
- Healthcare management
- Nursing workload assessment
Background:
- Quantifying clinical trial workload is crucial for research organization efficiency.
- Existing methods for estimating research staff needs are insufficient.
- The Wichita Community Clinical Oncology Program (WCCOP) faced challenges in workload assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement an acuity-based workload assessment tool.
- To facilitate the assessment and balancing of workload among research nursing staff.
- To address the lack of effective methods for estimating clinical trial staffing needs.
Main Methods:
- Developed an acuity-based measurement tool assigning scores based on six trial determinants.
- Calculated individual research nursing staff acuity scores using trial scores and patient numbers.
- Compared staff acuity scores monthly to assess workload distribution.
Main Results:
- Over 11 years, overall acuity scores increased from 65% to 181%.
- Despite rising scores, individual nurse FTE acuity and patient per FTE decreased.
- Acuity data guided hiring decisions, optimizing staffing levels.
Conclusions:
- An acuity-based tool successfully measured and guided clinical trial staffing in a community oncology program.
- The tool demonstrated effectiveness in managing research nursing workload.
- Further research is recommended to assess the tool's applicability in other research settings.
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