Nursing workload in public and private intensive care units

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Nursing workload and interventions vary significantly across different healthcare settings.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for effective resource allocation and patient care in intensive care units (ICUs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare nursing workload and interventions for patients in public versus private intensive care units.
• To identify specific differences in care demands that may impact nursing manpower planning.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, comparative cohort study of 600 patients across 4 ICUs in São Paulo.
• Nursing workload and interventions were assessed using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) during the first and last 24 hours of ICU stay.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson's chi-square, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Student's t tests.

Main Results:

• Patients in public ICUs had a higher average NAS on admission (61.9) compared to private ICUs (52.8 upon discharge).
• Significant differences were observed in 12 out of 23 nursing interventions during the initial 24 hours.
• Public ICU patients generally received more frequent interventions, except for specific tasks like drain care and mobilization.

Conclusions:

• Patients in public and private ICUs present distinct nursing care demands.
• These identified differences can assist healthcare managers in optimizing nursing staff allocation and planning.