A study of staffing levels in hospital wards for severely physically disabled patients

This paper reports on an investigation of the workloads of the different grades of nursing staff caring for severely physically disabled patients in a long-term rehabilitation hospital. Results of nurse activity sampling and assessment of patients' severities of disability on three wards are presented in the form of tables and bar-charts. Wide variation of types and severities of patients' disability within and between the three wards was evident. Qualitative trends relating patients' severities of disability to times spent feeding patients, total nursing hours per patient (12-hr) day, and trained/untrained staff ratios were revealed. The question of grade mix is briefly discussed.