Generalizable items and modular structure for computerised physician staffing calculation on intensive care units.

Area of Science:

• Intensive Care Medicine
• Healthcare Management
• Health Economics

Background:

• Intensive care units (ICUs) are significant cost drivers in hospitals, largely due to high personnel expenses.
• Existing top-down staffing models for ICUs lack precision and exhibit high variability.
• Justifying realistic personnel staffing is crucial given budget constraints and reimbursement policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel workload-oriented model for calculating ICU physician staffing needs.
• To integrate quality of care, process efficiency, and various other aspects into staffing calculations.
• To provide a tool for determining minimal personnel staffing and its distribution.

Main Methods:

• Developed a workload-oriented model focusing on physician tasks: basic patient-oriented, additional patient-oriented, and non-patient-oriented tasks.
• Integrated quality of care, efficiency, legal, educational, controlling, local, organizational, and economic factors.
• Utilized an Excel-based calculation tool for determining staffing needs and distribution.

Main Results:

• The model accounts for diverse physician workload components to calculate required staffing.
• The calculation tool determines minimal staffing levels and distribution by employee type, working hours, and duty shifts.
• Implementation and updates in Germany since 2008 provide 8 years of experience with the model.

Conclusions:

• The presented workload-oriented model offers a realistic approach to ICU personnel staffing.
• The modular and flexible Excel-based tool can be adapted to different national and organizational contexts.
• Key aspects of the model are generalizable, aiding physicians worldwide in justifying staffing needs.