Productivity versus workloads in the nursing working environment

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Nursing Management
• Healthcare Administration

Background:

• Nursing staff productivity is crucial for healthcare quality.
• Workloads and associated limitations can negatively impact nursing performance.
• Understanding these associations is vital for optimizing hospital operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between nursing worker productivity loss and job workloads.
• To quantify productivity loss in a teaching hospital setting.
• To identify specific workload factors contributing to reduced productivity.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, quantitative study involving 211 nursing workers.
• Utilized a structured data collection instrument and the Work Limitations Questionnaire.
• Employed descriptive and analytical statistics, including Kruskal Wallis and Spearman rank correlation tests.

Main Results:

• Average productivity loss was 6.38%, with nursing technicians showing the highest loss (9.57%).
• Surgical and medical clinics reported the greatest productivity loss.
• Productivity loss was significantly associated with chemical (p=0.044) and mechanical loads (p=0.041).

Conclusions:

• Nursing workers face productivity loss and work limitations linked to specific workloads.
• These limitations hinder the ability to perform job activities during work hours.
• Addressing chemical and mechanical loads may improve nursing productivity and reduce work limitations.