Using Innovative Software to Address the Puzzle of Sustainable Workforce Stability.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Analytics
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Nurse managers (NMs) require effective tools for proactive determination of registered nurse (RN) hiring needs to ensure adequate inpatient unit staffing.
• Lack of adequate tools creates administrative burden for NMs, impacting healthy work environments, staff development, and patient care.
• Reducing NM administrative burden is crucial for fostering a supportive and efficient healthcare setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the 6-month outcomes of a pilot study on a web-based decision-making tool for NMs.
• To assess the tool's impact on RN hiring needs, workforce stability, and NM satisfaction in a large academic hospital.

Main Methods:

• A matched cohort comparison involving 24 clinical units and 1177.57 full-time equivalents was employed.
• The study evaluated the HealthForce Rx web-based workforce management tool's effect on workforce stability (RN functional gap) and NM satisfaction.
• Mixed model analysis of variance was used for primary and secondary analyses.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement in the RN functional gap (P = .003) compared to control units.
• Nurse managers reported significant improvements in available tools for staffing and hiring needs (P = .15).
• Significant improvements were noted in NM competencies (P = .28) and reduced RN turnover (P = .007).

Conclusions:

• The implementation of an innovative software tool for proactive RN hiring needs assessment can enhance workforce stability.
• The web-based tool shows potential for improving nurse manager satisfaction with staffing and resource management.
• This technology may contribute to a more stable and satisfied nursing workforce.